Ministry gifts millions of kids the Gospel, teaches true meaning of Christmas to combat rising secularism
Amid concerns that younger generations are falling away from religion, an interdenominational group is delivering the gift of the Gospel to millions of children across the globe this Christmas season and filling their hearts with the love of Jesus.
The Child Evangelism Fellowship expects to help deliver the Gospel to over 12 million children through its Christmas Party Club campaign this holiday season and is inviting churches and community leads to sign up to host a Christmas Party Club and share the Gospel with children.
Founded in 1937, the ministry equips fellow Christians to minister to children and form them into disciples of Christ. Studies suggest that younger generations are less religious and less likely to attend church than previous generations.
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"The truth of the Bible is still applicable today no matter what is happening in the world around us," CEF Acting Vice President of Administration Fred Pry told The Christian Post. "That's why we believe in the importance of sharing Christmas Party Clubs and the true meaning of Christmas."
For this year, CEF's goal is to train 348,000 volunteers and conduct 367,000 Christmas Party Clubs to teach 12.6 million children about the Gospel and the true meaning of the holiday.
The clubs start in November, leading up to Christmas. Sometimes, they extend into January. CEF provides many club activities, including songs, Scripture memory and review games as well as Bible lessons.
One lesson, the "Light of Life" teaches children how God used light to announce the birth of His son. The lesson also allows children to create their own "Light of Life" cross and share the word of God with their family and friends.
"When you talk about a gift and, of course, children associate that with Christmas, and then you explain what the best gift was that they received or could receive, well, now it connects," Pry said. "Their eyes get big, and they understand the reality that God loves them better than anyone could love them, and that's what draws people."
Last year, CEF staff and volunteers held 295,000 clubs and delivered the Gospel to 9.1 million children worldwide, growing from 169,000 clubs in 2022, reaching over 6.2 million children. In 2023, the ministry also conducted 12,900 training seminars and trained 277,500 volunteers.
According to Pry, the volunteers work within the countries where the Christmas Party Club is held and are trained by CEF workers. The Bible-centered organization has around 3,600 staff members worldwide, many residing at refugee centers in other countries, who walk volunteers through the club materials and demonstrate how to use them.
Christmas Party Clubs are held in various countries, Pry said, including ones where Christians are persecuted. The CEF administrator stressed that this is why prayer is a vital component of the organization's mission.
"We often say, in fact, it's one of our value points at CEF; it's not the meetings we hold or the decisions we make that bring the strongest results to our ministry," Pry said. "It's the time spent before the throne of God in prayer, and that's how we move forward."
"In these countries that are dangerous for Christians, we pray," he added. "We pray a lot."
He cited this as one of the reasons why CEF holds the 50 Days of Prayer, a worldwide effort that started on the first of November. At the time of the interview, Pry said that over 400 people worldwide had signed up to join CEF in 50 Days of Prayer. While the numbers related to the Christmas Party Club are still coming in, the ministry leader confirmed CEF has already begun teaching children.
Pry expressed gratitude toward the individual donors who believe in CEF's mission, noting that providing free materials like this worldwide typically costs the organization over $1 million. Last year, one donor gave more than $500,000 to support CEF's work.
"When we look at our world today, there's a lot of people, you know, that do good things that are helping people, that are helping children, providing food and clothing, but when you think about a person's eternal destiny, what value do you put on that?" Pry asked.
"That's what this donor recognized, and many people like that donor recognize," he added. "The value of a life spent for eternity is invaluable, and they are willing to support that."
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
