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| Founded | 1937 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Jesse Irvin Overholtzer |
| Type | 501(c)3 non-profit religious |
| Location |
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Area served | US, 176 countries |
Key people | Reese Kauffman, president |
Employees | 3,528 (full-time) |
Volunteers | 40,000 (US & Canada) |
| Website | www |
Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) is an international interdenominational Christian nonprofit organization founded by Jesse Irvin Overholtzer (1877-1955) in 1937 at Berachah Church in Cheltenham, PA, which, after a split, one moved and headquartered in Warrenton, Missouri, United States. While the other part headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States.[1][2] The organization lists its purpose as teaching the Christian Gospel to children and encouraging children's involvement in local Christian churches. It has programs established in all US states and in 192 countries, with 733 full-time workers in the US, an estimated 40,000 volunteers in the US and Canada, and over 1,200 missionaries overseas, approximately 1,000 of them national workers, individuals trained with CEF but local to the country of their service.[3] During the reporting year ending December 2014, CEF reported teaching more than 19.9 million children, mostly through face-to-face ministry. CEF is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).[4]
CEF branched to Europe in 1947 when Bernard and Harriet Swanson (from USA) began work in Gothenburg, Sweden.[5] CEF soon spread across Europe, most notably in (Northern) Ireland from 1950.[6] The headquarters of CEF Europe are in Germany, with its missionaries trained at different centers across Europe.[7]
- ^ The Journey Continues, by Helen Edds Frazier, 2004, page 45
- ^ Christian Writers' Market Guide 2008 by Sally Stuart, Random House Digital, Inc., Feb 25, 2009, page 443
- ^ "Supporting", Child Evangelism Fellowship official website.
- ^ "Member Profile: Child Evangelism Fellowship", Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Accessed 5 February 2023.
- ^ "CEF Europe History". CEF Europe. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ "Our Story". CEF Ireland. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ Bassara, Bogdan (Autumn 2010). "Ministering by mail". kilchzimmer Echo. CEF Europe. Retrieved 21 February 2021.