Child Evangelism Fellowship^® of North San Diego County
Bringing the Gospel to public schools through Good News Club^®s
Learn more: http://cefkids.com/GoodNewsClub

Praise & Prayer Bulletin 4.26.10

PRAISE REPORTS



PRAISE the Lord for a very busy week for our teams, enrolling kids in new Good News Clubs at schools all over North County. Above, at Lincoln School in Escondido on Thursday (one of six elementary clubs that started this past week), volunteers Benjamin Burkley, Marilyn Burkley, and Mary Schrieks welcome the kids and collect their permission forms at the door. 



Inside, during the teaching of the memory verse, team member Carol Miller explains that everybody's name has a meaning and that Jesus's name means SALVATION! The kids had fun learning the verse by picking one word and doing an action on every word starting with that same letter, then adding new actions for new letters, such as clapping on words starting with S, snapping fingers on words starting with F, and stomping a foot on wordsstarting with H. See if you can do them all together!: "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins" (Mt. 1:21).

Here are first reports from four of our other new clubs this week:

NICHOLS (Oceanside) - Team leader Susana Avendaño writes, "It was a great blessing -- we had 46 kids, and the parents were so happy and the kids were so happy! Hope to see more next Tuesday. A mom wants to help in bringing snacks, and some were asking me what church I go to."
  
LAKE (Oceanside, Vista district) - This is the school with the classroom we were told had space for only 25 kids. But the teacher was fine with rearranging the furniture to make more room -- and it's a good thing! (The next day we were also granted use of the outdoor covered lunch tables if needed). Leader Marian Kisling emails: "Rejoice with the volunteers at the Lake Elementary GNC, which had its first day Wed., April 21. Fifty-two kidsattended and we all squeezed into half of a classroom. Thanks to Mrs. Gonzalez who offered her room for us. It rained hard and we were all safe and dry. In spite of the lack of space the kids were responsive to everything we were teaching and prayed to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We broke up according to grades and went through the children's tract on salvation so they would understand. It was a great day for God's Kingdom!" Team member Margie Greek adds, "We're walking on air!"

OLIVE (Vista) - Olive teacher April Sparks, who leads the club, emails, "Our first meeting at Olive went wonderfully! We had about 20 children and I have received about 10 more slips for the following week! I had been praying and preparing for the lesson and asking the Holy Spirit to guide me and my words. Prayer was answered! During the lesson, eyes were WIDE open and by the end of the lesson all of the 20 children asked Jesus to come into their lives! I had even explained that some may not be ready and that was OK, but when I started to pray, the little voices repeated after me without me even telling them to. It was an absolutely AMAZING experience. I told the Lord that this was His, and if He wanted the children to come, to bring them. I just can't believe it! We had open house tonight, and I had some parents bring more slips to me :) On a special note, a parent asked to stay, and she was extremely engaged. She asked questions about the trinity, and the Holy Spirit spoke through me to her -- she really seemed to understand. I told her that she was welcome any time. She told me that I did a great job and couldn't believe how engaged the children were. What a blessing! I am looking forward to see what the Lord has in store!"

ORANGE GLEN (Escondido) - 39 kids enrolled, and leader Anna Vargas reports, "Our club was great! Emily Welch is an awesome song leader. She really was able to get the kids involved and praising God. The kids were great, well behaved -- praise God! Lisa McCament is our registrar and has donated items that we are going to let the kids 'buy' with 'bonus bucks' at the end of the six weeks. They earn them by verse memorization, games, and good behavior." Lisa adds, "I think we were all scared 'cause we didn't feel like we knew what we were doing, but Anna gave us assignments and every one of us did fine. As she was teaching the lesson, I thought, here are four women who barely know each other, who feel unprepared, who probably have other things to do (Emily even brought her sick baby and held him in her arms as she led songs), and here we are by God's very great grace telling children about His love in the most unlikely of places -- a public school in California! It was an honor to work with these three women. (The principal was very kind and helpful, even offered us a choice of rooms.)" 



PRAISE God for the enduring Christian testimonies of adults who came to Jesus as children through the ministry of CEF®, in so many places and over so many years! Debbie Larson (above, with husband Nathan and daughters Hannah and Abigail), one of our new volunteers at the Twin Oaks School GNC™ in San Marcos, writes, "I had the privilege of coming to know the Lord when CEF visited our church in Minnesota some 36 years ago. I was in the 5th grade and remember attending a CEF event for children. Our church didn't really teach the Bible, so I was very interested in what the CEF leaders had to say about Jesus. A ventriloquist and his dummy described how Jesus could be your best friend and stay with you forever. I LOVED my friends, and couldn't imagine one staying with me forever! I thought to myself, 'If a dummy can ask the Lord into his life, certainly I can, too!' So I accepted their invitation to ask Christ into my heart and to forgive my sins. To this day I am thankful for that CEF group who took time to come to our church and share the gospel with a bunch of kids like myself. Jesus has remained my very best friend just as He promised! Now I am thrilled to have the opportunity to see our own children go through CEF's Good News Club at Twin Oaks and pray that the Lord will touch their lives as profoundly as He touched mine."



PRAISE the Lord for some surprising Southern California spring scenery! Christina Dillane, member of the La Jolla Reservation GNC team, emails, "This picture is taken from the top of the La Jolla Reservation on April 22. As we have two more GNC sessions left this season in the Tribal Hall we are reminded that Jesus washes us and makes us clean, as white as snow!" See the latest tribal ministry update here: http://cefkids.com/tribalupdates

PRAISE the Lord for the many hundreds who are receiving the Praise & Prayer Bulletin each week, and for all those who are rejoicing in the Lord's blessings and praying for the needs of the ministry. Some encouraging feedback this week:

From Rebeca Villavicencio, a new volunteer on the team at Nichols School: "Thank you for the information you're sending me -- we are praying for all the schools."

From Jaime Lew, who signs herself "praying mom and volunteer" at the Willow Grove GNC: "The Lord is so good and awesome! The weekly Praise & Prayer Bulletin really helps us to be updated and pray for the Good News Clubs. The last two weeks' praise reports especially filled my heart with joy, seeing the wonderful things the Lord is doing in calling and bringing many laborers into the harvest field. It's wonderful so many are responding to the call to share the gospel even in the last season of this school year! I rejoice with you and will continue to keep all the GNC requests in prayer."

PRAISE God that our first GNC application for the 2010-2011 school year was submitted this week for our club (now in its third season) at Mission Estancia School in the Encinitas district, scheduled to start Sept. 7!

PRAYER NEEDS

PRAY for our team at Glen View School in Escondido which has lost a couple members to a good cause -- the new club at Orange Glen! Leader Judy Erickson writes, "Please ask for prayers for a volunteer or two at Glen View. It was just three of us this week, but 9 new kids -- PTL!" If you are able to help out for the few remaining weeks of the club (Thursdays, 1:30-2:30pm, Mission Ave, between Midway and Citrus), please call 760-480-4191.

PRAY for THREE new GNCs starting this week. Please pray as the volunteers, many brand new, seek the Lord's help in getting ready to do their part. Pray that parents who aren't believers will allow their kids to come. Pray that boys and girls will turn out in great numbers to hear God's Word and respond in faith. Pray that Christian kids will encourage friends to come, and that they themselves would be nourished at the club. Pray that each GNC would serve as an outpost for the truth in the community:

PIONEER (Escondido), Tuesday, April 27, 2:35-3:35pm. The kids at all our schools that have after-school daycare are allowed to attend GNC the one day a week it meets. But at Pioneer the YMCA program has said the kids must arrive there by 3:15, and cannot sign in before coming to GNC. Since our club starts at 2:35, these kids may have to leave after only 40 minutes. Please pray that things can be worked out so the kids can stay the whole hour, or if that's not possible, please pray that we can most effectively rearrange the program at GNC for these children.

STONE RANCH (Poway district), Wednesday, April 28, 12:40-1:40pm. Pray for Coach Brooks Barnhard, a dad from the school, as he leads a team of three new volunteers, all moms from the school. Pray that kids who came last season will return and bring lots of friends.

TWIN OAKS (San Marcos), Friday, April 30, 3:20-4:20pm, Twin Oaks teacher Karen Ives, joined by a team of parents, will be leading the club. This school has never had a GNC -- please pray that from the very first day it will be known as a welcoming place where God's love shines forth!

PRAY for our new club at Oak Valley Middle School (Poway district) which was scheduled to start Friday, April 23. The district calendar did not mention the fact that, because of testing, school at Oak Valley would dismiss early that day as well as this coming Friday, April 30. The start of the club has now been moved to May 7, and new flyers have been prepared and are going out to churches and through the Moms In Touch group at the school. Please pray that the mix-up will not discourage kids from coming, but that in fact the Lord would use this extra time to build interest!

Sign up now to be part of reaching 1000s of kids and parents at CEF's Story Castle booth this year.
Join a team for 4 hours as we come together from all over the county to proclaim the gospel message all day, every day!
See the available time slots here: http://cefkids.com/available
Learn more here:http://cefkids.com/fair
Call for more info or to reserve your spot: 760-480-4191

In the fellowship of our Lord,
Robert Burkley

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Child Evangelism Fellowship of North San Diego County
PO Box 267, Escondido, CA 92033
760-480-4191 email: cefnorth@hotmail.com
website: cefkids.com

To learn more about our primary ministry of reaching kids in the public schools through after-school Good News Clubs, please click to visit our website: cefkids.com/GoodNewsClub

..."Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.   --Mark 10:14-16