By Rev. Paul L. Nasekos
The Child Evangelism Fellowship, which began in 1937, is the largest Christian ministry to children in the world.
The ambitious goal of CEF is to reach “Every Child, Every Nation, Every Day” with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to disciple them in the Word of God, and help to establish them in a local evangelical church. The goal of the international ministry is to have ongoing ministry in all 212 nations of the world by 2017. Last year around 20 million children heard a clear presentation of the gospel through CEF.
Locally, CEF Greater Jackson Area reaches thousands of boys and girls each year. Most of these are elementary age children who are taught in weekly Good News Clubs and summer 5-Day Clubs. The clubs are held after school in locations like Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, elementary schools, and other child care centers, and are led by trained volunteers from evangelical churches.
In addition, CEF has presented the Gospel to approximately 2,500 to 5,000 people of all ages annually at the Mississippi State Fair for more than 40 years.
One of the greatest means for calling our nation back to the authority of God’s Word is to call the nation’s children to faith in Jesus Christ. One of the most effective means for recovering the heritage of the Judeo-Christian foundation of our nation is to teach the Gospel to the youngest generation.
And without civility (good manners, respect, courteousness), civilization ceases to exist. They need to know that the foundation for flourishing in a society is the moral and ethical principles of the Bible. Therefore, we teach children to treat their neighbors as they would want to be treated, and the pathway to teach them this graciousness is to teach in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
As a way to raise awareness and support for what CEF is doing in the local area, there will be the first annual Full Armor 5K Run/Walk Saturday, February 25, at the Natchez Trace Reservoir Overlook in Ridgeland at 9 a.m.
For more information about CEF or the Full Armor 5K, contact us at 601-923-1655 or email paul@cefofmississippi.com.