Latest / Community Spotlight / Bringing Prayer Back to Schools
Transcript
- 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:02.850 <v 0>The Light FM presents Community Spotlight,</v> 2 00:00:02.970 --> 00:00:06.810 a program designed to focus on what's important to you in your community. 3 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:10.170 Now here's Braxton with today's Community Spotlight. 4 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:13.710 <v 1>Oh, thank you so much for being here. It's the Light fm.</v> 5 00:00:13.710 --> 00:00:15.270 So glad that you are here. 6 00:00:15.660 --> 00:00:19.980 Great conversations with some great folks in the studio 7 00:00:19.980 --> 00:00:21.060 today. Hunt, 8 00:00:21.060 --> 00:00:25.920 Keith Joshua and Jason Beverly from Child Evangelism Fellowship 9 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:27.660 in Asheville. Guys, welcome. 10 00:00:28.170 --> 00:00:29.190 <v 2>Wonderful being.</v> 11 00:00:29.190 --> 00:00:33.570 <v 1>Here. Yeah. Hey, good news clubs just wrapped up for the year. Yes,</v> 12 00:00:33.570 --> 00:00:35.730 we did. That is awesome. 13 00:00:35.790 --> 00:00:39.270 Tell me what they are first and give me an overview of what happened. 14 00:00:39.810 --> 00:00:41.190 <v 2>We have good news clubs,</v> 15 00:00:41.190 --> 00:00:46.110 which are basically Bible clubs and they're in public elementary schools. 16 00:00:46.110 --> 00:00:49.740 We do 'em after hours. They call afterschool good news clubs. 17 00:00:50.520 --> 00:00:55.080 And these clubs are really bringing prayer 18 00:00:55.140 --> 00:01:00.060 back into the schools. Prayer was taken out of the schools, as we all know, 19 00:01:00.420 --> 00:01:04.050 but through Christ Prayer is back in the schools. 20 00:01:04.350 --> 00:01:09.030 We now have 20 good news clubs in the greater Asheville 21 00:01:09.030 --> 00:01:09.540 area. 22 00:01:09.540 --> 00:01:14.100 There's 62 elementary schools in the area, 23 00:01:14.220 --> 00:01:16.440 and we are in one third of them. 24 00:01:16.890 --> 00:01:20.310 We expect to have another five in the next six months, 25 00:01:20.670 --> 00:01:23.640 which will put us at 40%. Jason. Woohoo. 26 00:01:24.660 --> 00:01:26.940 <v 1>Yeah. I know you guys have been growing a lot since Covid.</v> 27 00:01:27.300 --> 00:01:28.710 Let this happen again. 28 00:01:28.770 --> 00:01:29.700 <v 2>Yes,</v> 29 00:01:31.020 --> 00:01:34.980 there is a great need for good news clubs more than ever, 30 00:01:34.980 --> 00:01:36.240 and I hate to say this, 31 00:01:36.240 --> 00:01:40.080 but the recent suicides that have occurred among kids 32 00:01:41.010 --> 00:01:45.450 has let public know the need 33 00:01:45.750 --> 00:01:50.550 for a message that can reach these kids and help 34 00:01:50.550 --> 00:01:54.060 them, and nobody can help them more than Jesus can. 35 00:01:54.390 --> 00:01:57.390 And Braxton, let me share this. 36 00:01:58.680 --> 00:01:59.910 In two semesters, 37 00:01:59.910 --> 00:02:04.680 we've had 163 children except Jesus as their 38 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:06.450 savior. They know Jesus. 39 00:02:07.320 --> 00:02:09.750 They're going to spend eternity with him. 40 00:02:10.290 --> 00:02:14.910 They met him through these clubs and we've reached over a 41 00:02:14.910 --> 00:02:18.390 thousand children that attend these clubs. 42 00:02:18.750 --> 00:02:21.450 God is growing these clubs mightily. 43 00:02:21.450 --> 00:02:26.370 And it's not just a classroom experience that we have because we get down and 44 00:02:26.370 --> 00:02:31.200 we develop relationships with these children and we see things like 45 00:02:31.950 --> 00:02:36.060 recently there were these two children about second grade, 46 00:02:37.740 --> 00:02:40.080 both of 'em had accepted crisis Savior. 47 00:02:40.140 --> 00:02:43.740 They were both from separate homes Over a year, 48 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:48.420 years period, the homes, 49 00:02:48.930 --> 00:02:51.000 there was a divorce in both homes. 50 00:02:51.450 --> 00:02:56.400 The mothers came together in relationship. So these two boys, 51 00:02:56.400 --> 00:03:00.280 the next time they came into the clubs, they were in a different home. 52 00:03:00.640 --> 00:03:04.330 You can imagine just going through that kind of a change, 53 00:03:04.690 --> 00:03:08.680 what that can do to your life. It's a huge, 54 00:03:08.860 --> 00:03:11.050 huge thing to adjust to. 55 00:03:11.680 --> 00:03:14.020 But because they're in those clubs, 56 00:03:14.020 --> 00:03:18.610 we can share Jesus and how much he loves and 57 00:03:18.610 --> 00:03:23.170 cares about them is with them right in the middle of the situation they 58 00:03:23.170 --> 00:03:26.500 face. So that's what we've been seeing happen. 59 00:03:26.830 --> 00:03:30.130 <v 1>And this is happening in the Asheville area. In the Asheville area.</v> 60 00:03:30.130 --> 00:03:35.050 That's important to note that you mentioned the numbers and 61 00:03:35.050 --> 00:03:38.290 you're talking about statistics. I'm not a math guy, so check my math on this, 62 00:03:38.290 --> 00:03:42.910 but you reached about a thousand students this past two semesters 63 00:03:43.570 --> 00:03:48.400 and over a hundred met Jesus. So that's what, 64 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:52.060 11, 12%, 11. I mean, I'm not a math guy, 65 00:03:52.060 --> 00:03:53.730 but that's a pretty good percentage. That is. 66 00:03:54.150 --> 00:03:55.000 <v 2>Praise the Lord. That's.</v> 67 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:55.833 <v 1>Awesome.</v> 68 00:03:56.260 --> 00:04:00.100 <v 2>Yeah, God is the one that says 'em. Praise the Lord for how he does it too.</v> 69 00:04:00.610 --> 00:04:05.350 <v 1>And so that's kind of one of the things that people know you guys for the most</v> 70 00:04:05.470 --> 00:04:08.230 or the good news clubs, I feel like for child evangelism fellowship. 71 00:04:08.230 --> 00:04:12.490 But there's so much more behind the curtain, what you guys do locally, 72 00:04:12.550 --> 00:04:14.560 and that's why Joshua was here. 73 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:18.310 Because I know recently you've been involved with CEF, 74 00:04:18.320 --> 00:04:21.820 but also done a pretty good mission trip too. So tell me about that. 75 00:04:22.900 --> 00:04:23.270 <v 3>Yes.</v> 76 00:04:23.270 --> 00:04:28.270 So last year we had the opportunity to be able to 77 00:04:28.750 --> 00:04:33.610 go to a missions trip to Uganda, Africa. And when we went there, 78 00:04:34.360 --> 00:04:37.780 there was a group of about five of us, 79 00:04:38.110 --> 00:04:42.910 and I myself was able to go there and there we are able to 80 00:04:43.090 --> 00:04:45.130 have five day clubs, 81 00:04:45.910 --> 00:04:49.720 which is similar to a good news club, 82 00:04:50.380 --> 00:04:54.790 but it's done in the summer and it's kind of like a VBS. 83 00:04:55.330 --> 00:04:59.440 And so there we were able to share God's word, the gospel, 84 00:04:59.500 --> 00:05:03.280 and they had an orphanage there and we were able to have those. 85 00:05:03.580 --> 00:05:06.190 And they also had a soccer tournament, 86 00:05:06.460 --> 00:05:10.240 which we were able to share the gospel and we had to use translators there 87 00:05:10.780 --> 00:05:12.340 because we didn't know the language. 88 00:05:12.820 --> 00:05:17.200 They spoke a tribal dialect of cle. But anyway, 89 00:05:17.740 --> 00:05:20.730 so they used the translators, we used the translators, and 90 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:23.890 because we're foreigners, 91 00:05:24.550 --> 00:05:28.840 they would just be attracted to us and just come to us in masses. Like all these 92 00:05:28.840 --> 00:05:29.410 kids, 93 00:05:29.410 --> 00:05:33.610 there's about eight schools that came to the soccer tournament and we were able 94 00:05:33.610 --> 00:05:38.500 to share the gospel to them even using soccer 95 00:05:38.500 --> 00:05:41.020 balls because on the soccer ball was different colors. 96 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:44.320 And these colors were a way that we use them. 97 00:05:44.350 --> 00:05:47.560 Each of them pertained to something of the gospel. There's the gold, 98 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:49.570 which we talk about God and his love, 99 00:05:50.320 --> 00:05:55.240 there's the sin and we talk about that. And then the red, we talk about Jesus. 100 00:05:55.270 --> 00:05:57.620 And then there's the clean, and then there's green, 101 00:05:57.620 --> 00:06:02.540 which is where on the clean page talking about accepting Christ and on the Green 102 00:06:02.540 --> 00:06:04.460 page and growing in Christ. 103 00:06:04.850 --> 00:06:09.500 <v 1>Man, that's awesome. I guess crazy good. Soccer's a big tool over there,</v> 104 00:06:09.500 --> 00:06:14.240 especially they love that soccer and using sports as 105 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:18.350 a avenue to talk about the Lord is awesome. That's great. 106 00:06:18.620 --> 00:06:22.670 <v 4>And what was really neat was just to see the young people,</v> 107 00:06:22.670 --> 00:06:27.170 all the young people there was also Nathan Boone and Elijah 108 00:06:28.340 --> 00:06:32.810 Slates. They were with us as well. And what was really neat with them was Brax. 109 00:06:32.820 --> 00:06:34.160 And I didn't have to tell 'em, okay, 110 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:36.050 it's time for you to go out and share the gospel. Now, 111 00:06:36.470 --> 00:06:38.840 when we came out of the bus and we hit the ground, 112 00:06:38.840 --> 00:06:41.900 they grabbed their wordless books, which are little tools that we train them in, 113 00:06:41.960 --> 00:06:45.350 and they just ran out there and they did it, did it, no questions asked. 114 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:48.110 They just did it. And that was really exciting. 115 00:06:48.120 --> 00:06:53.030 We estimate that we share the gospel with about 4,000 children while we 116 00:06:53.030 --> 00:06:57.290 were there, and we estimate about 50 professions of faith. You were there how. 117 00:06:57.290 --> 00:06:58.100 <v 1>Long?</v> 118 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:02.000 <v 4>Two 10 days. Yes. Sunday days. That is incredible. Yep. So it was exciting.</v> 119 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:02.833 <v 1>You guys needed some sleep.</v> 120 00:07:02.960 --> 00:07:06.710 <v 4>Yeah, and what's really exciting is next year,</v> 121 00:07:06.980 --> 00:07:11.210 2025, we're actually hoping and planning the will of the Lord to go to Honduras. 122 00:07:11.780 --> 00:07:16.370 And we're very excited about that because as we plan these overseas mission 123 00:07:16.610 --> 00:07:19.430 trips, we're planning on doing them Lord willing once a year. 124 00:07:19.850 --> 00:07:24.620 And we're planning on training nationals how to do the work so that we're not 125 00:07:24.630 --> 00:07:27.770 just going there and doing something once and then we're done, 126 00:07:27.770 --> 00:07:31.940 but we're trying to leave something behind that's of lasting value. 127 00:07:32.900 --> 00:07:36.440 But before they can do that, they have to be summer missionaries with us, 128 00:07:36.440 --> 00:07:39.590 with Christian Youth in Action. And Joshua, 129 00:07:39.590 --> 00:07:43.070 can you tell young people maybe a little bit about what that is? 130 00:07:43.190 --> 00:07:44.840 There might be someone out there that says, man, 131 00:07:44.840 --> 00:07:47.930 I would really like to be a part of something like this. 132 00:07:48.620 --> 00:07:49.340 <v 3>So yeah,</v> 133 00:07:49.340 --> 00:07:54.170 so we talked about the good news clubs and a lot of 134 00:07:54.170 --> 00:07:54.620 times, 135 00:07:54.620 --> 00:07:59.300 and that's like for any ages and that reaches children in the public schools 136 00:07:59.450 --> 00:08:00.920 during the school season, 137 00:08:01.190 --> 00:08:04.340 but there's also this program Crowd Christian Youth in Action, 138 00:08:04.880 --> 00:08:09.830 which helps reach children when school goes out and 139 00:08:10.070 --> 00:08:14.600 there in Christ Youth in Action youth are trained to 140 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:19.250 evangelize and starting to evangelize with kids. 141 00:08:19.400 --> 00:08:23.270 And so they're taught a tool called the Wordless Book, 142 00:08:23.630 --> 00:08:27.200 and with that, they're able to share the gospel clearly. 143 00:08:27.470 --> 00:08:29.180 Then what happens is after that, 144 00:08:29.330 --> 00:08:34.010 they go to about a week of training where they learn the components 145 00:08:34.310 --> 00:08:37.100 of a five day club because Christian Youth in Action, 146 00:08:37.100 --> 00:08:39.110 those that are involved in that and the component, 147 00:08:39.350 --> 00:08:42.740 they train them with the five day clubs and the components of a five day club. 148 00:08:42.860 --> 00:08:46.400 Like I said, they're kind of like A VBS, but there's a Bible lesson, 149 00:08:46.550 --> 00:08:50.180 there's a missionary story, there's games, there's songs, 150 00:08:50.300 --> 00:08:51.680 and sometimes even snacks, 151 00:08:51.680 --> 00:08:54.890 all these different things. And they're trained how to do that. 152 00:08:54.900 --> 00:08:59.880 And one of the things I really love about it is in what 153 00:09:00.300 --> 00:09:04.500 I think of what Reverend Frederick Trent said, he said, in watering others, 154 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:08.820 you will yourself be watered. When we share the gospel with these kids, 155 00:09:08.820 --> 00:09:11.520 when we share with them the truth, when Gods were the Bible, 156 00:09:11.820 --> 00:09:15.360 when we ourselves are watered and we ourselves grow. 157 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:19.650 But one of the best things I love about Christ Youth in Action is the fellowship 158 00:09:19.800 --> 00:09:24.180 that we have one with another because when we get together, we have, 159 00:09:24.180 --> 00:09:28.800 there's about 12 to 13 chapters in each state. Because this CF is, 160 00:09:28.830 --> 00:09:32.760 it's national, it's all over the world. International. Yes. 161 00:09:34.170 --> 00:09:34.560 In fact, 162 00:09:34.560 --> 00:09:39.210 it's the largest children reaching organization in the world. 163 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:43.290 And so in training these young people, 164 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:46.050 when they all come together into a state, 165 00:09:46.050 --> 00:09:49.530 they come together as a state at that one place. Like I said, 166 00:09:49.530 --> 00:09:50.700 that one week of training, 167 00:09:51.090 --> 00:09:55.350 and there's about a hundred or so in our state, 168 00:09:55.560 --> 00:09:56.910 but when they come together, 169 00:09:56.970 --> 00:10:01.620 it is so encouraging to see other young people who are giving up some of their 170 00:10:01.620 --> 00:10:04.920 time in the summer to spend evangelizing. And they do it. 171 00:10:04.920 --> 00:10:09.870 And we do it together as chapters and we develop such a fellowship with one 172 00:10:09.870 --> 00:10:13.530 another and we come together and we praise the Lord as well. 173 00:10:13.530 --> 00:10:18.270 And that's my favorite thing is the fellowship. 174 00:10:18.270 --> 00:10:23.070 We have one with another in Christ growing as brothers and sisters in 175 00:10:23.070 --> 00:10:24.510 Christ Together. 176 00:10:25.320 --> 00:10:29.010 <v 4>I think about Shadrock Micha and in Bendigo and Daniel,</v> 177 00:10:29.640 --> 00:10:33.000 and one of the reasons they were able to stand strong is because they had each 178 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:36.660 other. Yes, they had God and God was their source. 179 00:10:36.780 --> 00:10:41.490 But that's what I view Christian Youth in action as like there are many young 180 00:10:41.490 --> 00:10:45.170 people out there that feel isolated and eventually leave the faith because, 181 00:10:46.020 --> 00:10:48.090 or we're never saved or whatever. 182 00:10:48.810 --> 00:10:52.920 But they do that because they did not have Christian friends that they could be 183 00:10:52.980 --> 00:10:53.670 growing up with. 184 00:10:53.670 --> 00:10:57.180 So that's another wonderful thing about Christian Youth in Action. 185 00:10:59.040 --> 00:11:02.610 <v 1>You hear the word enthusiasm. I think we just heard some of that Fire.</v> 186 00:11:03.360 --> 00:11:04.193 <v 4>Fire.</v> 187 00:11:05.250 --> 00:11:09.120 <v 1>You school just let out. And so this is going to be happening over the summer.</v> 188 00:11:10.140 --> 00:11:13.230 And so for someone listening, for a parent listening, 189 00:11:13.410 --> 00:11:17.340 how do they get their kids involved in this and how do they also get their kids 190 00:11:17.340 --> 00:11:19.650 involved in good news clubs happening in the fall? 191 00:11:20.400 --> 00:11:23.490 <v 4>So Christian Youth In Action, you can actually, for both of those,</v> 192 00:11:23.490 --> 00:11:28.350 you can go to our website, asheville cef.org, 193 00:11:28.680 --> 00:11:30.630 asheville cef.org. 194 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:35.130 CEF stands for Child Evangelism Fellowship. 195 00:11:35.670 --> 00:11:39.720 And so you can go there and you can find our contact information 196 00:11:40.620 --> 00:11:44.010 and you can also find out about how to be a part of the afterschool Good News 197 00:11:44.010 --> 00:11:47.670 Club and to see if there is a afterschool good News Club near you. 198 00:11:47.680 --> 00:11:50.880 And if there's not and you're a Christian parent, 199 00:11:50.880 --> 00:11:52.950 you can help us to start one. 200 00:11:54.340 --> 00:11:56.360 <v 1>Get that 40% number up higher. That's right.</v> 201 00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:58.600 <v 4>That's right. Our goal, Lord willing,</v> 202 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:01.750 is to be in every elementary school in 10 years. 203 00:12:02.470 --> 00:12:05.950 And then we also have another goal of training a hundred summer missionaries 204 00:12:05.950 --> 00:12:09.640 over the course of 10 years. So we're excited about that. 205 00:12:09.650 --> 00:12:12.880 And we've grown last year from six summer missionaries to 12 summer 206 00:12:12.880 --> 00:12:14.800 missionaries, so the Lord's all on the move. 207 00:12:15.040 --> 00:12:19.510 <v 2>The Lord is moving mightily through Child Evangelism Fellowship.</v> 208 00:12:19.540 --> 00:12:24.430 We are thrilled. It is infectious to be a part. If you want to be a part, 209 00:12:24.670 --> 00:12:28.300 please get in touch with us. We appreciate your prayers, 210 00:12:28.300 --> 00:12:30.250 your support in any way, 211 00:12:30.310 --> 00:12:35.170 and we always tell those that are supporting that you are a part of every child 212 00:12:35.170 --> 00:12:39.700 that comes to know Jesus. Every child that's reached you are a part of. 213 00:12:39.700 --> 00:12:43.450 We appreciate all that support this ministry, 214 00:12:43.450 --> 00:12:46.570 and we just love what God's doing. 215 00:12:47.170 --> 00:12:51.910 <v 1>Real impact happening in the community. Yes, daily. It's incredible.</v> 216 00:12:52.300 --> 00:12:53.290 Thank you guys for what you do. 217 00:12:53.590 --> 00:12:56.410 <v 4>Amen. Thank you. Appreciate you having us on.</v> 218 00:12:56.800 --> 00:12:58.690 <v 1>Special thanks to our sponsor,</v> 219 00:12:58.690 --> 00:13:02.500 Turner Business Appraisers and Matthews North Carolina for making this episode 220 00:13:02.500 --> 00:13:03.333 possible. 221 00:13:03.850 --> 00:13:05.950 <v 0>We hope you enjoyed today's community spotlight,</v> 222 00:13:05.950 --> 00:13:08.890 covering issues that matter to you in your community. 223 00:13:09.280 --> 00:13:11.770 If you have a suggestion for a future program, 224 00:13:11.770 --> 00:13:15.700 just call 803 3 0 96 48. 225 00:13:15.880 --> 00:13:19.780 That's 803 3 0 9 6 4 8. 226 00:13:20.230 --> 00:13:24.340 Be sure to join us next week for another community spotlight with Braxton on the 227 00:13:24.340 --> 00:13:25.180 Light fm.