Contact: Melody Bentley, 571-274-6058
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., April 20, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Child Evangelism Fellowship, the largest Christian ministry to children in the world, has extended its ministry to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with the establishment of a Good News Club at Jackson Elementary School, located on the installation. With the addition of Fort Campbell, CEF now has Good News Clubs on thirteen military installations in the United States. A total of 685 children of military personnel are currently enrolled in these clubs.
In 2006, CEF began its Military Children's Ministry in the United States, at Fort Hood, Texas. Mrs. Georgene Bandara, the missionary who started the ministry's effort at Fort Hood, was astonished at the response to the first Good News Club. "The first day the club met we expected a handful of children to come," she said. "Instead, 96 children walked through the door. We had to buy a microphone." In sixteen months, there were five more clubs at Fort Hood. Since then CEF has established its ministry at twelve other installations and there are still more requests and opportunities at other installations.
What makes these clubs so popular among military children and their families? According to Mrs. Bandara, one reason is the clubs' emphasis on character formation and their wholesome environment. Many parents appreciate that the clubs reinforce the lessons they are trying to instill in their children. Another reason is that these clubs help children understand and cope with the significant life challenges they must face. Every two to three years their families are transferred to another military installation, sometimes overseas. These children have all the stress of a move: new school, new church, new town, leaving friends and finding new ones. The Good News Clubs provide a degree of continuity to the unsettled lives of military children: All clubs follow the same curriculum and schedule. When moving from one installation to another with a Good News Club, a child can pick right up without missing any Bible lessons.
Most important of all, the Clubs help children answer the big questions they must face about death and sacrifice. "Our nation is at war and these children must cope with a parent deployed to a war zone who may return wounded or not at all," Mrs. Bandara said "I have seen what comfort it gives them to know there is a God who loves them, watches over them and will never forsake them."
Helping military children cope with traumatic situations is an important part of the CEF ministry. The CEF booklet called "Do You Wonder Why?" has proven particularly effective at answering the important questions children have in a crisis. It was given out to children at Fort Hood after the terrorist attack at that installation in November 2009. At the time, a school administrator said to Mrs. Bandara, "I am so grateful that after-school Good News Clubs are here. I know that your teachers will address the issue of sin and evil in a way that children can understand." CEF is currently working on a version of this booklet tailored to children with a deployed parent.
According to Mr. Ed Solomon, Director of the CEF Military Children's Ministry, there are many opportunities on military installations across the country to start Good News Clubs but the challenge is finding volunteers to run the clubs. "Many people would like to support our troops but are unsure of what to do, here is a wonderful opportunity to help them, by ministering to their children while they are at war," said Mr. Solomon.
The military installations where CEF currently has Good News Clubs are Fort Belvoir, VA; Fort Bragg, NC; Fort Campbell, KY; Fort Hamilton, NY; Fort Hood, TX; Fort Irwin, CA; Fort Knox, KY; Fort Riley, KS; Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA; Dover Air Force Base, DE; Everett Naval Air Station, WA; and Memphis Naval Air Station, TN.
More information about CEF Military Children's Ministry can be found at www.cefonline.com/militarychildren.
