Fred Pry, CEF Vice President of Administration:
‘God is at work through loving, caring and courageous people who share the life-changing message of the Gospel’
For Immediate Release
February 10, 2025
ST. LOUIS —Nigeria has become the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian. The country accounts for the majority of faith-based persecution globally, as extremist networks target Christian communities, churches and schools. More than 7,000 believers were killed in just seven months.
Human rights organizations warn that this is not an isolated crisis, but a sustained wave of persecution; a campaign that has already claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions and left entire regions living under fear and religious repression.
Child Evangelism Fellowship® (CEF®) remains dedicated to bringing the light of Christ to even the darkest corners of the world. Despite the hostile environment, CEF’s work in Nigeria continues unabated, driven by a team devoted to reaching children with the truth of God’s Word, no matter the challenges, relying fully on God’s protection and guidance.
According to CEF Vice President of Administration Fred Pry, “God is at work through loving, caring and courageous people who share the life-changing message of the Gospel with vulnerable children.”
CEF reaches over 3 million children across West and Central Africa, where Nigeria is located, and continues to be one of the fastest-growing regions where the Gospel is spreading.
Children under age 15 make up 40-46% of Nigeria’s population, and experts project Nigeria to become the 3rd or 4th most populous nation by 2050.
During the last holiday season, CEF partnered with local Nigerian congregations to host Christmas Party Club®, a community-based event where churches work alongside CEF to reach children with the true meaning of Christmas. Each club features Gospel-centered teachings designed to minister to both believers and those unfamiliar with Christ.
A Christmas Party Club can also open the door to a new Good News Club®, CEF’s year-round programming that delivers the timeless truths of the Bible in fun, exciting ways. The recent Christmas Party Clubs resulted in the region launching over 200 new Good News Clubs.
As a result, even in this dark moment for Nigerian believers, CEF’s results are amazing. In 2025, the ministry counted:
- 392 training seminars conducted
- 5,263 volunteers trained
- 2,858 Christmas Party Clubs
- 438,831 children reached
- 233 new Good News Clubs committed for 2026
These numbers provide ample excitement and encouragement in CEF’s ongoing mission to “evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to disciple them in the Word of God, and establish them in a local church for Christian living.”
“No matter what obstacles arise,” affirmed Pry, “CEF will never stop answering God’s call to evangelize children with the Gospel.”
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 heard or read the Good News. More than 533,000 teachers were trained around the world.
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.
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To interview a representative from Child Evangelism Fellowship, contact Hamilton Strategies, [email protected], Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.