Dear Prayer Partners,
Thank you so much for your prayers for this ministry. We thank God for His Faithfulness and for those who intercede on our behalf.
Praises:
- After a break over Christmas, our Good News Clubs have restarted. Eighty-nine after-school Good News Clubs and 17 community Good News Clubs are meeting every week. Over fifteen hundred volunteers are telling the "good news" of Jesus Christ to almost eight thousand children in these clubs! In the next 2 months, there will be eight after-school clubs restarting and several new community clubs.
- CEF held a workshop for the volunteers in the Good News Clubs. We thank God for individuals who give of their time each week at club as well as their time to prepare themselves with additional training throughout the year. Each year from mid-January through March, staff teaches a ten-week teacher training course titled Teaching Children Effectively, so that volunteers learn how to be more effective in their ministry with children. We have 12 volunteers currently taking this class.
- For the past several years, CEF has been the recipient of a local challenge grant. The grant is funded in two parts: part of the grant is funded dollar for dollar for "new" money (not previously pledged) and part is funded $1 for each $2 received. With this challenge grant, CEF received over $57,000 in the last 2 months of 2017. We praise God for His provision, which enabled us to meet our budget goal.
Requests:
- Pray for the children in our Good News Clubs. So many of them have no one who prays for them.
- Pray God will open the doors for all public elementary schools to have a Good News Club, specifically for the 7 schools in Greenville County that do not have a Good News Club because principals won't give us permission to be on the school campus. One principal is reconsidering this week, so please pray for favor!
- Pray for the existing clubs. Several clubs could increase the number of children who attend, but there aren't enough volunteers (1 adult for every 7 children). We have a tremendous opportunity to share the Gospel with children and it takes a lot of volunteers! We have almost 100 less volunteers serving this year than last year.
- Pray for the Good News Spectacular, a one-day free community outreach event to be held at the TD Center on February 17th. We are asking God to bring 7,500 people to this community event. Pray the Gospel will be presented with clarity and for salvations.
- We are recruiting teenagers for our summer Christian Youth in Action ministry. We have asked returning students to reapply by February 1st. Also, we are beginning to secure locations for summer Good News Clubs.
- The Golf Committee is soliciting sponsors and golfers for our tournament on April 24th at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls. Pray that our shotgun start will be filled with golfers and that God will give us beautiful days to be outside.
- Pray for the personnel committee as they continue with their search for a new District Director.
For His glory,
B. J. Bateman
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
