About Us
Our Story begins
Child Evangelism Fellowship, also known as CEF, is a Bible-centered, worldwide organization composed of born-again believers whose purpose is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to establish (disciple) them in the local church for Christian living.
CEF was founded by Jesse Irvin Overholtzer in 1937.
Growing up in a religious family, Jesse at the age of 12 was convicted of his own sin and sought counsel from his mother. He was told, “Son, you are too young.” It wasn’t until Overholtzer was in college that he heard the Gospel and trusted Christ as his Savior.
Later as a pastor, Mr. Overholtzer read one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons which stated, “A child of five, if properly instructed can as truly believe and be regenerated as an adult.” The Lord used this statement in Mr. O’s life to lead him to begin the ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship when he was 60 years old. The ministry has grown into the largest evangelistic outreach to children in the world. CEF is currently ministering in countries around the world and in every state in the U.S.
Our Mission:
Enlist, Equip, and Encourage a team of qualified leaders to fulfill CEF’s purpose to evangelize boys & girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, to disciple them in the Word of God, and help establish them in a local church for Christian growth
Our ministry vision is to reach Every Child, Every Nation, Every Day.
God has given His people a clear commission—to reach every creature with the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our special mission in CEF is to evangelize every child. In the last ministry year, our workers worldwide reached over 16.4 million children! CEF is committed to reaching 15 percent more each year. Strategic ministry choices such as Good News Club in public schools and concentrating on high potential growth countries will help us reach this goal.
Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
CEF is a worldwide ministry serving in every region of the world in an ever-expanding way.
Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”
We are committed to leading children to be in God’s Word every day. As children grow in their relationship with the Lord through meditating on His Word, they develop Godly character. Godly character produces much fruit to the glory of God resulting in spreading the Gospel to their peers. We now have over 800,000 Wonder Devotional Books in Africa. Right now we are working to reach 500,000 children in Asia with the books.
Psalm 119:2, “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.”
Only as we trust in God and call upon Him are we empowered to do His will. Programs come after prayer, never before it. We have over 3,400 workers worldwide led by eight regional directors. There are also tens of thousands of volunteers worldwide. God works through His people, godly leaders, staff, and volunteers in order to accomplish our goals. The sun never sets on CEF ministry. We provide training, equip our workers with ministry tools, and support them through fund-raising and ministry development.
Our Strategy:
Training
Equipping
Supporting
Providing trained men and women with the tools they need to effectively evangelize and disciple the next generation. This means not only teaching materials but discipleship materials.
Join with us in prayer. Become part of our support team as we reach…
Every Child, Every Nation, Every Day.