Contact: Melody Bentley, 571-274-6058
WARRENTON, Mo., Aug. 30, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- This month, Child Evangelism Fellowship, the largest Christian ministry to children in the world, marked the 15th anniversary of its ministry in Mozambique with a four-day conference at the Biblical and Theological Seminary in Maputo, the African nation's capital. The 120 attendees from around the world had much to celebrate: The ministry has been able to share the gospel with tens of thousands of children each year. Last year alone, 22,866 children heard the gospel through CEF Bible clubs called Good News Clubs, according to Mr. Harry Robinson, vice president for CEF International Ministries. Currently, there are 114 GNCs in Mozambique. Over half are able to meet in elementary and pre-schools during the school day. Others are held in neighborhoods, and there are even 16 that meet regularly in orphanages. Beyond this direct influence, other Christian ministries in Mozambique use the vast array of CEF literature in their own efforts to spread the gospel.
CEF Mozambique owes its beginnings to Mr. Frik Van Rensburg the regional director for the CEF Southern Africa/Indian Ocean Region. He was eager to establish a CEF ministry in this country after its17-year civil war which began after it gained independence from Portugal in 1975. He was able to make contact with Mr. Jossefa Ngomane, a Christian and native of Maputo. While neither spoke the other's language they were able to communicate using their Bibles: Mr. Van Rensburg would point to the word in his English Bible he wanted to say and Mr. Ngomane would try to find the translation of that exact word in his Portuguese Bible; and vice versa. Mr. Ngomane eventually agreed to serve as the national director of CEF Mozambique and along the way decided to learn English to facilitate their communication.
Mr. Ngomane's efforts to build the ministry in his country have been substantially aided by CEF Brazil, a well-established ministry across the Atlantic in the only Portuguese-speaking nation in South America. Out of its own modest resources, CEF Brazil has provided training materials as well as children's literature in Portuguese, and sent workers to provide numerous teacher training classes. All of this has been invaluable to the growth of the ministry in Mozambique, says Mr. Robinson.
Going forward, CEF Mozambique, which has a solid presence in the South around Maputo, would like to expand its ministry into the northern part of the country where Islam predominates. Currently, there are only two CEF workers in the North. Efforts to expand the ministry are hampered by funds. Mr. Ngomane is trying to recruit indigenous financial supporters of the ministry but it is difficult. He says that many are eager to serve and he could easily double the number of CEF workers if he had the resources. In the meantime, the 12 CEF workers who run the ministry are provided 150 dollars per month by CEF Headquarters in Warrenton, Missouri, through its Sponsor-A-National (SPAN) program. This allowance helps but is not sufficient to cover even modest monthly expenses. These CEF workers must also work on the side to survive.
The large numbers of children who are eager to enroll in Good News Clubs in Mozambique are reflective of a larger trend in the 16 countries that comprise the Southern African/Indian Ocean Region of CEF. Last year in this region, 2,310,194 children were reached by CEF, a fifty percent increase in children over the previous year. What accounts for this dramatic increase? "Children ask the same questions as adults in the face of poverty, violence, cruelty and war. Why is this happening? Where is God?" explains Mr. Robinson. "By teaching the Bible, CEF answers those questions."
If you are interested in learning more about Child Evangelism Fellowship or its Sponsor-A-National program please visit www.cefonline.com.
