On their website, www.cefonline.com, Child Evangelism Fellowship (also known as CEF) affirms their stated goal and mission: “Child Evangelism Fellowship is a Bible-centered, worldwide organization that is dedicated to seeing every child reached with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, discipled and established in a local church.”
Though CEF has many types of evangelism programs, one of the better-known is The Good News Club. These clubs are offered once a week after school in elementary school settings for children first through fifth grade by arrangements made with the local school district and the individual school.
The clubs present a fast-paced, one-hour program that is designed to present the Gospel to children on their level of understanding in a familiar place. Attendance is, of course, voluntary. Parents give their permission and support. The people who teach and work with the children are carefully-screened volunteer adults. No school supplies or staff members are used for the club.
Such clubs are established and operating in the Dallas, Texas, area. In one of the clubs, a ten year old girl in fourth grade (we’ll call her Laurie) did what Christian adults in most of the United States hesitate to do. She proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to her peers. With her Christian faith strengthened by her home and church training as well as enrichment experienced in her Good News Club, she found the opportunity to explain the Gospel to her regular school class. Here is how it happened.
An assignment was given by Laurie’s teacher for each student to present to the class an explanation about a topic others might not know about. One of the Muslim children in the class gave a lengthy presentation about the Muslim religion. Laurie and a friend in the class asked the teacher if they could work together on their presentation and tell the class about Christianity. The teacher gave them her permission.
Laurie and her friend produced a Power Point presentation with informative and descriptive displays and used it to tell the class about the Gospel and how Christianity can change lives. Of course, at the same time, they were also witnessing to both the teacher and the students!
Laurie and her friend love Jesus and they felt emboldened to share His love and grace with others.
The Bible says, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Luke 18:16).
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