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By Alissa Runke: Fourth Year Summer Missionary This past year, I’ve been reading through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. I love reading most parts of the Old Testament, like Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, Proverbs, and many of the other books. But to be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to reading the prophets. They’ve always seemed so confusing to me. However, I discovered the exact opposite. As I read Isaiah and Jeremiah, God showed me so many things about Himself that I had never seen before. Lamentations was short, but meaningful, and then I came to Ezekiel. Ezekiel, with its 48 chapters filled with unusual symbols, seemed a little terrifying to me. I started reading, wondering what God would show me through this, when all of a sudden, something I was reading jumped out at me. In the first chapter, the glory of God appears to Ezekiel. In the second chapter, the call comes. God commands Ezekiel to speak to the Israelites, and then, in verse 7, He says, “And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.” Instantly, I felt that that verse was speaking to me. I had to ask myself, do I do that? When I go out in the summer and teach kids about God and how much He loves them and how Jesus died for them, what do I do when they don’t listen? If I am honest, I can be pretty good at making up excuses sometimes of why I shouldn’t go talk to that kid and tell them about Jesus. It can be scary. But God doesn’t give Ezekiel a second choice. He calls Ezekiel and commands him to speak His words to the people. In the next chapter, He even goes so far as to tell Ezekiel that the Israelites won’t listen. But that doesn’t change Ezekiel’s calling. And that shouldn’t change our calling. Most people in the church are fairly familiar with the Great Commission. But sometimes, we view it less as a commission, and more as a suggestion. But Jesus doesn’t give that option. He says, at the end of Matthew 28, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” This isn’t a conditional statement. We are called, as followers of Jesus, to go out and share the Gospel, whether people listen or not. That’s a hard calling. But it is the most important thing we can do here on earth. It gets hard. When I’m teaching my third 5 Day Club of the day, and it’s my fourth week of teaching, do I always feel like reaching out and sharing the Gospel? Thankfully, Jesus gives us a very special promise at the end of the Great Commission. He says, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” When I went to Christian Youth In Action training camp in June, we talked a lot about Psalm 23 and how God is our Good Shepherd. He promises to never leave me, and this means a lot to me. Even when I might be tired and feel like I can’t go on, my Shepherd is right there beside me, giving me His strength. Sometimes, I definitely don’t feel equipped enough to share the Gospel. I might completely mess up my words. But I know that God is with me. When He calls me, He gives me the strength to answer His calling. What a joy to know that our Good Shepherd is always with us, giving us the strength and boldness to share His Gospel! To learn more about our Christian Youth In Action leadership training program for teens click the button below. Help us grow our Christian leadership training program to train more teens like Alissa who want to serve Christ. Help raise up the next generation of Christian Leaders.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." - Psalm 23:1 Very soon, 11 youth from the Great River Chapter will pack their bags for a week and leave for a nine-day training that will help them prepare to teach 5-Day clubs this summer. After this training, these 11 youth will spend many long hot days sharing the gospel and showing the love of Christ to many kids in the Great River Chapter. This year, at training, the summer missionaries are focusing on the idea of shepherding and what it looks like to both follow after the shepherd and lead others to the shepherd. For many of them this will be their first-year teaching. They will be stretched and forced out of their comfort zones many times over the course of training and through the summer. They will have their eyes opened to things in this world that they maybe knew were there but had never personally experienced. They will get tired. They will get crabby. They will need their shepherd. A sheep is totally dependent on the Shepherd for everything that it needs, and just like those sheep, these summer missionaries will find out how totally dependent they are on theirs. But the amazing thing is, as they find out how much they need their shepherd, they will also find out how good their shepherd is, and how their shepherd does indeed provide everything that they need. Will you join me in praying for these youth and for ourselves that we would learn to become totally dependent on our shepherd and that we would be able to introduce others to the Good Shepherd, who does indeed provide all that we need: “we shall not want.” Praise A good end to the school year, and the many children that heard the gospel at a Good News Club this year. God's provision of a new printer for our office space. 11 summer missionaries that will be teaching 5-Day clubs this summer. 5-Day clubs already scheduled. Prayer Please pray for us as we finish up scheduling clubs and get ready for training. Please pray for the training June 11-22. Pray for the summer missionaries that God would prepare their hearts for ministry. Pray for the Kids that will hear the gospel this summer. Pray that God would be preparing their hearts now to receive the gospel.

Written by Peter Strand - A former summer missionary and intern with the Great River Chapter shares how CEF gave him a passion to reach others with the gospel and helped deepen his faith and mentored him on his path to be a leader. I’ve been to CYIA six times, so why do I keep going back? Why CYIA for me? It hit me recently that my life would look significantly different if I hadn’t taken the step to try out Child Evangelism’s student training ministry, Christian Youth in Action. The answer to the “why” question at the beginning would have been “because my sister dragged me into it.” The transformation I experienced in my life after that, however, would easily change my answer. Let’s talk first about what my answer was then. As a 12-year-old with about as much desire to work with kids as a baked potato, the idea of joining Christian Youth in Action to learn about teaching kids didn’t exactly thrill me on its own. I convinced a friend to do it with me--I really had no desire to reach the lost. If you had asked me then why I joined, I would have offered up some superficial answer about “helping kids learn about God” or “just following orders!” Instead, I was spiritually stagnant in my walk with Christ. I wasn't expecting that summer to be the jumpstart my faith needed. Immature and selfish, I went into CYIA thinking, "no sweat"-turns out, yes sweat." " I wasn’t expecting that summer to be the jumpstart my faith needed. Immature and selfish, I went into CYIA thinking, “no sweat”—turns out, yes sweat." CYIA doesn’t mess around—they make sure you know the Gospel, along with some cold, hard facts about why kids need it. Suicide rates among kids ages 5-11 spiking, primarily caused by mental health issues, trauma, and peer or family-related problems (CWLA, 2020). 70% of 18-year-old’s surveyed born 2000 and later saying they believe God does not exist (Pew, 2018). Staggering child abuse rates, divorce and broken homes, and parents in prison. It was sobering to discover how little I knew and to see some of these things for myself while out on the field. Not to be a Debbie Downer. So why CYIA for me? Christian Youth in Action is built with the Gospel as its foundation. I realized when I started that I could probably not coherently communicate the Gospel to anyone who asked me. Was I really ready to give an answer for the hope that I had? CYIA changed me in two ways: first, it showed me that I was not, in fact, ready to give that answer. But it also showed me how. It gave me straightforward yet complete tools to learn the Gospel and be able to communicate it effectively to a child who had never been to church. If I can do that, I often think, I can share it with anyone. With the help of the training I received at CYIA, I was able to learn the Gospel, the need I was facing on the field, and, as I progressed through the new levels of training in the ensuing years, the deeper concepts of scripture and the importance of connecting a child to them. CYIA has developed me as a person and as a leader, as a Christians and as a teacher of the Gospel. " CYIA has developed me as a person and as a leader, as a Christian and as a teacher of the Gospel." But that’s me. What about you? I find myself asking this question more because of how much I want to convince others that they should try CYIA. Why CYIA for you? Here’s a start on an answer. CYIA doesn’t just want you to care about the Gospel. They want you to want to care about the Gospel. The Gospel is the root of a Christian’s life and our most important reality—what disciple does not know where his Master stands or what he says? I can think of one thing He said: “Go into all the world and make disciples”—I’d call that a pretty good reason to get moving. If that doesn’t convince you, here are some other ideas: (just kidding, there are no other good ones). The greatest gift we have received as people of God is new life and salvation—the free, undeserved gift of freedom from bondage. Second Timothy 2 says, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No good soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since it is his aim to please the one who enlisted him.” The difficulty we may face in proclaiming the Gospel—outside opposition or our sinful flesh—should further encourage us to remain faithful Christians and share in Christ’s sufferings as we labor to share this Gospel of hope, since as soldiers of Christ, our sole responsibility is to follow orders. His orders? Proclaim the Gospel. And please use words. It’s not an optional thing. “When you have a minute” is not included in the operating instructions. Until I started, I thought it was. I never expected to be confronted with the harsh realities kids experience, even in my own neighborhoods. What I thought was a safe, primarily problem-free middle class lifestyle for many around me, turned out to be dark, hopeless homes and experiences for kids barely old enough to read. I never expected to meet anyone wrestling with their own suicide attempts, and definitely not someone under the age of 10. I never expected to be asked questions I thought had simple, well-known answers, like, “Who is God?” “How did God create so many things?” “How could Jesus love me?” I also never expected to be a child's first experience with God's Word and stand there to witness them touch a Bible for the first time with more excitement than I had. I never expected the deep joy I experienced the first time I led a child to Christ, or to be excited to work with kids and see their lives changed. "I also never expected to be a child’s first experience with God’s Word and stand there to witness them touch a Bible for the first time with more excitement than I had. I never expected the deep joy I experienced the first time I led a child to Christ, or to be excited to work with kids and see their lives changed." CYIA and the summer ministry through CEF’s 5-Day Clubs have offered me real, tangible ministry experiences with fellow Christian students, showing the hope and truth of the Gospel to kids who may otherwise never have a chance to hear. CYIA differentiates itself from alternative teen-driven ministries in several key ways. While other student missions opportunities may be focused on the power of a program or superficial, brief spiritual growth, CEF places students in the heart of the mission field, building relationships with kids and teaching the truth. It’s simple—on the field, we only have the Gospel—but that’s all there really needs to be.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 I really don’t like rejection. I like it when people think well of me, and I would rather be on good terms with everyone and not ruffle any feathers. Lately, I have been reading the book of Acts, working my way through the story of how the church forms and the gospel begins to go forth. As I was reading chapter 14, the amazing perseverance of the church struck me in a new way. Paul and his companions take the gospel to new places again and again they are rejected and persecuted, even to the point where Paul was presumed dead. So, to me, the perseverance of Paul looks crazy. I would have given up and returned to the safety of my family, friends, and my Christian bubble. But it is this kind of tenacity that we are called to. To boldly proclaim the gospel despite the opinion of the world. I had a friend once who went to do missions work in the Middle East, and she said to me. “Katherine, when I was leaving, everyone told me to ‘be safe,’ no one told me to ‘be bold.’” I encourage you to ask with me, are we bold with the gospel? Do we persevere despite hardship and tribulation? Or do we seek our own comfort and safety? Would you join us in praying that God would help us to boldly persevere in sharing the gospel? Praise The start of a new GNC in Maple Lake. We started this club last week, and we had eight kids attend the first week! A good response to our end of the year fundraiser. We are praising God for His provision. Progress made on the renovations for our office. Prayer Continued financial provision for the ministry For all the GNC’s: Teachers-to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Kids-that hearts would be open to the gospel. Favor with the school. We will be beginning to recruit youth for summer ministry. Please pray for God to raise up the team that He wants and that many kids may hear the gospel this summer. Pray for us as we begin to prepare for our winter retreat, this is a wonderful opportunity to both check in and minister to our current summer missionaries, and a great way for new students to learn more about the ministry.

As we go into this Christmas season where we will be celebrating the birth of our savior, I am increasingly surprised by how many children do not know the real story. One thing we use to tell children the real story of Christmas is party clubs. Party clubs are a one-time outreach or a wonderful tool that you can use to continue to disciple and share the gospel with the children you know! Christmas Party Clubs include a Gospel-centered Bible lesson, games, a memory verse, songs, and more to teach children about the true story of Christmas! They can be used as a one-time outreach program, a party for your Sunday school, and more. The steps are simple. Order Materials Invite kids to come to a fun one day Christmas party. Use the materials to play games, share the gospel, and have fun snacks with the kids in your neighborhood. CEF will be there to support you with whatever needs or questions you have! If you are interested in a Christmas Party Club please email Hannah Davison at hdavisoncef@gmail.com or call/text 612-456-3559 Check Out Christmas Party Clubs

Fundraiser Banquet for the Great River Chapter. October 14th - Doors open at 6:00 - Dinner served at 6:30 Buffalo Covenant Church 1601 MN-25 Buffalo MN 55313 Since January the Great River Chapter has gone through numerous changes. Our former director, Kim Davison, stepped down from her position. Our borders changed to include four new counties, and to no longer include three counties where we were established. Katherine Strand and I (Hannah Davison) took over as leadership in this area. Because we no longer have some of the established counties that we previously had we struggled to find volunteers for our summer ministry. I am new to this position of leadership in CEF and as we were going into the summer I was very worried that we would not be able to minister to kids as effectively as we had before. I was afraid that I would lose track of the many details that I needed to keep track of in order to coordinate all the 5-Day Clubs and summer missionary schedules. But despite all of the changes and new things and challenges we faced God has continually shown his faithfulness. Our four summer missionaries stepped up and stepped out of their comfort zones to share the gospel with children and adults. Throughout the summer their passion and sincere desire to serve God humbled and challenged me. I watched as these summer missionaries continually sacrificed their time, their comfort, and their desires to reach kids with the gospel. Fall Fundraiser Come hear the stories that these teens have to share, and hear how you can support this ministry. We need your financial support to be able to continue ministering to the children in the Great River area. We are holding a fundraiser Banquet October 14th at Buffalo Covenant Church. Come and hear from the summer missionaries how they saw God work through them this summer. Hear how God is changing lives in and through CEF here in Minnesota! If you can’t make it to the Banquet you can still donate online by clicking the button below.

And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 Last year one of our summer missionaries had the opportunity to lead a boy to Christ. This summer that same summer missionary got to teach that club again and saw the boy that he had counseled the year before. As the invitation to receive Christ was being given by another teacher the boy leaned over to our summer missionary and whispered, "I did that last year, it was the best day of my life!" Sometimes, after a child has received Christ as their Savior I wonder, how will they continue to grow? Did they truly understand? Will they forget and and become like the seeds planted in the parable that didn't bear fruit? But God reminded me that he will continue sanctify them as he does me. In the words of the apostle Paul, "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Praise: For the many children that heard the gospel this summer in our area and our state. For the hard work of our 5 summer missionaries, and their perseverance through a long summer in the midst of spiritual warfare and long hot days. The safety that God provided for all the children, summer missionaries, and staff this summer. The opportunity to rest and prepare for a new season of ministry. The many hosts that opened up their homes and were passionate about sharing the gospel. Prayer: Please pray for the children that heard the gospel this summer, that God would cause the seeds that were planted to bear fruit and that He would bring to completion the good work He began in them. Please pray that God would provide all that is necessary as we transition to our school year Good News Club ministry. That God would bring children to the clubs and volunteers to teach them. Please pray that God would help us as we prepare for our fall fundraiser banquet and bring people to attend. Please pray that God would continue to provide for the ministry financially and that we would be able to continue to expand and reach more areas with the Gospel.

It was a hot day, and it was the third club of the day. I wasn’t exactly sure if I would have energy to play another game of soccer. I started to think about how tired I was and how maybe, if I let them, my limbs would turn to Jello, and I would collapse in a heap on the ground. Then I saw 15-year-old Alex coming to club, with his Bible tucked under one arm and his younger sister Hannah draped over his back like a sack of potatoes. Alex was back for another year of club, and the joy of seeing him come back for another year of club banished all the complaints brewing in the back of my mind. After what proved to be a good game of soccer (where I did not collapse in heap like Jello) we started club. As usual Alex knew all the answers to the questions we asked, after all he had been coming every year for club since 2016, but he would patiently wait for the other kids to try to answer. He would kindly assist the other kids with whatever they needed, and he was always quick with an encouraging word or helpful gesture. "Someone had told him about Jesus, and he wanted to tell others." You might think by the description I just gave that Alex comes from a family where the Bible is read each night and the family goes to church faithfully each Sunday. I wish that were true, but Alex and his grandpa are the only Christians in his family. His parents and the rest of his grandparents are atheists. I admire Alex’s faith, and the way he believes and honors God, even when most of the people closest to him do not. I wonder, would I have strength to do the same in similar circumstances, would I stay faithful when no one else in my life cared whether I believed in God or not? Not only that, but Alex wants to serve God and tell others about Him. He wants to join CEF this next summer as a summer missionary, so he can tell other kids about Jesus. I didn’t have to twist his arm, I didn’t have to convince him that telling kids about Jesus was more important than a summer job, sports, or just a restful summer. I didn’t have to try to persuade him that it was worth the sacrifice. He knew. Someone had told him about Jesus, and he wanted to tell others. Will You? Alex is just one of the kids that I could tell you about that has been impacted by a 5-Day club. God is graciously using this ministry to bring the gospel to kids in the Great River Chapter. Will you join us in impacting kids just like Alex? Will you pray for this ministry? Will you plead with God for the souls of the kids from the Great River Chapter? Will you consider financially supporting this ministry? It costs on average $250 dollars for CEF to do a 5-Day club. Would you consider giving $250 to sponsor a 5-Day club, or perhaps $50 to sponsor one day of a 5-Day? We once again thank you for being willing to help us reach the children of the Great River Chapter with the life-changing message of the gospel!

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Over the last two weeks the truth of this verse has been revealed to me again and again. We just finished our CYIA training in preparation for summer ministry. I look forward to these two weeks of training every year, and it truly is one of my favorite parts of the job. Yet, this training is hard. It is hard to be willingly to give of yourself 24/7 for two weeks, it is hard to survive on less than the ideal hours of sleep, and it is hard to be willing to step out of your comfort zone again and again. However, each year, God shows that He is the one that provides strength and He is the one that takes our feeble efforts and brings forth fruit from them. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Would you join us in praying that God would provide grace as we seek to abide in Him this summer and beyond. Praise For: A successful CYIA training. The Opportunity to partner with 91.5 and 102.7 The Word and the CEF Central Lakes Chapter for the parade in St. Cloud to promote our ministries. 22 scheduled 5-Day clubs for the summer. 11 kids that heard the gospel this last week at the 5-club the summer missionaries taught as part of their training. Prayer For: That God would help us and the summer missionaries abide in Him as we minister this summer. That God would prepare the hearts of the children that will hear the gospel this month and that they would respond to the gospel. That God would give the summer missionaries boldness and clarity as they present the gospel. That God would protect us from the attacks of the enemy.

Please Pray for Christian Youth In Action Training Camp I thank my God in all my remembrance of you…because of your partnership in the gospel.” Philippians 1:3&5 We are so excited to see what God has in store for this summer’s ministry through Christian Youth in Action and 5-Day Clubs—thank you for your continued prayer over us in preparing students to teach and lining up opportunities for clubs. Praise For: · God’s provision of a new chapter office, which is in the process of being remodeled and prepared for moving in this month. · A new chapter committee member. · 5-Day Clubs that have already been scheduled and are in the process of being scheduled. Pray For: · More 5-Day Club hosts to be willing to spread the Gospel in their neighborhood. · God to provide materials and workers to prepare our new office. · God to prepare the hearts of the kids who will hear the Gospel this summer. · God to prepare the hearts and minds of the summer missionaries, that they would teach effectively and be good disciples of Christ. · Our CYIA training (June 12-23); that God would use it as an effective tool to equip summer missionaries practically and spiritually to teach this summer, and that all details would come together smoothly. · Energy, boldness, and strength. · That kids would attend 5-Day Clubs this summer. · That God would continue to provide resources to keep our ministry active, strong, and growing—if you would be interested in being a part of helping our ministry grow, visit https://cefmn.networkforgood.com/projects/137209-great-river-chapter

Preparing our hearts and the hearts of our summer missionaries for ministry. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5a We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. As 5-Day Club and summer ministry season is approaching we are looking forward to sharing with kids the life changing message of the gospel. However, without being right before God and fully surrendered to him our efforts are fruitless. As Katherine and I were meeting with our mentor this week she reminded us that it is utmost importance to keep God first. It is really easy to be overwhelmed by all the things we have to do and all the details we have to remember, but our efforts are wasted if we are not following God’s direction. Similarly, our summer missionaries are coming to the end of a busy school year and are getting ready for an equally busy summer of service. Their hearts need to be prepared and equipped for the work of ministry this summer. Our goal for training is not only that we teach them the practical part of ministry, but that we also guide them in preparing their hearts. At our last orientation, it was such a blessing to see all of our summer missionaries gathered together in prayer for the kids that they will come in contact with this summer. Also the hearts of the kids need to be prepared to hear the gospel this summer. Without the work of the Holy Spirit our words are just words. We need the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts and minds of each child that will hear the gospel through CEF this summer. Please join us as we pray that God would prepare the way! Please Pray! Please pray for Katherine and I as we head into the summer. Pray that God will give us wisdom as we disciple summer missionaries and as we try to point them to God. Pray that we will put God first allow him to lead our decisions. Pray that we will have God’s love and perspective for the teens and children. Pray for the summer missionaries: Pray that God will prepare their hearts. That they will have a burden to reach the kids. That they will be sensitive to God’s direction. Pray for the kids. That they will come to 5-Day club! That they will be ready to receive God’s word. That the Holy Spirit will work in their hearts. That God will keep away distractions.

How are we looking forward to summer ministry? Why we have the “best job ever” I don’t know about you but I am tired. We have been going through a lot changes here in the Great River Chapter and I feel like I have been sprinting while blindfolded. This is my first summer “in charge,” or whatever, and I feel overwhelmed and behind. Katherine and I have been working hard trying to recruit summer missionaries, write classes for our Christian Youth In Action training program, and learn all our new responsibilities. We make it look easy of course, but it’s not. Our state director Joe Williquette keeps reminding us that we have “the best job ever.” As Katherine will tell you, I am a bit cynical, and I don’t always believe this. Sometimes it is too easy to get lost in the amount of phone calls I have to make or emails I have to send or (dramatic gasp) people I have to talk to, but we are sharing the gospel with kids. Everything that Katherine and I do is to grow the kingdom of God, to share the gospel with one more child. So even though I am tired right now, and I am going to be more tired before summer comes, I can’t wait to see how God works and how He uses us and our summer missionaries to reach many more children this summer! Please Pray! Please pray that God will give Katherine and I his grace, strength, and wisdom as we learn and make mistakes.