Child Evangelism Fellowship® (CEF) was founded by Jesse Irvin Overholtzer in 1937. He did not come to know Christ as his Savior until college, having been told as a child that he was too young to truly understand the Gospel. As a adult, Overholtzer read one of Charles Spurgeon's sermons where he stated, "A child of five, if properly instructed can as truly believe and be regenerated as an adult."
God used this statement to lead Overholtzer to begin the ministry of CEF when he was 60 years old. The ministry has grown to be the largest evangelistic outreach to children in the world. Currently, CEF reaches children in 195 countries with 3,000 full time missionaries and thousands of volunteers who help spread the Gospel to children around the globe each year.
At Child Evangelism of Rhode Island (CEF-RI) we continue the CEF outreach mission by bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the children of Rhode Island, discipling them in God’s Word, and establishing them in local churches. We are developing partnerships with local churches to conduct Good News Clubs and J-You Connection Clubs in area schools. We are training their youth to lead 5-Day Clubs in neighborhood communities. We are reaching out to the lost at local county fairs. If you would like to partner with us in this good work, please contact us.