Indicators of answered
prayer “When
parents teach their community Good News Club®
when staff is away.”
"When city kids cry if there is no
Bible lesson presented due to time."
"When club members and
families become your friends and allies."
When kids keep attending club after moving out of the community."
"When visitors are
impressed that CEF workers know the names of the kids."
PrayDurham
Sign up to adopt your street in prayer above and see the current needs
of city kids and other requests from CEF around the world, nation,
state, and Durham.
John
Blake shares his Heart for City Kids, offers urban
ministry ideas, and relevant insights to collaborating with local and
national ministries for transformation of the city block by block.
City
Kids - World Changers Values-centered
character education
Currently being conducted at local public and private schools,
communities, and summer camps for kids 11-14 yrs.old.
Basketball Camps and Clinics
for boys and girls 7-14 yrs of age with an emphasis on skills and team
play will be scheduled during 2015 at clubs,
sports/rec centers, and city courts in Durham. $100 will sponsor a city
kid in honor of Coach Larry Parrish and his son Andy.
Sponsoring city kids for sports camps Tennis Academy for city kids
Held Tu & Th on select city courts in partnership with Durham
Parks & Recreation and the USTA. Tennis academies are held
every season throughout 2015.
From the Community “You guys are
doing an amazing job in Durham. I never
believed churches and ministries could come together like this...
totally for you; I salute you.” Local
Pastor
"Thank you for your excellent ministry to
children in Durham. We honor you... We're praying for you. God bless
you." From a CEF Supporter
From Around the World
"I just wanted to say that I’m so glad that
God used you guys to write the song "God loves me" (7MIT).I’m studying abroad inThailand...
I just had the
opportunity to teach that song to about 20 Buddhist kids..." Melissa Scheffler
Ministry to City Kids
The DURHAM AREA CHAPTER covers eight counties - Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Granville, Orange, Person, and Vance. We havesignificant ministry
in Alamance, Durham and Orange counties, and have developedpartnerships
with churches in the other five counties. Key ministry
isconducted through GoodNews Clubs,
fun-filled sessions where the Gospel is clearly presentedthrough
stories, verses, songs, and games. Good News Clubs are scheduled as
weekly events at a given location. In the summer, we typicallyconduct
daily Bible clubs over a period of five days at multiple locations,
andthese are called 5-Day Clubs.
Good News Club® ministry teaches the Bible with words and deeds Teachers make biblical applications with their own lives
When
you look at the busyness of your own life and the limited amount of
time you have to give away, perhaps it's not surprising so many say,
"What the heck" and then do nothing. There are however, some who look through a different lens and say with compassion, "I've got to do something."
Fortunately,
these are the people serving in local Good News Clubs around the Durham
area. These are godly people filling a need in kids lives who attend
CEF clubs in schools, communities, and after school programs. These are
Christ-followers whose focus is obeying the royal law—putting others needs above themselves.
Certainly,
we all agree that kids today have deep needs of love, health,
acceptance, and academic achievement. Many times families, schools, and
communities find it very difficult to successfully meet these complex
needs. Good News Clubs operating in resourced-challenged communities
and local schools enhance kids’ ability to be successful by providing
hope and real-life examples from the Bible and from their teachers. Good
News Club teachers are among the 291 CEF volunteers who assist kids
with homework, sports, friendships and living for Christ, not just
believing in Him. There are no pay checks or service awards for what
they do each week. They visit and pray with kids in the hospital. They
provide food and clothing when needed, even if paid out-of-pocket. They
always teach and live a gospel bigger than any problem.
Community-based and Adopt-a-school Clubs
Currently,Alamance
and Orange Counties have public school-based clubs meeting
weekly. Adopt-a-school church teams are facilitating this
ministry through CEF. Private and Christian schoolsin Durham have
a active school-based Good News Club®and JYC™ ministry,which is sponsored by CEF Durham.
Bible clubs, tutoring, community projects, sports activities, health
& nutrition, and other types of activities round out the diversity
of 100+ club activities, which annually meet in the Durham
area. The majority of these locations are in the inner city, but
some are meeting in the suburbs as others meet in church-based after
school programs. Over 2,500 kids are taughtweekly from the Bible, the 7
Most Important Things in the World, gospel missions, personal
responsibility, and how to apply all this to their own lives. Led
by CEF-trained volunteers, kids 5-14 years of age meet weekly
throughout the school year.
What if for 10 years? BlessDurham Urban Net working toward answers
Is God powerful enough to prevent kids from joining gangs? Does
the Word of God still have answers for today's problems? What if
the Church of Durham took seriously its responsibility for taking the
Gospel to city kids and youth? What if for 10 years a
collaboration of churches and ministries comprehensively served the 10
most physically and spiritually needy communities in
Durham? These are the communities where crime and evil have
dominated life for way too long; where kids are not expected to
succeed. These are the communities where the words: at-risk,
under-resourced, and marginalized are experienced everyday in the lives
of kids and families. These are the communities where God has
been rejected, yet screams out to be glorified!
CEF
along with several partnering ministries, a few churches, and a growing
number of local Christians are focusing there efforts for 10 years upon
10-12 under resourced communities in Durham. This collaborative
group, while maintaining the identity of each ministry, calls itself
the Durham Urban Network. A simple strategy of discipleship
will be used. CEF will offer weekly Good News Clubs, educational
resources, church partnership training, and special events for each
community. Others will provide after school tutoring, creative
arts, community service, development, and prayer. Our vision is
to see city kids and families transformed by the Gospel. As
disciples of Christ, they will take responsibility for the
transformation of their own communities.For
this purpose, CEF disciples teens and challenges young adults to
stretch their lives beyond the pursuit of happiness. It believes
in building trusting relationships with families who live within these
communities; collaborates with other churches and ministries; and is
willing to work in these communities beyond the next 10 years so that
every community is fully resourced with the presence and blessing of
God. People will no longer perish from the lack of access and
power to live a life of dignity and biblical godliness.
CEF Durham Area
Chapter
P.O.
Box 1288, 801 Gilbert St., Suite 207, Durham NC
27702
Phone: (919) 399-1979 Email:
cefcenteroflight[@]gospeltokids.org