Child Evangelism Fellowship®, also known as CEF®, is a Bible-centered, worldwide organization composed of born-again believers whose purpose is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to establish (disciple) them in the local church for Christian living. CEF has over 1,200 missionaries overseas, approximately 1,000 of whom are nationals. In the USA and Canada 700 full-time workers and an estimated 40,000 volunteers serve the ministry. CEF was founded by Jesse Irvin Overholtzer in 1937.

Growing up in a religious family, Jesse at the age of 12 was convicted of his own sin and sought counsel from his mother. He was told, "Son, you are too young." It wasn't until Overholtzer was in college that he heard the Gospel and trusted Christ as his Savior.

Later as a pastor Mr. Overholtzer read one of Charles Spurgeon's sermons which stated, "A child of five, if properly instructed can as truly believe and be regenerated as an adult." The Lord used this statement in Mr. O's life to lead him to begin the ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship when he was 60 years old. The ministry has grown into the largest evangelistic outreach to children in the world. CEF is currently ministering in over 156 countries and in every state in the U.S.

CEF has different types of evangelistic programs, but the two most identified with the organization are 5-Day Clubs® and Good News Clubs®. These two exciting ministries take place in neighborhood settings such as homes, backyards, schools and community centers all over the world. These fast-paced, one-hour programs are designed to bring the Gospel of Christ to children on their level in their environment.

Along with the clubs, CEF also has fair, camping, open-air, telephone and correspondence outreach programs for children. Last year through these combined ministries over 8 million children worldwide heard the good news with over 2.6 million making professions of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. CEF provides classes to train their workers and other Christians who are burdened for evangelizing children. The Childrens Ministries Institute®, a modular 3-month course located at CEF's International Headquarters in Warrenton, Missouri, is dedicated to providing quality, practical training for those called of God to take the Gospel message to children. Similar training is offered in various locations around the world.

CEF Press® produces and distributes Bible and missionary lessons and related materials for use in teaching children to help accomplish the goals of the ministry. Teaching materials are available to the public by calling the toll-free number 1-800-748-7710. Many products are translated into some 90 different languages and distributed around the world.

Teach Kids®, a bimonthly magazine for children's workers published in English at CEF's International Headquarters, is distributed worldwide. Other versions are printed elsewhere in French, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean and Chinese. This magazine offers instruction, teaching tools and inspiration. Each issue is packed with helpful ideas, a full-color visualized lesson and many reproducible pages. Advertising is accepted. CEF offers a variety of opportunities for involvement in the ministry-from part-time service as a Good News Club teacher or International Headquarters volunteer to short-term, summer or full-time service in the USA or overseas. There are programs for all ages from junior high school age through retirement.

An exciting program for teenagers is Christian Youth In Action® (CYIA). In June all across the USA hundreds of young people are trained to conduct 5-Day Clubs. Throughout the summer they have many opportunities to present the Gospel to boys and girls, experiencing the joy of leading others to the Lord.

Two additional summer opportunities are Summer Urban MissionsT (SUMT) and Overseas Summer MissionsT (OSMT). College-age adults are trained and teach 5-Day Clubs in large urban centers thru SUM and in foreign countries through OSM. Both programs offer challenging, oftentimes life-changing experiences that God has used to spiritually enrich many lives. To find out more about these opportunities call (407)896-7288.