Over 3,000 of CEF’s Good News Club® await children returning to school in America
‘It’s so important that children have a godly alternative in a culture that is not only post-Christian but often hostile to Christianity,’ says CEF Acting Vice President of Administration Fred Pry
For Immediate Release
July 29, 2024
ST. LOUIS — As parents prepare for the fast-approaching start of the school year, they might want to know about the opportunity to enroll their children in after-school clubs that teach biblical truths and present the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Over the years, Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) has worked hard to provide meaningful options to what’s taught in secular public schools. CEF is currently offering Good News Club® in more than 3,300 school-related locations around the nation and thousands more around the world.
“It’s so important that children have a godly alternative in a culture that is not only post-Christian but often hostile to Christianity,” says CEF Acting Vice President of Administration Fred Pry. “CEF’s Good News Club® is that alternative.”
CEF’s Northern California chapter explains that Bible engagement is important for children, because they learn every day from whatever surrounds them. Often entertainment and social media teach a worldview that is misleading and ultimately destructive. Children must learn about true love from God. The Bible is a place of true teaching in all ways of life, including showing kids how to be a light and a guide for others; guiding them to understand how Bible stories affect their lives, and instructing them in God’s truth on how to live.
For communities, a Good News Club® can identify a home in the neighborhood that is safe for a child to go to in times of trouble. It brings the teaching of biblical morality to the neighborhood. It connects the child and his family to others where they live developing a good community spirit. When you teach God’s Word to children in your neighborhood, your neighbors learn what you believe. Community centers and housing complexes are also great places for a club.
At a Good News Club®, each week an exciting Bible lesson using colorful materials from CEF is presented. This action-packed time also includes songs, Scripture memory, a missionary story and games or other activities focused on the lesson’s theme. Each club includes a clear presentation of the Gospel and an opportunity for children to trust the Lord Jesus as Savior. Every club also includes strong discipleship training to build character and strengthen moral and spiritual growth. All children are encouraged to attend a local church.
Dr. Faith Dugan, Children’s Ministries Institute (CMI) Online Director/Leadership Training Instructor, recalled the story of Elijah who was born on March 28, 2010, making him part of the Generation Z cohort; a generation that is growing up in a post-Christian culture.
Dr. Dugan said, “When asked how he learned about Jesus, Elijah responded, ‘My parents took me to church and had devotions with us, and I went to Good News Club®.’”
“When the end of the school year approached, Elijah learned that there would be a five-week extended club for kids who wanted to learn how to share the Gospel with their peers.”
“When the home-based Good News Club®, which included elementary and middle school kids from the neighborhood, returned to the elementary school, the middle school kids stopped attending. The solution, it seemed, was to start a new club geared for middle school kids.”
“God stirred 13-year-old Elijah’s heart to start a student-led Bible club in his middle school. Elijah now leads a group of seven peers through the book of Romans on Wednesday afternoons! He explained, ‘I’ve always liked the book of Romans! We read and discuss one chapter each week and have time for questions and answers.’”
Child Evangelism Fellowship, which was founded 87 years ago, has been establishing the Good News Club® 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 and many more.
In 2023, through CEF’s combined ministries, more than 25.2 million children worldwide heard the Good News. More than 577,000 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.
###
To interview a representative from Child Evangelism Fellowship, contact [email protected], Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.