Dear Friends and Supporters,
Thank you for your faithful prayers and financial support over the summer. We hope you enjoy these updates on our Summer Ministry, the “Super Saturday” Teachers Training, and our mission for this school year. None of this would be possible if not for friends like you.
In Gratitude,
CEF of GBA
5-Day Club. In July we held a CEF 5-Day Club (Backyard Bible Club) in Angola. Twenty-six children came during the course of the week and heard lessons on how God “Turned Around” the lives of Rahab, Mephibosheth, Zacchaeus, the Ethiopian Treasurer, and Saul/Paul. They also played fun games, ate snacks, learned new songs and memory verses, and heard a missions story. One day they even got to pretend they were “camping”, thanks to the thunderstorm that passed through right at Club time, and made everyone run inside for cover.
Vacation Bible School. A church in West Seneca incorporated the CEF 5-Day Club curriculum “Turned Around” into their safari-themed Vacation Bible School. On the first night of their VBS they had 10 children, and by the last (fourth) night they had over 35!
A few children raised their hands for salvation. One boy even skipped game time because he wanted to know the truth. Someone had been teaching him about “the levels of heaven” and earning salvation. This boy very openly admitted his interest and relief that Jesus had died for his sins and that he could be saved that night! And he was!
Party Clubs. A church in Hamburg sponsored four CEF “Party Clubs” in the Buffalo area. These action-packed day clubs were full of learning and fun. All were well attended, and everyone who came seemed to have a good time. Some children accepted Christ as Savior, too!
In case you missed it:
An identical Teachers Training Seminar will be held on Saturday, October 15. Please contact us for the details if you are interested in attending.
Teacher Training
On August 20 we hosted a Teacher Training Seminar for anyone interested in becoming a GNC teacher, or anyone who wanted a refresher course in teaching. We were pleased to have 23 different people attend, representing five churches. There were sessions on every element of a Good News Club: Songs, Memory Verse, Bible Lesson, the Review Game, Witnessing to a Child, and the Importance of the Teacher.
Any attendees who wished to take the next step in their volunteer service were also given the chance right then to sign up for a background check and personal interview. Through this, we processed 12 additional people to become “official” Good News Club teachers, praise the Lord!
A CEF of GBA Double Testimony
Back in April, we helped pilot a CEF program called “Go and Tell, Children Reaching Children”. Over the course of several weeks, older children and younger teens were instructed in use of the Wordless Book to lead other children to know Jesus Christ as Savior. One of the boys in the class, 11-year-old C, then attended our 5-Day Club in July. During the Club, 6-year-old T asked if someone could show him how he could be saved.
C asked if he could, and then used the knowledge from his CEF class to lead T to Christ. T was so excited to tell everyone he knew about his salvation, and even got baptized a few weeks later.
Praise the Lord for a CEF program that teaches children how to evangelize. Praise the Lord for a CEF program that brings children to be evangelized!
Back to School
It has been a challenge to get back into full in-person Good News Clubs this fall…but when does God’s work not have challenges?
Lord willing, there will be eight GNCs up and running in the Greater Buffalo area by the end of October. We are also working to start (or restart) schools in 3 more districts.
Please pray for these clubs starting soon:
Buffalo Public Schools –
- School #80
Lake Shore School District –
- Highland Elementary
- AJ Schmidt Elementary
- JT Waugh Elementary
Frontier School District –
- Big Tree Elementary
- Blasdell Elementary
- Cloverbank Elementary
If you know any children in these schools, please register them for Good News Club! Visit www.cefbuffalo.org and click the link that says, “Sign Up Now!”
Please pray for clubs to also start/restart in these school districts:
- Eden
- Holland
- West Seneca
Mailing Address
Our new mailing address is:
P.O. Box 21
West Seneca NY 14224
There have been some glitches in this transition. We appreciate the patience of those who have tried to send mail to us. If you are a financial supporter, please consider switching to online giving, as it would help us avoid any mail-related issues in the future. Thank you again for your support!