‘Students need to know about this vibrant alternative to the deceptive temptations of drugs, alcohol, early sexual activity, social media addiction and despondency,’ says Child Evangelism Fellowship Acting Vice President of Administration Fred Pry
For Immediate Release
March 4, 2024
ST. LOUIS — Bad news about today’s young people abounds. Losing hope, many turn to destructive lifestyles.
That’s why a Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) program that focuses on training young people to grow and share their faith with children is such a welcome, counter-cultural option for Christian teens.
“Students need to know about this vibrant alternative to the deceptive temptations of drugs, alcohol, early sexual activity, social media addiction and despondency,” says Child Evangelism Fellowship Acting Vice President of Administration Fred Pry.
“Christian Youth in Action® is about much more than keeping out of trouble; it’s about building character and faith and giving to others. It also happens to be a lot of fun.”
The Christian Youth In Action® program is transforming the lives of young people across the United States and around the world. High school and college-age students take one to two weeks of intensive training in how to present the Gospel clearly on a child’s level, how to counsel a child for salvation, and how to lead a dynamic ministry for kids.
They emerge with confidence, faith, and leadership skills to lead 5-Day Clubs for boys and girls. Components of this club for children include teaching a Bible lesson, a real-life missionary story, and a Bible verse as well as leading songs, games and a fun review time.
After the training, the students return to their local community and teach clubs at various locations with a team of other young people. The clubs take place out in the community with predominantly unsaved kids who don’t regularly attend church. Trainees are able to take the light of the Gospel to children in their apartment complexes, daycare centers, neighborhoods, schools and other community locations. Depending on the state, students will teach clubs from one to five weeks during the summer.
This summer teens can:
- Make an eternal impact.
- Reach boys and girls with the Gospel.
- See their faith and vision grow deeper.
- Build new friendships that will last a lifetime.
- Grow in communication, teamwork, endurance, responsibility, and self-confidence.
- Gain experience in ministry in their own local church, school, or vocation.
Over the decades, more than 3,000 teens have been trained each summer in the United States. Many have gone on to be pastors and ministry leaders.
Abby Barton, from Omaha, Nebraska, was a shy, reserved teen. However, she realized her potential to change children’s lives after attending a CYIA program. Now she is pursuing a career in biblical counseling for children.
Myra Johnson and Chloe Wagner are two Children’s Ministries Institute® students who have been involved with Child Evangelism Fellowship through Christian Youth in Action® in Wisconsin. Like Abby, thanks to CYIA, they got out of their comfort zone and discovered a passion for reaching lost children.
For more about CEF’s Christian Youth in Action® see CYIA’s landing page and YouTube video.
To read more about CEF’s ministries, see the latest edition of the ministry’s magazine, Impact.
Child Evangelism Fellowship, which was founded 87 years ago, has been establishing Good News Clubs® in countries around the world for decades. Clubs are thriving worldwide, in countries including Australia, Cambodia, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Uganda.
In 2022, through CEF’s combined ministries, more than 19.5 million children worldwide heard the Good News. More than 439,000 teachers were trained around the world.
For more CEF news, see the ministry’s latest edition of the online magazine Impact.
Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) is an international, nonprofit, Christian ministry that has been dedicated to seeing every child reached with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, discipled and established in a local church since 1937. CEF is located in all 50 American states and in most countries around the world, with over 3,500 paid staff and tens of thousands of volunteers around the world.
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To interview a representative from Child Evangelism Fellowship, contact [email protected], Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.