On Point

What does it mean to have a kingdom mindset? When a person in Christ recognizes that the Kingdom of God is so much more than where a local group of believers assembles on a weekly basis then he or she is beginning to have a Kingdom view. Having a Kingdom Dream is desiring to be a part of something bigger whose purpose is to expand the Kingdom of God.

Paul wrote in Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” A person who is apart from Christ does not dream of people being saved, growing in Christ, and becoming more like Him. They do not dream of all believers loving one another, receiving the gifts God has given

them, and working together to build the Kingdom of God. That would be the longing of a heart that loves God, embraces the cross, and is eternally thankful for the sacrifice Jesus made for him.

Good News Club® is truly a gift from God to help us live that dream. You may have never been discipled before, but now you can be trained to do the work of an evangelist as you lead children to Christ and regularly feed them from God’s Word. Nothing will help you grow more than doing the will of the Father!

You will also discover that there are many other people from different backgrounds who share a desire to set aside their differences to do THE MAIN THING:

proclaiming the gospel to the lost and making disciples.

Since September we have been doing just that. God has opened the doors and assembled seventeen (17) teams to provide children the opportunity to attend a Good News Club. We are especially excited to have a brand-new club at Alachua Elementary. The fact is, when we all love one another, we make Jesus’ dream come true: “I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:23. Would you join our team and help fulfill your Kingdom Dream?

Don Marsh

Do You Have a Kingdom Dream?

October 2018

Volume 19, Issue 3

CEF of Florida, Inc. North Central Chapter & Camp Good News®

2711 NW 6th St., Suite# F

Gainesville, FL 32609

Office (352) 378-0949 Camp (352) 481-3550

E-mail addresses: Cefofncflorida@gmail.com

Campgoodnewsfl@gmail.com

Websites: www.campgoodnewsfl.com

www.cefofncflorida.com www.cefonline.com

Staff Steve & Maxine Carlson

Directors

Don Marsh Development Coordinator

Steve Westbrooks Camp Coordinator

Local Board Wayne Dodd,

Chairman

Tom Hunter, Vice– Chairman

Janet Adams, Treasurer

Juanita Melchior, Secretary

Troy Blakely

Rev. Gary Fuss

Vashti Osborne

Robert “Bob” Thomas

Rev. Brian York Members

On Point is a periodic informational publication of Child Evangelism Fellowship

of North Central Florida

Trademarks, registered trademarks and logos in this

document are owned by Child Evangelism Fellowship, Inc.

What a Great Children’s Ministry Conference!

Page 2 On Point Volume 19, Issue 3

God truly blessed our Children’s Ministry Conference again this year. Everything seemed to come together to make for an amazing event. God provided caring sponsors. God organized a great team of presenters. Most importantly God stirred the hearts of a fabulous group of attendees that recognized the importance of reaching children with the gospel and setting aside some valuable time to develop new insights and hone existing skills.

We are so grateful for sponsors standing with us. Creekside jumped at hosting the event for the second year in a row. When we began putting this event together I called Mr. Kelly Barber and immediately he said that he would like to be the primary sponsor. (We talk a lot about investing in the children. What better way to invest than to help provide training for people that already have a heart for children.) People like to eat and so our team cut bowls of fruit, perked coffee, set out Danish, along with plenty of other quality food, but the chicken sandwiches from Chic-fil-A® were without a doubt the favorite.

Training can seem like a burden especially when you have a busy schedule. Consequently as we organized the event we wanted to make sure we offered a range of options from the basics to advanced breakouts. We prayed for God’s choices to present the materials and then assembled a team of local and out-of-area instructors. Abel and Grettel Aguila drove half the night to be with us from Miami. David Jacola commuted from Ocala to lead sessions on Counseling and IPEARs. Don Marsh, Maxine Carlson, and Steve Carlson filled the gaps with a comprehensive, day-long training.

We were thrilled to have attendees from near and far. We had representatives from across North Central Florida. Most, but not all, of the participants were either actively serving in Good News Club® or getting ready to do so. Nevertheless several people indicated that they had gleaned things that they intended to incorporate the very next day. It was a great Children’s Ministry Conference to God be the Glory!

Kelly Barber Financial Advisor

23669 W. US Hwy 27 High Springs, FL 32643 Bus. 386-454-3336 Toll Free 888-454-3342

Kelly.barber@edwardjones.com www.edwardjones.com

Chic-fil-A at the Oaks Mall Provided our sandwiches!

Chic-fil-A 352-331-6691 6419 W Newberry Rd. Ste G8,

Gainesville, FL 32605

Creekside Community Church 2640 NW 39th Ave,

Gainesville, FL 32605 www.creekside.com

Page 3 On Point Volume 19, Issue 3

Thanksgiving Camp November 19th to 21st

Christmas Camp The school schedule does not allow for a traditional camp like we’ve held in previous

years, but we are working on some unusual possibilities that we think your children

will enjoy. Please follow us at www.campgoodnewsfl.com.

When you reflect on this past summer it can only be

described as a truly tremendous experience! We give God all the

praise and glory! This summer marked the 50th summer at Camp

Good News® and it turned out to be a great celebration of God’s

hand on this ministry.

Steve Westbrooks, several of his family, some dedicated

volunteers, and an amazing group of young people combined their

efforts to provide a mixture of camp stand-byes along with some

new adventures. Camp just wouldn’t be the same without the lake

-area water activities. The clear, refreshing water provides a

wonderful opportunity to cool off whether you choose to splash

along the shore, jump off the dock, or careen down the waterslide.

The canoes, kayaks, johnboats, and paddleboat helped to extend

the horizon while serving as a good platform to fish. Some new

adventures included Knights, Castles, & Princesses; On the Road

Adventures; and camping under the stars to name a few.

We look forward to what lies ahead. Check out our website

for updates. We are working on some changes to our Facebook

page that will make it easier to find and follow. You can call us at

(352) 481-3550 or email us at campgoodnewsfl@ gmail.com.

Good News Club

This morning the sky was crystal clear, the air temperature was crisp, and there didn’t seem to be a hint of moisture in the air. You might say that Fall had arrived. However, an even better barometer of Fall for me is that Good News Clubs are underway.

We began preparing back in July and August to resume the Good News Clubs. We scheduled our Children’s Ministry Conference to train new and returning team members. We started calling team leaders from last year and potential team leaders for this year. We visited and contacted area schools. We printed permission slips and ordered materials. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes before you can hear, “I missed you and I almost couldn’t wait for Good News Club to get started.”

We are so excited to see the children at the clubs we teach personally and to hear the reports from the ones we oversee. Even still there are many schools that do not have a Good News Club on their campus. You might think that it is because of the people opposed to having the clubs there. Unfortunately the reality is that we have the approval to be at several schools that do not currently have a club simply because we need more volunteers to step up to share the love of Christ.

People are genuinely amazed by the high quality and tremendous depth of the teaching materials. The children regularly ask to sing a favorite song again and again. Many of the children can’t wait to tell their parents what they learned in club or to recite their memory verse from the previous week.

Last year God opened the door for our chapter to share the gospel with 1,632 children. Of those 117 children indicated that they were placing their trust in Jesus for salvation. You would be amazed by the testi-monies of changed lives. Regularly I am told about the positive influences that Good News Clubs are having in the schools where they meet. God is touching lives.

Only occasionally do we get people asking, how we afford to provide these clubs for the children? You see we don’t have time for fund-raiser events or letter writing campaigns to solicit funds. Instead CEF has a rather simple policy for raising funds, “Ask God and tell His People.” In our newsletters we will often invite our readers to prayerfully consider what God would have them to do to participate in this ministry of reaching the children. Investors will reap eternal dividends.

Will you prayerfully consider how you might participate through prayer, giving, and/ or going?