Happy Christmas - Northern Ireland style flashmob

We want to say Happy Christmas to all of our blog readers with the help of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. This has been really well done. Read the story behind it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20807844

Driving to Kilchzimmer is often quite an adventure

Driving up to Kilchzimmer in the snow from Gary Cousins on Vimeo.

Happy Christmas to all our blog readers

Learning how to care for your support team

In November I taught a Support Raising seminar in Kilkeel, N.Ireland with Tibi, a colleague from Romania. We had 25 (mostly) CEF workers from (N.) Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Kilchzimmer attend the seminar. I was greatly encouraged by this time of helping other workers build their own support team. This type of practical workshop-training for our full-time workers is something I really enjoy doing.

We asked some of the students, "What are some significant things you have learned through the seminar?" Here's some of what they said:

• "Learning to depend on God, yet being willing to take responsibility that I must share the need."
• "My primary goal in deputation is passionately sharing about what God is doing, rather than pleading with people to give me money! Makes it more of a joy than a burden."
• "I thoroughly enjoyed the classes, the 'biblical perspectives' on support raising. I was amazed at the number of references to money/support in the Bible."
• "I enjoyed learning how to write a prayer letter. After taking to Gary, I worked for 2 hours on a new prayer letter! "
• "To continually look to the Lord for the resources needed (vertical) and not to focus on the horizontal."

They're all praising God

I have lost count of the number of times I have watched this since I first saw the full message over a year ago. The boys were also fascinated by it, so we jumped on their interest and read this to them in the evenings before they went to sleep: Indescribable (Illustrated Edition): Encountering the Glory of God in the Beauty of the Universe by Louie Giglio

PB 1:49:03 in Lucerne Half-marathon despite wintery conditions

 

Autumn 2012 CMLC at Kilchzimmer

The autumn 2012 students in the English and German class at the Children's Ministry Leadership Course at the CEF European Headquarters, Kilchzimmer, Switzerland. Photo: Tim Shirey

Just after the group photograph was taken, over 30 cm of snow fell at Kilchzimmer over the weekend. Today, this was the stunning view from the fellowship room.

The extrodinary growth of mobile Apps

Source: blog.neolane.com via Angela on Pinterest

How apps are changing education

Provided By: OnlineColleges.net

Kilchzimmer Summer 2012

12 English speaking students, 8 Italian speakers and 16 children. 

Below some of those who volunteered as child minders.

The first Baltic CMLC in Lithuania

Last week I was teaching with Roy Harrison at the first Children's Ministry Leadership Course in Lithuania. Praise God for 18 students (7 from Lithuania, 7 from Estonia and 4 from Latvia). 

Children's workers commence their training

Today is the first day of classes at our Italian / English Children's Ministry Leadership Course (CMLC) in Kilchzimmer, Switzerland. It was thrilling to teach these students knowing that each one is an answer to prayer. The classes are being taught with consecutive interpretation from English into Italian. We have 8 Italian students, plus 4 from Northern Ireland, 2 from Ireland, 2 from USA, 2 from Holland and 2 from Sweden. It's over 2 years ago that we started talking about the possibility of an Italian CMLC and it's hard to believe that it is now a reality. Praise the Lord!

NW Europe Workers Conference

The historical Baltic port city of Tallinn in Estonia was the location this week for our conference for CEF workers in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries. The main Bible speaker was Pastor John Shearer and other workers took seminars and reported on the work in their respective countries. There was also an afternoon outing to tour the old town. Sufficient time was also given for discussing the ministry in smaller groups. I was able to make good progress on several projects to assist these countries.

CEF is 75 years old

Today we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of Child Evangelism Fellowship, the largest Christian ministry to children in the world. CEF is now active in 176 countries and last year shared the gospel with over 11 million children around the world. Read more

Establishing a CEF ministry in Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a tiny landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has a population of over half a million people in an area of approximately 2,586 square kilometres (998 sq mi). Three languages are recognised as official in Luxembourg: French, German, and Luxembourgish. It is also one of CEF's three target countries that we are seeking to establish an ongoing ministry in by 2017. 

Why has this little land proved so difficult to penetrate with the Gospel? Perhaps the countries motto gives an indication of the Spiritual resistance that is ever present, "Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn"; translated: "We want to remain what we are". Pray that people will see the need to reach children with the Gospel, which is the power of God to transform lives.

Praise God for the encouragements we are seeing in these days. Recently 24 participants completed our 30-hour teacher training course (TCE-1). Please pray that as a result, at least one Good News Club will be opened. Pray too that the Lord will raise up a person who would be willing to represent CEF part-time in the country.

We can't do it alone

It all began 75 years ago this year. Our founder, J.I. Overholtzer, read this statement by Charles Spurgeon: “A child of five, if properly instructed, can as readily believe and be regenerated as anyone.” Mr. O. believed that too and became burdened for the souls of boys and girls. He would pray over the globe for children in each country of the world. He was aware of his own limitations, so he prayed that God would raise up an army of child evangelists that would encircle the globe.

Today an active and on-going ministry has been established in 180 countries. God has given tremendous growth to the work in Europe too, but at times it seems like a drop in the ocean - when we think of the 157 million children, most of whom have yet to hear. Even with almost 600 full-time workers, we know that we don’t have enough to do this alone. So we are praying and asking “…the Lord of the harvest, … to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matt. 9:38)

As an answer to prayer God is not only raising up full-time workers but also people like you - men and women with a love for boys and girls and a deep desire to be involved in bringing the Gospel to them. But we continue to ask the question, “how can we reach even more children?” The answer is, through training! 

Training

75 years since the birth of CEF, we continue to be convinced of the importance to “properly instruct” children from the Bible. We take this seriously and that is why in each country we offer teacher-training programmes for volunteers and full-time workers. Each year over 30,000 people in Europe attend one of our training events. Some attend an evening training class for Good News Club® teachers, or a church training day, or a 30-hour Teaching Children Effectively™ (TCE™) course taught over several weekends. Others want to learn about working with the older children and attend a Junior Youth Challenge (JYC) course.

The centrepiece of our training however is our 3-month Children’s Ministry Leadership Course (CMLC). This summer we are offering places in Kilchzimmer for English and Italian speakers, with German in the autumn. Extension CMLCs will be held in Lithuania (with interpretation into other Baltic languages), in Romania (with Polish interpretation) and in Georgia.

How do teachers benefit from CEF courses? “I had a passion to reach children but I had no idea how to do it. This course has giving me what I needed... I’m just buzzing... I can’t wait to get back to the mission-field” (Penny, missionary to Ghana). – “In Sunday school I always struggled with teaching the memory verse. I just repeated it a few times. But now I know how to really ‘teach’ it! This is one of the first things I am going to change when I go back”(Daniel, Germany). – “This course has equipped us and given us the confidence we need to reach the lost children of our country” (Metush and Nora, CEF Kosovo).

Training is just the first part of the effective and simple CEF strategy that God has blessed over many years: Training – Equipping – Supporting! 

Equipping

As soon as they have been trained we equip them with good quality teaching materials in their own language. 

Supporting

Many of those who have been trained and equipped desire to begin full-time ministry. But the lack of support is often an obstacle. Therefore we support many national workers in Europe through our newly launched SPAN (Sponsor a National) programme.

Mr O. had a burden and a vision but he was also realistic. That is why he prayed for an army of child evangelists that would encircle the globe. Today, trained, equipped and supported workers not only reach children but also train other workers—who then train yet more workers – who then reach even more children than you or I could reach in a lifetime.

Article written for the Kilchzimmer Echo, Spring 2012, Gary Cousins, Education Coordinator for Western Europe

CEF training day 2012 in our church

Top left - clockwise: Participants watching counselling demonstration; Ina pretends to be a child who wants to trust the Lord; the new projector in our church was put to good use today; big interest today in the CEF literature.

Today Stefan Greiner and Ina Herrmann from the CEF local work in Karlsruhe held a training day at our church. This is the fourth year in a row that we have hosted this and it's great to see it growing each year (this time we were 48 participants). Stefan is an excellent teacher and we were glad to have him come. Many of the churches in the greater Lörrach area were represented. There is so much more that could be done in this area. Pray that the Lord will raise up a local CEF worker for the Lörrach / Freiburg area.

Short trip to N. Ireland

On the summit of Slieve Donard

Just before Easter I was back in N. Ireland and this time I was accompanied by Erich from our church in Germany. He has a growing interest in the work of CEF and he was also glad for the opportunity to see some of our stunning scenery. Where better to bring him than Slieve Donard - the highest point in Northern Ireland.

As well as dropping in on family, the main reason for my visit was to attend the annual meetings of the CEF Specialized Book Ministry. The ministry was set up in 1995 by Sam Doherty who had then just 'retired' as European Directory of CEF. He had a desire and a vision to write a number of books that would be helpful to people in Gospel ministry to children across the world. He believed that this could be done and that the books should be provided free of charge!

Erich on the Mourne Wall at Windy Gap

It was a privilege to talk again with Sam who is now 84 years old. The Lord has been gracious to allow him in these 17 years to write 39 titles for children's workers. These books (devotional books, training manuals and visualized doctrinal lessons) are now available in 67 languages. There are now over 2 million books in print (2,151,400 to be exact)!

Back in 2005 I was invited to become a trustee of ACEW (Assisting Children's Evangelists Worldwide). We meet regularly to hear reports, to make larger decisions and to give general direction to the ministry. This year is a very significant year as SBM will make a transition that will see the closure of the administrative and distribution centre in Lisburn, N. Ireland.

Sam Doherty

ACEW will continue as a trust; maintaining the printing rights for the books and administering donations to continue assisting children's evangelists worldwide. However the SBM ministry will cease to exist as it becomes an integral part of CEF International Literature ministry under the directorship of my good friend and colleague Bogdan Bassara.

I have been an advocate of full integration and I am thankful to all involved who have worked to establish the necessary conditions for this to happen. I see this as a very positive development for the following reasons:

• Writing: Sam has now completed writing. It's important that we move into a new phase of ensuring that this legacy is preserved for many years to come.
• Partnership: Revival Movement Association in N. Ireland prints Christian literature for free distribution worldwide. They are now printing huge amounts of literature for CEF including SBM titles.
• Leadership: We now have an international literature director and team. It's important that we submit to the existing structures and utilise the personnel already in place. Priorities can be set by those who have the overall picture. Needs are shared and assessed through the existing channels.
• Distribution: We can utilise the existing distribution programmes through international headquarters:
• Teacher Packs - A means of providing teachers in non-regular programmes with resources for training and teaching. These packs can reach areas where no CEF work exists and can often be the means of a new work starting. Selected items from SBM publications will be included in these packs. (SBM have been successfully sending out teacher packs for many years.)
• Boxes of Books (BoB) - provides teachers of CEF Good News Clubs in less developed countries with a 5-year cycle of teaching materials. Included in the box are some items from SBM.
• Technology: Recent months have seen an explosion in the digital book world. Most SBM titles are available as free PDF downloads. To build on this trend a new international website offering free resources is to be launched later this year.

In a recent article to CEF workers worldwide, Bogdan Bassara wrote: "...I would like to express deep gratitude to Sam Doherty for being an example and great teacher to us. I would also like to thank Terry and Wilma Flannigan for their commitment to travel and promote the ministry. These people and all the team involved in Specialized Book Ministry in Ireland are leaving a lasting fruit of the ministry that will continue to be a blessing."

Request titles or download now by clicking here

Freiburg Half-Marathon

I set a new personal best at the Freiburg Half-Marathon of 01:55:02. Video

Leadership Matters Course (LMC)

 

During March I attended the 12 day Leadership Matters Course held in Willingen, Germany. This time (for a change) I was a student along with 27 others and 9 trainers.
I think I will look back at this course as a turning point in my life and ministry. I know that’s a big claim but the skills gained there and the time given for personal reflection and evaluation of our own lives and ministry was something very profitable.
It was also a great blessing to enjoy the fellowship with other leaders who are serving with 11 organisations.

The teaching is interactive and of a very high standard. Subjects include:

• Communication skills
• Management skills
• Relational skills
• Devotional skills
• Strategic planning for ministry and life
• Training skills
• Public relation skills
• Leadership skills

 

 

 You can find out here when the next course will be in your area and register your interest.

JYC training course in Lithuania

From the 2-5 March I was in Vilnius, Lithuania teaching 20 students at a JYC seminar held in the building of the Baptist Church. The course is being taught over 3 weekends and I gave all of the teaching for the second weekend (thanks to Sandra and Rita for interpreting). The students listened very well and were keen to learn all they could. In the main photo above you can see a practical taking place. Three students pretend to teach a JYC while the others pretend to be teenagers. This is always an encouragement for us as instructors to see each student putting into practice what they have learned.

I was reminded of the importance of this work during one of the coffee-breaks in conversation with a student. He told me that he started smoking when he was 7 years old, drinking when he was 12 and taking drugs when he was 22. He stole from more than 500 vehicles and served two prison sentences. He came to Christ through the work of a Christian rehab centre were he now works with teens in similar situations. He told me that he learned so much in this course that will help him to better share the Gospel with these teens. His desire is that they will trust the Lord and be freed from the life of drugs, drink and crime that he once led.
We are planning to have a CMLC in Lithuania this summer. The photograph on the top left is of an informal meeting we had for those who wanted to find out more about the course. I also had an opportunity to testify and to share about the CMLC in the Sunday morning service.

Teaching in a TCE course in Southern Germany

Normally I am training the instructors to teach courses but last Saturday I helped one of local workers to teach a Teaching Children Effectively (TCE) Level 1 course with 15 participants. They were a gracious group – willing to learn and very appreciative of our teaching. They had classes from late Friday afternoon, evening and from 9am-5pm on Sunday. The course will be taught over 3 weekends and the participants have homework to do in between. It was especially encouraging to see so many men along - normally the women outnumber the men by far.

mission-net congress

[Extract from official press release]
2,650 young Europeans from 40 nations gathered for the 2ndMission-Net Congress in Erfurt, Germany from 28 December to 2 January 2012. Commissioned by the European Evangelical Alliance and European Evangelical Missions Association, Mission-Net exists to encourage and promote new Mission-Net movements across Europe, as well as bring 16 – 30 year old Christian Europeans together for mutual encouragement, teaching, training and mobilisation. “As Mission-Net is not just a bi-annual congress, but a movement,” said Evi Rodemann, Director of Mission-Net, “we are dependant on National Motivators in each country to promote Mission-Net at a national and regional level. The congress itself was only made possible through the help of many volunteers. Without their help, Mission-Net would not have been possible!”

Amongst guest speakers from Portugal, Bulgaria and Germany were George Verwer, founder of OM International, and Ramez and Rebecca Atallah, Director of the Bible Society of Egypt. They spoke about what it means to live a missional lifestyle at home and abroad, and challenged participants to transform their world through sharing God’s love with others. “I see a new generation in an old Europe,” said Niek Tramper, Secretary General of the European Evangelical Alliance during the opening ceremony of the congress. Making reference to the reformer who studied in Erfurt, Martin Luther, added Tramper, “Even if you are not Luther, you can change history and the world.”

CDU Member of Parliament Frank Heinrich from Germany encouraged participants to pray that politicians would have a “strong head and strong backbone, so that their hearts may remain soft.” George Verwer emphasised the meaning of prayer and added, “Christians are needed in all spheres of society. But especially missionaries.”

The “World News Band” from the Netherlands led inter-cultural worship during the week, while well-known bands from Croatia and Northern Ireland performed after the evening sessions. Through mime and the arts, participants were encouraged to seek new ways of expression in worship and 13 different missional tracks were on offer each afternoon. 400 young people put into practice what they had learnt during two outreaches in Erfurt on Friday afternoon. 1500 participants filled in a personality profile and 500 participants did a gifting exercise at the Mission Advice Centre adjacent to the “Global Market” where over 100 Christian organisations, mission agencies (including CEF), Bible schools and theological seminaries were exhibited.
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Our CEF stand was in an excellent location ensuring a steady flow of visitors. They came mostly from Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy as well as Finland, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania and many more places. We distributed armbands with 4 rings on them in the colours of the wordless book and the 5th ring was the armband itself which glows green in the dark. These were produced specially by CEF in London for use at the Olympic game celebrations this summer. They were certainly a real hit with the young people at mission-net. By the end of the conference, the vast majority of the participants were wearing one.

Many longer conversations were held at our stand with people interested in the CMLCs in Kilchzimmer in German, English and Italian. Many took time to look through the literature samples and took a catalogue to order later in their language. Also several were interested in working with CEF both short-term and long-term.

Behind the scenes at mission-net

On New Years eve I was delighted to get an invitation from Phil Burt at OmiVision to get a look back stage. Going behind the large black curtain it took a while for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Then I could see the 12 translator cubicles and the large lorry that is used for the video editing.

After a few minutes of explanation, he asked, "Are you ready to go inside?" Such was my excitement, I felt like an astronaut about to enter the space shuttle. Inside Ian Curry was sitting at the flight controls and editing a live feed coming from six cameras (4 stationary, 1 handheld on the stage and a boom) which went out unto the large screens above the stage. The atmosphere in the air conditioned lorry was one of concentration and discipline but also extremely relaxed. It was clear they were all enjoying themselves – using their God given gifts in this unique ministry. I was impressed with the way Ian communicated by headset with his camera men. Telling them in advance that their camera was going live any second and what angle he wanted. "here we go guys... now feel the music", "6 - get me some drums", "2 – go wide, then push unto lead singers face.. push, push, push", "it's too dark.. tell the guys we need some light - I can't get any shots of the crowd". He was always one or two steps ahead and even would drop in the occasional piece of English humour. Behind Ian were two women who were ensuring that the right song lyrics and graphics were coming onto the screen at the right time. In the next room, two technicians adjusted the picture quality.  
This OM team does an excellent and very professional job and they are evidence once again that you don't need to be a preacher to use your gifts for God. (Incidentally Phil provided the technical services for the interpreters at our last CEF European Conference and we hope to have him again at our next event in 2013.)
Here is an example of their work on another evening when the "World News Band" were leading a time of worship: