August Prayer Update

Dear Prayer Partners,

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done.  Sing to Him, sing praise to Him, tell of all His wonderful acts.  Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.  Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.  Remember the wonders He has done...."  1 Chronicles 16: 8-12a.

As a CEF prayer partner, each month we share our praises and requests with you.  We "give thanks to the Lord" and "sing praise to Him" and "tell of all His wonderful acts".   He is Faithful!   Please join us as we "seek His face".   

Praises/Requests:

• We are planning for 95 school Good News Clubs and 20 community Good News Clubs for this school year. Please pray for over 1700 volunteers who will be sharing the Gospel weekly with precious children! 
• Several of our churches have asked us to pray for additional volunteers to serve in the Good News Clubs.   Specifically, we have four school clubs who do not have a sponsoring church to restart at this time.  This need is a great concern for our staff, for the children who have attended the club in the past, and for the school relationship.
• There are new community clubs who are partnering with us to share the Gospel with children.  As we reach our goal of having a Good News Club in every school with principal permission, community clubs are another tremendous opportunity to reach children.  We have requests for many community clubs, such as recreational centers or daycares, who offer after-school care and who want a Good News Club.  Pray for the Lord of the harvest to send the workers.  We are continuously looking at all options to expand our ministry, and we seek God's wisdom and direction.
• There are 9 schools in Greenville County where the principals will not give permission for us to have a Good News Club on the school campus.
• We will have our first workshop on August 26th for the Good News Club volunteers, who will be encouraged and equipped for the year ahead.  Please pray for us as we finalize many details for the workshop.
• The CEF fundraising banquet is September 18th and 19th at Taylors First Baptist (Greenville County) and September 21st at Covenant Baptist (Anderson County). There are still so many details to prepare for this event, but we serve a God of order, and we know our details are small in His hand.  Pray we will receive the finances to meet our 2018 budget.

Thank you, thank you, for falling on your knees and going to the throne of our Lord and Savior. Your prayers are powerful and effective!

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

July Prayer Update

Dear Prayer Partners,

     Our staff is grateful for your faithful intercession. Thank you for faithfully bringing the needs of the Good News Clubs and the children before God's throne. As I write this prayer letter, I know our hearts are joined through God's Word which says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:6-7)

Praise/Prayer Requests:

• We praise God for the wonderful group of teens as they share the Gospel in summer Good News Clubs.  Many children have responded to hearing the message of salvation and hundreds of children have been discipled.  Continue to pray for the summer missionaries' as they complete their work at the end of this week.

• We praise God for the meetings with principals to restart the Good News Clubs this fall.  We've had a large number of principal and church changes, so be in prayer for a time of transition for all. Pray for our staff as we prepare for the first Good News Club workshop on August 26th.  We are asking every volunteer to come to this workshop and anticipate that we'll have hundreds of volunteers to attend.

• Please also pray for the annual fundraising banquet which is September 18th and September 19th at Taylors First Baptist with George Barna, who has been hailed as "the most quoted person in the Christian Church today" and has been named by various media as one of the nation's most influential Christian leaders. Mr. Barna has written more than 50 books, mostly addressing cultural and religious trends, leadership, and spiritual development. This year we are also offering a third banquet on September 21st at Covenant Baptist in Anderson with Tommy Bowden, former football coach for Clemson University. Each banquet will be identical with tremendous keynote speakers. We are asking God to provide the finances for 2018 at this year's banquet.  We pray with thankful hearts for the many opportunities we have in front of us, and our heart's desire is for God to be glorified in all we do.

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