CEF After-School Clubs Return To Lancaster County

In the fall of 2021, Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) Good News Clubs went live again across Lancaster County and beyond. In the spring of 2022, in-person clubs are planned for elementary-age students in the school districts of Columbia, Conestoga Valley, ELANCO, Elizabethtown, Ephrata, Hempfield, Lampeter-Strasburg, Manheim Township, Penn Manor, Pequea Valley, Lancaster, Warwick, and Octorara. Virtual clubs will be offered in Cocalico, Donegal, Manheim Central, and Solanco school districts. A program for sixth- through eighth-grade students will also be starting at Martin Meylin Middle School in Lampeter-Strasburg School District.

"We would like to get the clubs all restarted," said Lisa Kilgore, director of CEF of Lancaster County, who noted that more than 30 clubs were meeting in the county prior to the onset of COVID-19. "We had 17 clubs last fall, plus a Zoom club, and we will have more than 20 this spring," noted Kilgore. "It's gradually rebuilding."

CEF is an international organization founded in 1937, with an active branch in Lancaster County since 1944. "Our purpose is threefold: to evangelize, disciple, and establish children in a local church," said Kilgore. Clubs are open to any child who attends the school where the club meets. Usually a program for students in first grade through the highest grade level at the school is offered, but in some districts kindergarten clubs are available. Kilgore noted that each club is sponsored by a partner church. "When we finish our 14 weeks (of club meetings), we want (children) to stay connected if they want to. We try to connect them to that partner church," she said.

Good News Club meetings, which are held after school, involve a Bible lesson; a memory verse; songs; games; small group time, which is called Wonder Time; and missions. Each semester has its own theme. The spring 2022 series is called "The Early Church - God's Power in Action." The program has a rotating six-year curriculum.

Volunteers are an integral part of the program. "We try to have one adult for every six children," said Kilgore, who noted that volunteers are trained to use the curriculum. Kilgore praised helpers who have been part of the program the last two years. "The volunteers who have stuck with us through COVID have been really wonderful," she said. "The kids have needed to talk more." She pointed out that volunteering can be rewarding to those who take the opportunity to help guide young lives. "We want to be encouraging to kids and families right now," she said. "It is a blessing to us to be able to do that."

Kilgore noted that she is grateful for God's provision over the last few years. "Financially, God has been bringing support," she said. "He has kept us going in better ways than we could have imagined."

Those who wish to sign a child up for a Good News Club may visit http://www.ceflancaster.org and click on the registration tab to find the elementary school where their child would attend. Individuals who wish to volunteer may contact CEF through the website or call 717-569-5412.