Children Need to Hear!
The need for Good News Clubs has become more apparent. Everywhere I turn, I come across children in our community that know very little about the Bible and the Lord. A few months ago there was a new group of elementary aged girls that came to our church. I was teaching a lesson on creation and after a few minutes, I realized that they didn’t know anything about it. Because of this, I shared the plan of salvation with them and 5 of the girls accepted Christ. I was glad that they made this decision, but it grieved my heart that these children were in 4th and 5th grade and had obviously never heard the gospel before.
Good News Club at Calusa Elementary had 44 students last year!
On another occasion, I met a 5th grade girl named Bella, who asked me with tears in her eyes what she should do. The kids at her school were challenging her belief in God. They were asking her why she believed in God and were pressuring her to prove that He was real. Bella was being bullied, because she was open about her faith. She told me that the same thing was happening to her little sister, who was in 3rd grade. I tried to encourage and comfort her, but I felt so helpless. I asked her what school she went to and it was one that had a Good News Club! I was able to tell her that there were a group of believers having a Christian club for kids at her school and that they would love for her and her sister to join them! I was so thankful for that club and those volunteers! I knew she would get the love and support she needed to continue to stand for Christ. These are only two of the many instances where I saw the need for Good News Clubs this year. We have to bring the light of Christ into our schools again. Children need to hear the Good News, but children like Bella, who already believe need us to be there as well! We need to support them as they stand in faith in a world that is increasingly opposed to Christianity. I am so thankful for all of our volunteers! They are sharing the gospel with these children and bringing the love of God into their schools!
Lori McGraw, Local Coordinator
Urgent Request for Support
Child Evangelism Fellowship is a non-denominational ministry that comes alongside local churches to help them reach children with the gospel. Though these churches contribute to the cost of Good News Clubs, it does not cover the expenses of the ministry. Our summer ministry had some unexpected expenses, so this school year we find ourselves under budget. Will you consider partnering with us financially? I’m praying that God would bring people who will give $25, $50 or $100 per month, but a gift of any amount will be a blessing! Your partnership will allow us to keep our focus on reaching boys and girls for Christ, instead of on raising funds.
You can donate by sending donations to: CEF of Collier County, PO BOX 1820, Marco Island, FL 34146.
You can also donate by clicking the button below.
Thank you for your support!
Good News Club Report
Seventeen of our Collier County schools had Good News Clubs last year. Over 475 children attended these clubs and out of those, 57 children received the Lord Jesus as their Savior!
We’ve had a lot of exciting developments toward growth as well. A meeting with Pastor Kevin Taylor at First Baptist was very encouraging. He is not only going to volunteer at the Pelican Marsh Good News Club, but he is heading up a campaign to open three more Clubs! Vineyards Elementary will be opening a Good News Club in October and hopefully Corkscrew Elementary will follow soon after and there are two more clubs on the horizon!
Learning about Blind Bartimaeus at Good News Club
Another praise report is a possible Middle School Club at Oakridge. One of the teachers at the school is investigating the possibilities of starting a club there. Please, pray with us that the Lord will open wide these doors to ministry.
Good News Club Training
Training is essential to the success of the ministry. Many times people who volunteer have a heart to reach children, but have little or no experience in teaching or evangelism. In the fall and spring of every school year, CEF of Collier in partnership with CEF of SW Florida, offers Good News Club volunteers an excellent Training Conference. This year at our fall training conference, we will focus on learning to celebrate big and little accomplishments with the children. We will also have classes on presenting the salvation message in a Bible lesson, how to teach a memory verse, giving an invitation for salvation, classroom management and much more. If you are a volunteer at Good News Club, you won’t want to miss it!
Fitting to Celebrate!
Christian Youth in Action
Two little girls were waiting for their mother to pick them up after the 5-Day Club at the home of their neighbor, Joan. As they waited Joan began to talk to them about what they were learning at club and after a few minutes they ended up praying to receive Christ, right there in the driveway! Joan had 16 children come to her club. What a blessing to know that all of them heard the Good News of Jesus!
We had 19 Christian Youth in Action teens this year! And they were awesome!
This summer a total of 213 children heard a clear presentation of the Gospel and as a result 51 of them believed on the Lord as their Savior! But CYIA is not over! This year, we are going to expand this ministry by having 1 Saturday Party Club every month. One of our first clubs will be in Copeland, a little town down by Everglades City. They suffered a lot of damage when Irma came through last year and their community is really looking forward to our program! We are also planning to have Christmas Clubs this winter! Our Christian Youth in Action teens are all very excited to be able to continue to do ministry throughout the year!
Millie Perez, CYIA Coordinator
5-Day Club at a Local Apartment Complex
GOOD NEWS IN COLLIER.COM
CEF®of Collier County is happy to announce its very own website! GoodNewsinCollier.com is ready to receive student registrations for Good News Club! This website will make it easier for parents to register their children! We will be advertising in the Activity Guide, a publication that is handed out to every child in Collier County schools. We will also be promoting it on local radio stations, in each school’s virtual backpack, at the Back to School Expo and in local churches.
Our Good News Club table at the Back to School Expo was a popular stop for families!
It will also allow our volunteers to fill out their annual forms and applications online. Special thanks to my son-in-law Andrew York for giving us a really good start and to Savannah Palacios who has worked tirelessly to get it finished before school started. Please, pray that many more children will hear the Good News this year!
Meet Millie Perez
Millie Perez is the new Christian Youth in Action® Ministry Coordinator. As a Sunday school teacher and former Children’s Ministry Director, Millie’s heart is to evangelize and disciple children and youth. She has worked for Collier County Public Schools for more than twelve years. During this time the Lord has blessed her with opportunities to lead children and even staff to the Lord. She is the proud mother of four wonderful children, two presently in college and two still at home. Millie will assist in recruiting and training local teens to serve as missionaries in our community. She loves watching them grow as they step out in faith and share the gospel with children. She is so excited to be a part of what God is doing through this ministry.
