Exhibiting at CPC 2011

In mid-March we traveled to the Children’s Pastor’s Conference (CPC) in San Diego to promote the work of CEAI and Released Time to the 2,000+ childrens’ workers who attended. Forrest presented a workshop called “Growing Your Children’s Ministry through Serving the Public Schools.” Childrens’ pastors, Christian parents and Christian public school teachers can team up to show Christ’s love to the school. This starts with praying for and serving the school staff. We shared how strategic it is to train children to share the gospel with their schoolmates, since children have the most freedom to share at school. We try to network the Christians so adult prayer groups and Christian kids clubs can be started. One of the clubs we encourage these networks to support is the After School Good News Clubs sponsored by Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF).

New Role; New Goals

I work with Forrest Turpen and his wife, Judy, in the California Regional Office in Anaheim. Forrest is the West Coast Regional Director for CEAI and President of the Board for Released Time Christian Education. Judy is contributing editor for the CEAI Magazine, Teachers of Vision.

My role at CEAI is to assist in promoting, supporting, and expanding the programs of Christian Educators and Released Time. We agreed that I would focus specifically on three goals this year.
The first is to expand our sphere of influence and memberships in CEAI through visiting Christian universities in southern California. We would like to make CEAI available as a resource to students getting ready to graduate in the field of education. It will be my job to update contacts, visit the school’s Education Department and promote the mission of CEAI. Secondly, I will exhibit at regional conferences and develop new training workshops. I will be able to promote both CEAI and Released Time Ministries at these conferences. Thirdly, I will stabilize Released Time Programs which are lacking leadership, curriculum, training, or volunteer staff. I will work with new school districts to re-start classes which have been discontinued or start classes in areas where they have never been before.

A New Opportunity!

You may already know about the changes in my ministry. I will be working with three organizations at the same time. I will be ministering with Christian Educators Association International (CEAI) and Californian Released Time Christian Education (Ca-RT), while still partnering with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF).

This came about because as a newly ordained minister, I needed to have the benefit of being self-employed in order to receive a housing allowance. CEF has a national policy which prohibits working for them under self-employed status, so I had to look for other options. I was seeking a way that I could continue to pursue my passion for evangelizing children and still take advantage of my new legal status with the IRS. The leadership of Christian Educators (CEAI) proposed I maintain my availability with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), but I would have to move my support-team base to CEAI to make it work.

Having worked at CEF for seven years, leaving brought very mixed emotions. I was so pleased to be able to still partner with CEF, while I broadened my focus to include a larger area of ministry. With CEAI, I will be able to encourage, equip and empower professional Christian educators in public schools. Working with Released Time will allow me to train volunteers to teach the Bible classes during the school day. My experience as a clown will also help launch a program to train others to share the gospel creatively. Each of these unique opportunities, fulfill my call to evangelize children, which is really exciting.

In order for my support account to work, all giving should now be directed to CEAI in Anaheim. Please let us know that you will continue to pray for us and give as you have in the past. Would you tell us of your continued support? Thank you.