‘Millions of children around the world have found the saving grace of the Gospel through our Good News Clubs®, then brought these lessons home to impact their families,’ says CEF Executive Director Moises Esteves
For Immediate Release
August 14, 2023
ST. LOUIS — Fresh from a courtroom victory in Rhode Island, Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) is gearing up for the new school year.
“Back-to-school time is a great time to enroll children in a program that points them toward a secure foundation in Christ,” says CEF Executive Director Moises Esteves. “With so many toxic influences competing for the hearts and minds of the young, CEF’s Good News Clubs® are a candle in the darkness.”
At Good News Clubs® teachers who are screened and equipped lead action-packed gatherings every week, delivering timeless truths of the Bible in exciting, engaging ways. Good News Clubs® do not charge a fee and welcome children with written permission from parents. There are currently more than 3,200 Good News Clubs® in approximately 2,000 schools across the United States, including in other Rhode Island school districts.
Components of this club include teaching a Bible lesson, a real-life missionary story and a Bible verse as well as leading songs, games and a fun review time.
In late July, CEF Rhode Island and its Good News Clubs® prevailed in a lawsuit against Rhode Island’s Providence Public School District and its superintendent, Dr. Javier Montanez, who had denied access to the clubs for two years.
“CEF staff and volunteers had not been able to reach the children in this school district with the Gospel,” Esteves said. “We are thrilled to reenter these schools and set up our programs once more, offering thousands of kids a chance to learn about God’s powerful love.”
Meanwhile, so-called “After School Satan Clubs” have been launched around the country as a way to get all clubs banned — especially Good News Clubs®. This latest opposition against CEF is being orchestrated by Lucien Greaves, the program’s founder and the co-founder of the Satanic Temple. His organization includes members of the Satanic Temple as well as interested atheists. Their strategy involves CEF’s God-given victory in 2001, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Good News Clubs® have the same right to be held in schools as any other after-school club.
“The devil’s ‘equal access’ strategy has failed,” Esteves says. “Satan hates that Child Evangelism Fellowship is empowering believers to share the Good News of Christ in public schools. God is using this for His glory as our Good News Clubs are on the rise all across the country.”
Not even one CEF club has been shut down from their efforts. On the contrary, publicity from their efforts has actually increased interest in Good News Clubs®. Since the beginning of advertisements for After School Satan Clubs, more schools have requested Good News Clubs®.
School officials are noticing the positive difference that Good News Clubs® make. A survey of over 200 principals from 28 states reports that 87 percent of those principals “noticed an improvement in student behavior.” Lives of children and their families are changing because of the message of hope and grace offered at Good News Clubs®.
“CEF Good News Clubs® positively impact the lives of children and their families,” said Esteves. “Millions of children around the world have found the saving grace of the Gospel through our Good News Clubs®, then brought these lessons home to impact their families.”
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 Harrison, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102.