‘CEF is excited and thankful to once again have our rights restored for the Good News Club to meet in the Oakland Unified School District,’ said CEF Vice President of USA Ministries Jeff Nichols
For Immediate Release
August 22, 2025
ST. LOUIS — After being denied access to four district campuses, a federal court has ruled that the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) must allow the Child Evangelism Fellowship® (CEF) Good News Club® equal access to school facilities. In December 2024, CEF filed a lawsuit claiming that the school district engaged in acts of religious discrimination. Over a two-year period, OUSD school officials had delayed or denied the ministry’s applications, claiming lack of space, failure to approve community partnership applications, and direct objections to the group’s religious content.
CEF Vice President of USA Ministries Jeff Nichols attributes this victory to God and thanks Liberty Counsel for standing with them in defense of religious freedom.
“CEF is excited and thankful to once again have our rights restored for the Good News Club to meet in the Oakland Unified School District,” says Nichols. “We give God glory for this victory, and are also grateful for the support and work of Liberty Counsel in addressing the loss of this freedom with the courts.”
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “This is a great victory for Child Evangelism Fellowship, parents, and the students in Oakland public schools. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that public schools cannot discriminate against Christian viewpoints regarding use of school facilities. Child Evangelism Fellowship gives children a biblically based education that includes moral and character development. Good News Club should be in every public elementary school.”
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.
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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.