A Team's Tale

Q: How did you become involved in Good News Club?
Two years ago Joe and I were returning from northern Minnesota and  noticed a message on our answering machine. The message was from Carolyn Horton, asking us if we might be interested in Child Evangelism Fellowship. Joe and I had been contemplating our need to be involved in an outreach type ministry and the call captured our interest. When I was at Covenant College in the mid to late seventies, I participated in some Good News Clubs through the church I was attending. I always remembered that experience with fondness as I recalled the rich Bible teaching and the various engaging activities for the participants. But most of all I remembered what a great outreach and evangelistic tool it was for the children we worked with.  So, Carolyn's call prompted Joe and I to respond and inquire about this ministry and what it was all about. We soon got the information and walked through all the steps, found a willing host and some friends who were interested in helping us. 

Q:  Where is your club and how did you get your helpers?

 After trying unsuccessfully  to get into a public school due to space limitations I remembered that our church was involved in an outreach effort to a local government subsidized apartment complex. This complex was in our community so I looked into this idea. The office manager was very agreeable to our desire to put on a Good News Club in their Clubhouse building. CEF already did a special Christmas program at this location so we started our club in January, 2018.

Roddy and Carol Bullock were a newly retired couple that we have been friends with through the years and they were also excited about doing this ministry with us. Joe and I are in a small group with our church and Rob Pritchett, one of the small group members, had expressed an interest in working with kids who are at risk. So  we recruited Rob and he has been a valuable asset to our club ever since. When we first started our Good News club, it was sparsely attended, but as time went on, we steadily grew in numbers. We now have 10 to 12 kids who regularly attend. These kids choose to participate and we have some kids who have come to every club since we started without missing. This has been so encouraging. We have had homeless children and a Muslim child attend. Our work with CEF has been such a great blessing for all of us as we offer the love of Jesus to these kids.

Q: What are the biggest blessings of the club?

 The greatest blessings of running this club include working with children who seem to love to learn about the Lord. It is so rewarding to share Christ with children of different backgrounds and nationalities. We are sharing the Good News of Jesus; that is the most rewarding activity of all!

Please tell us a little bit about yourselves.

 Joe is a Navy trained pilot and has worked for Delta Airlines as a commercial pilot for almost 33 years. In 1983 I met Joe in St. Louis MO where I was working as a second grade teacher and Joe was attending Covenant Seminary at the time. We met, fell in love, and married in June of 1984. In 1990 Joe completed his Masters of Divinity. He has since served on elder boards, taught Sunday School and led small groups.  Joe loves teaching the CEF Bible lessons.

I attended Covenant College where I received my teacher's degree and have taught in various capacities for many years including the homeschooling of our children. I also have a Master's degree in Communication with a special emphasis as a reading specialist. I love organizing and helping with the Good News Club.

Joe and I have four awesome children and six grandchildren! Our oldest, Mary Beth, is a composition teacher and mother of three. Our second child, Michael, is an engineer for Rolls Royce and the father of three. Our third child, Robert, is a CPA and is starting his own business and our youngest , Annie, is a nurse.