Debora Johnson was a school teacher at Wilma Cather Elementary on the West side of Chicago. She had a heart for her students to hear Gods word. A church presentation, one Sunday, introduced her to Child Evangelism Fellowship and the exciting opportunity to teach a Good News Club (GNC) in her school.
Cather also had Police stopping by. Reports of gangs and drug sales in the area outside the school as well as disturbances with students fighting each other.
One day when a 9-1-1 call of shots fired was near Cather, Sergeant Leland responded to the school. Sergeant Leland recalls the meeting, “There was a problem earlier in the day and my Officers helped resolve it. I was on my way out and was talking with Mrs. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson had made a comment about the students, making me think that she cared about the spiritual side and not just the academic side of these kids. ‘Do you know about the after-school program with CEF?’ I asked.” Debora was surprised and explained that she was the primary teacher at the GNC. He shared that he would have typically just let the afternoon Officers respond to the call but Cather Elementary was a school where his daughter helped teach Good News Club. One thing that stuck out to Sergeant Leland was when Mrs. Johnson remarked, “There’s hope for these kids”.
As Christians, we need to have more than an educational concern but also a spiritual concern for children. Realizing that there is hope for these children and that we can be the tool that God wants to use to reach them.
God has given each and every one of us a task to do while on earth. Are you like Sergeant Leland? Has God called you to help raise up the next generation of believers? Christian Youth In Action is a program where teens ages 12-19 are taught how to share the Gospel effectively. Help sponsor a teen for $350 or help spread the word about this amazing training opportunity. Are you like Deborah? Has God called you to go share the Good News of Jesus Christ in your own Good News Club? Are you like Sergeant Leland’s daughter? Is God calling you into full-time children’s ministry in Chicago? If not called to full-time ministry would you give financially to help Chicago CEF missionaries continue to reach out and share the Gospel with the children in Cook and DuPage counties?
