CEF Vice President of Administration Fred Pry: ‘In a culture that has largely turned its back on Christian values, it’s so important that children have a godly influence and a space where truth is not compromised’
For Immediate Release
August 11, 2025
ST. LOUIS — With the start of a new school year just around the corner, many parents are searching for an after-school club for their children that not only offers fun and fellowship but also shares the truth of God’s Word in transformative, engaging ways.
For many years, Child Evangelism Fellowship® (CEF) has worked tirelessly to provide meaningful options to what’s taught in secular public schools. Working to share the Good News with every child in every nation, the ministry’s Good News Club® is in more than 3,300 school-based locations around the United States and thousands more around the world.
“In a culture that has largely turned its back on Christian values, it’s so important that children have a godly influence and a space where truth is not compromised,” said CEF Vice President of Administration Fred Pry. “At a Good News Club, children not only come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but they come to understand the power of God’s Word for daily living.”
For some communities, a home-based Good News Club is also known as a safe place for a child to go to in times of trouble. It brings the life-changing message of the Gospel to the neighborhood, connecting children to others where they live, and developing a good community spirit.
Each week at a Good News Club, an exciting Bible lesson is presented. This action-packed time usually 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 a strong discipleship focus to build character and strengthen moral and spiritual growth. All children are also encouraged to attend a local church.
“Our Good News Club is helping to train up the next generation of children who are not only grounded in their faith, but are actively being a light in their schools and communities,” Pry remarked.
At CEF in the Greater Greensboro Area of North Carolina, their Good News Club grew to 80 children, as they continued to come to the club faithfully each week. Parents began to see their children’s faith grow at home as they were reading the Bible each day, asking questions about it, boldly sharing what they had learned with other family members and seeing them receive Christ as their Savior.
One parent remarked, “The Good News Club has impacted the spiritual life of our family because the kids are hearing the Gospel.”
Emily Ramsdell from CEF New York shared the following testimony on how the Good News Club helped children grieve from the loss of their schoolmates:
“At Good News Club, we had started a series of lessons on the life of Daniel and his three friends. I had just taught the first two lessons in the series and was planning to teach lesson three. I felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit to change the lesson, and He impressed upon my heart that I needed to teach a lesson on Heaven.
“On club day, I had heard news about a terrible house fire. When I entered the school, the principal told me that the house fire had taken the lives of two children in the school, along with their mother.
“The children in our club came into the library where we met. After a time of prayer in the club, I went directly to the lesson on Heaven and answered questions that the children had about life, death and Heaven.
“When the club was over, a woman came over to me and said, ‘During school today, we had the children write notes to the grieving family. One of the boys I was working with wrote a beautiful, touching note to the family, and he included Bible verses. As I read it, I asked him, “Where did you learn to write like that?” He looked up at me and said, “In the Good News Club.” She then touched my arm and said to me, ‘I just want you to know that the Good News Club is making a difference here in this school.’”
“As I left Good News Club that day, my heart was rejoicing. The Bible verses the children tuck away in their hearts not only minister to them, but they have a far-reaching impact, more than we can imagine!”
Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), which was founded 88 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, Uganda and many more.
In 2024, through the combined ministries of CEF, more than 31 million children worldwide were impacted for Christ. More than 533,000 teachers were trained around the world to reach children.
For more CEF news, see the ministry’s latest edition of the online magazine Impact.
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, Dawn Foglein, ext. 100, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.