History

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 150 countries. The International Headquarters of CEF are in Warrenton, U.S.A.

The CEF work in Ireland started in 1950 with the first Good News Club in Bleary, outside Lurgan, in the home of Sam & Sadie Doherty. The first CEF open-air meetings in Lurgan and Portadown commenced soon after that and the first weekly training class was started in the Ferndale Hall in Belfast. Sam & Sadie Doherty were National Directors until 1964 when they left Ireland to become the European Directors of CEF. David & Mollie McQuilken took their place en were National Directors of Irish CEF until 1994. The Lord really blessed and during their time of leadership the work in Ireland experienced great growth. The present leaders are Henry & Madeline Berry.

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 neighbourhood 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 and correspondence outreach programs for children. CEF provides classes to train their workers and other Christians who are burdened for evangelizing children. The Leadership Training Institute (LTI), a modular 3-month course located at CEF's European Headquarters in Kilchzimmer, Switzerland, 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. 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. This magazine offers instruction, teaching tools and inspiration. Each issue is packed with helpful ideas, a full-color visualized lesson and many reproducible pages.

CEF offers a variety of opportunities for involvement in the ministry - from volunteer service as a Good News Club teacher or in the National Office to part-time, short-term, summer or full-time service in Ireland and abroad.

An exciting program for teenagers is Youth Challenge™. During the year young people meet regularly and learn about how to live for God. Each year in June young people are trained to conduct 5-Day Clubs at the Summer Outreach Training Course. Throughout the summer they have many opportunities to present the Gospel to boys and girls, experiencing the joy of leading others to the Lord.