The month of January flew by, and February has come to an end. Am I redeeming the time? It is easy as CEF® of WV State Director to get bogged down with the administrative responsibilities: meetings, putting out fires, communications, policies, and procedures. These things go with the job and I get that. Yet, the purpose of the ministry of CEF is: “to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to establish (disciple) them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living.”
So where do I fit in or where do you fit in? First, there is encouragement through hearing what the CEF of WV local Directors are doing through the many volunteer teachers and workers in the After School Good News Clubs®, regular Good News Clubs® meeting in daycare centers, community rooms and churches and After School Monthly Clubs. There are special Party Clubs that meet around Christmas or Easter. Thousands of children are hearing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and hundreds are placing their trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. Just recently, we heard about an After School Monthly Club where 17 children attended, 8 were new attendees and 3 received Jesus Christ for salvation. This is happening throughout the state of West Virginia through the various ministries mentioned above. You and I can praise the Lord for what He is doing in the hearts and lives of the children.
Secondly, you and I can pray. E.M. Bounds said, “Prayer is the easiest and hardest of all things; the simplest and the sublimest; the weakest and the most powerful; its results lie outside the range of human possibilities -- they are limited only by the omnipotence of God.”
You and I can call out to God on behalf of the children. Pray they will attend the After School Good News Club or regular Good News Club, Monthly or Party Club. Pray for the volunteer teachers, workers, and club coordinators. Pray they will love the children to Jesus, teach God’s Word clearly, and counsel carefully the child who comes with a spiritual need. Pray the elementary school environment will be changed for good. Pray for children with discipline problems will be transformed. Pray for the local churches who sponsor a club will see unchurched children and their families become a part of their church family.
Thirdly, you and I can become involved in ministering to the children. CEF has excellent training. CEF has the ministries that can partner with the local church to go forth to minister to the children. CEF has excellent Biblical teaching literature. Each of these categories mentioned above will enable you or me to minister to your children, grandchildren, children in your church or children in your community. There are links on this website to connect you to the websites of the local CEF Chapters in WV near to you. Give them a call or send them an email and they will help you.
Well, it sounds like a good fit for me to get me out of the administrative things into the delight of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with the children. How about you? Give it a whirl and see how it fits for you.
Keep seeing the children,
Harry F. Boekell, CEF of WV State Director