About
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 currently has 3,723 missionaries around the world, 96% of whom are nationals. CEF trained nearly 429,000 people and reached over 25 million children with the Gospel in 2019.
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. Please pray with us to the “Lord of the Harvest, that He would send laborers into His harvest.” As you pray for laborers, full-time, part-time, volunteers, ask the Lord if He would have you to be a laborer in His harvest of children. He is “not willing that one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:14). We have found that the majority of Christians today became a Christian between the ages of 4-14. It is no surprise really, because Jesus stated that “unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3) Our passion is to work within the 4-14 Window; with those who are between the ages of 4 and 14.
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OUR VISION/GOAL for Louisiana
Our Vision is that Every Child-Every Parish-Every Day has an opportunity to hear the Good News about Jesus. Our goal is to expand the ministry from our current level of reaching 1 in 40 children to reaching 1 in 10 Louisiana children between the ages of 4 and 14 with the Gospel by 2027.
SCOPE OF MINISTRY
CEF impacts more than children. Though this our mission, we equip Believers of all ages in their walk with the Lord. We engage the Church in effectively equipped to share the Gospel through sharing the Wordless Book. Young people are trained during our summer Christian Youth in Action (CYIA) training. With this training, they are sent to teach summer 5-Day Clubs and school-year Good News Clubs (GNC). Volunteers (young and older) are trained how to effectively teach children they are currently teaching in church as well as GNCs in public elementary schools through our regular GNC workshops. Our desire is to be another “gift” to the local church to serve the pastors/shepherds in “equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, [and] for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12