Child Evangelism Fellowship of Durham

Growing the Ministry

The DURHAM AREA CHAPTER covers eight counties - Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Granville, Orange, Person, and Vance. We have significant ministry in Durham and Orange counties, and are focusing on developing partnerships with churches in the other six counties. Currently, Dr. David Johnson, staff coordinating ministry development and technology, has established CEF summer ministry with churches in three new counties. A key ministry tactic is to conduct Good News Clubs, fun-filled sessions where the Gospel is clearly presented through stories, verses, songs, and games. Good News Clubs are scheduled as weekly events at a given location. In the summer, we typically conduct daily Bible clubs over a period of five days at a location, and these are called 5-Day Clubs.

Adopt-a-school Good News Clubs^®

Orange County Schools have clubs meeting at Cameron Park, Efland-Cheeks, Hillsborough, and Pathways elementary schools. A church team is being developed for adopting Central Elementary School. Other school systems surrounding Durham and Orange counties are open for CEF clubs as well, but mission teams need to be developed to adopt these schools.

Diversity: Good News Clubs meeting in Durham communities

Bible clubs, tutoring, community projects, sports activities, health & nutrition, and other types of activities round out the diversity of 84 Good News Clubs, which are meeting in Durham. Many are in the inner city. Some in the suburbs as others meet in church after school programs. Over 2,000 kids are taught weekly lessons from the Bible, the 7 Most Important Things in the World, missions, 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 traditional school year.

What if for 10 years...? Durham Urban Missions Network has an answer.
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 young men charged with the murders of a Duke and UNC student in 2008 had attended a Good News Club^® as a child? Would it have made any difference in their lives?

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! Where He desires that the residents welcome Him back into their homes and into their communities.

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 under resourced communities in Durham. This collaborative group, while maintaining the identity of each ministry, calls itself the Durham Urban Missions 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.

CEF Durham Area Chapter
P.O. Box 1288, 801 Gilbert St., Suite 205 & 207, Durham NC 27702
Phone: (919) 399-1979 Email: cefcenteroflight[@]gospeltokids.org