‘The results have far exceeded expectations, bringing blessings to so many,’ says CEF Acting Vice President of Administration Fred Pry
For Immediate Release
April 29, 2024
ST. LOUIS — Redberry Street in Las Vegas, Nevada, was recently known mostly for its troubles. Residents of its 27 apartment buildings have endured gang violence, drug dealers, prostitution, vehicle thefts and nightly bursts of gunfire.
But now, thanks to a partnership between local police, Child Evangelism Fellowship’s (CEF) Good News Club®, an elementary school, churches and other members of the Redberry Coalition, the neighborhood is reviving and thriving in important ways. CEF’s Good News Club® is a weekly Christian program for kids five to 12 years old featuring a Bible lesson, songs, memory verses, and games.
CEF works together with the Las Vegas Metropolitan police department to make the neighborhood a safer space for children and their families by bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to the community. Both CEF and the police department partner together to unite the community, rather than seeing them torn apart through violence. One of the ways in which the police department, CEF, and local churches brought Redberry Street together was through a block party that included a bouncy house, food, music, and so much more. The power of this community partnership has also resulted in decreasing rates of weapon crimes, narcotic crimes and robbery offenses, as well as sex crimes and prostitution. Children who were afraid to be on the street outside even in daylight hours are back playing basketball, soccer and other games.
“When CEF of Southern Nevada’s Good News Club® joined forces with the Redberry Coalition, we prayed that our collaborative efforts and the power of God would bring real change to the community. The results have far exceeded our expectations, and we are so grateful for the many blessings that have been brought to Redberry Street,” says Child Evangelism Fellowship Acting Vice President of Administration Fred Pry.
“Through participating in Good News Club®, children are learning about the love that Jesus has for them and are bringing the good news of the Gospel home to their families.”
CEF’s partnership with the Redberry community has grown through opening the door to sharing the Gospel alongside In Jesus Name Medical Clinic. They will see every student and their families that need free medical care. Every patient will hear the Gospel and every patient will be prayed for. All of the children that attend will have access to a Good News Club® in the library of Doris Reed Elementary School.
“The generosity of the Las Vegas police to work with the Good News Club® and others in the Redberry Coalition has paved the way for the Lord to help better the Redberry Street community,” Pry says.
“At CEF, we are proud to honor the sacrifices made by the men and women in law enforcement at all levels — local, state and federal — who protect all of us. The U.S. has over 800,000 sworn law enforcement officers and more than 150 American police officers are killed every year in the line of duty.”
For their part, the Las Vegas police appreciate the role played by Good News Club® in bringing about change on Redberry Street and in other neighborhoods and schools.
“Having the Good News Club® being a part of this coalition and being able to reach out to these kids on a weekly basis through Doris Reed Elementary School has been such a big help,” said Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Captain Rodriguez. “It provides them hope on a whole different level than we ever could achieve with law enforcement.”
At Doris Reed Elementary School, Principal Jennifer Aznarez talks about how much of a difference it has made for the school to host a Good News Club®.
“We’re so happy to have a Good News Club® on campus,” she says. “This brings students together after school. It teaches them how to respect each other, respect their surroundings, and respect their community. Students tell me all the time how much they love the Good News Club® and how much they enjoy going, but the values and the structure that they’re learning at Good News Club®, they bring into the home.”
The CEF of Southern Nevada Good News Club® serves more than 800 children, has 160 volunteers, and are working with 16 churches and 25 public and charter schools.
Similar partnerships between CEF’s Good News Club® and police are happening across the country. CEF in New Mexico is working to establish a partnership between the local police in the Las Cruces community. Demetria White, State Coordinator for CEF of New Mexico said, “We are planning on doing a Good News Club® for the children of police officers in Las Cruces NM. I am a retired LEO and have become good friends with the police chief’s wife here in town. We would be doing it once a week for 6 weeks, during the summer or fall of this year.”
Child Evangelism Fellowship, which was founded 87 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, and Uganda and many more.
In 2022, through CEF’s combined ministries, more than 19.5 million children worldwide heard the Good News. 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.