Recently I interviewed with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) for the West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle Chapter local director position. Nicole and I, along with the local and state committees decided it's a good match. So here we are. And you get to be a part of it! So what does the local director of CEF do? In case you’re wondering how CEF works, directors meet with local churches to “adopt” a nearby school to host a Good News Club. While the curriculum and authority comes from CEF—in fact, our reputation is part of what gets us through the school’s doors—the volunteers and coordinating comes from the church we’ve partnered with. In other words, it’s another form of outreach for that church. I’ll be the guy convincing the church to get on board and asking for volunteers. Not only that, but I’ll be teaching a good news club or two. I’ve got to stay connected with the curriculum to see if it’s effective—and teaching is something God has gifted me in. I have an extreme passion for teaching people the Word, and I don’t want that to be wasted. I’ll also be communicating and maintaining the vision of CEF to those under my authority. Part of this means maintaining my own spiritual life, so a healthy reading diet is recommended. In addition, I should be encouraging volunteers and fielding concerns. At the end of every month, I’ll have to present a summary of what I’ve accomplished to the state board. There’s an administrative side to being the local director. That's where Nicole comes in. She actually enjoys this kind of work--budgeting for the chapter and filling out various forms (what I call “ministry minutiae”). We'll be a team! Details? Well, first they want us to complete the Children’s Ministry Institute (CMI), which will be held in Warrenton, Missouri this coming January through March. This will equip us for our ministry. After we complete the CMI and raise our support, I’ll be trained by the current director for a whole year. During that process, I’ll be considered a “local coordinator”—sort of an interim position. When that’s finished (about a year after it begins—Lord willing), I’ll be promoted to local director, and the one training me (Randy) will step down to ministry coordinator. If I decide the job isn’t a good fit for me at that time, they will find another position for me to fill. Harry (the state director) repeatedly stated, “No pressure. We don’t want to fit a square peg in a round hole. We want each of our workers to find their ‘sweet spot.’ So if you feel you don’t fit in this position, that’s fine too. We’ll find a different position for you.” Either way, I’m hired! Whooooooo! Sign up for our newsletter to follow our ministry. You can reach children too, through us!
-Ian (& Nicole)
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