‘This goal mirrors CEF’s vision: “Every Child, Every Nation, Every Day,”’ says Child Evangelism Fellowship Executive Vice President Moises Esteves
For Immediate Release
December 18, 2023
ST. LOUIS — Child Evangelism Fellowship’s (CEF’s) outreach in Romania keeps growing, and this year is no exception.
“In 2021, about 70,000 children heard about the coming of the Savior; and last year more than 100,000 children in Romania have heard the Gospel, some even welcoming Jesus as Savior,” said a CEF worker in Romania.
One of the most effective and popular events for CEF in Romania is the Christmas Party Club. This year’s theme in Romania is “Joy to the World.”
Reaching children in Romania is not just a short term project for CEF, as volunteers and workers are sharing the Gospel message to children in Romania year round.
The Christmas Party Club (explained in a brief video) is one of the Party Club ministries of Child Evangelism Fellowship® that presents the Gospel to churched and unchurched children. These one-time events are taught by Good News Club® leaders, Sunday school teachers, children’s ministry workers, and other believers who love children. Christmas Party Clubs include a Gospel-centered Bible lesson, games, a memory verse and songs to teach children about the true story of Christmas.
“CEF Romania’s strategy is to reach every child with Christmas Party Clubs. This is possible through the work of seven regional coordinators, outreach to the Roma community and radio ministry,” says Moises Esteves, CEF executive vice president. “These clubs allow children to hear the Gospel who otherwise might not have an opportunity.”
This year, CEF has had 53 training sessions in Romania and equipped 1,600 volunteers.
Romania has been airing radio ministry 24/7 since 2014. They play evangelistic, discipleship and other content and have a live worker in the studio twice a week having on-air conversations. The sessions are focusing now on Christmas.
Last year, CEF’s strategy in Romania was to invite the children in other CEF clubs, such as Good News Club®, to bring a friend with them to a Christmas Party Club.
“This year, they are focusing on reaching every child,” Esteves says. “This goal mirrors CEF’s vision: ‘Every Child, Every Nation, Every Day.’”
A volunteer went to a women’s prison and did a Christmas Party Club with mothers and gave them booklets for their children, plus pens and paper to write a message. They mailed it to their children, along with the crisis-support booklet for children “Do You Wonder Why?” and a Christmas booklet.
One Christmas Party Club area coordinator set up a Christmas Party Club training event in the capital city of Bucharest, a city of 1.9 million people. Previously this was a closed door, with no ministry partners in the city.
“How was it possible? A child who attended a Good News Club® now lives in the capital city. The child understands the difference the Gospel made in his life, is now an adult, and he wants to invest in the next generation of children,” a CEF worker explained.
‘A blessed day for me’
“We enjoyed seeing the Christmas project come to life through prayer meetings, trainings, Christmas Clubs, children, parents and grandparents attending the programs,” a CEF worker in Romania said. “In schools, kindergartens and other places, the Good News was heard.”
“Yesterday was a blessed day for me,” said a CEF volunteer named Alina. “This meeting has enlightened me in the work to which, I believe, God has called me. Seeing so many leaders doing this ministry with dedication, passion and joy, joy that emanates from their faces, has moved me to move forward with more confidence.”
Reaching Out to the Romas
Part of CEF Romania’s goal of reaching every child possible happens through CEF Romania’s outreach to the Roma community. Originally from India hundreds of years ago, this Indo/Aryan group is traditionally itinerant — they are nomads. The Roma community tends to segregate from the public, but they are open to receiving the Gospel and many are Christians.
“CEF staff members have had wonderful successes doing Christmas Party Clubs in Roma communities,” Esteves says. “Wycliff has just translated the Book of John into Roma, and they gave it to CEF, which is a big help.”
Last year, Child Evangelism Fellowship held 169,000 Christmas Party Clubs and reached 6,262,729 children through the clubs. Through a Christmas Party Club, churches can work alongside Child Evangelism Fellowship to reach children with the true story of Christmas. While each Party Club is Gospel-centered, there are also teachings for children who already have faith in Jesus.
Often, a Christmas Party Club will even open the door to hosting a Good News Club® at the children’s school. Churches that already help with Good News Club® can have a Christmas Party Club as part of Good News Club® at a local public school or other community area.
Child Evangelism Fellowship, which was founded 86 years ago, has been establishing Good News Clubs® 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.
Last year, through CEF’s combined ministries, more than 19.5 million children worldwide heard the Good News. In 2022, more than 439,000 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.
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To interview a representative from Child Evangelism Fellowship, contact [email protected], Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.