GREENHORN VALLEY
Thursday, November 2, is the scheduled launch date of the Rye Elementary School Good News Club, according to Nathan Roskop, Rye Elementary School Good News Club Team Leader.
Good News Club is a free after school program held at the elementary school cafeteria but is not a sponsored activity of Rye Elementary School or District 70. The club is leasing the school facility for 16 weeks, every Thursday through Easter (end of March), excluding school closures. The club is free and open to grades K-5. Registration slips will be sent out at the end of October and need to be returned before participating.
Roskop is a third generation Colorado native who became involved with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) Good News Club as a result of his mother’s 25-year involvement with CEF. His mom got involved when a lady who had been teaching GNC for over 40 years (four decades) inspired her to help out after that lady got cancer and was not able to teach. Roskop is a trained volunteer with CEF Good News Club and has a Master’s in pastoral counseling from Liberty University.
Roskop has over 20+ years’ experience in education & technology, and is currently department chair of Cyber Security and Computer Networking Technology at Pikes Peak State College in Colorado Springs. He has worked in K-12 and Higher Ed Colorado education for almost two decades and has volunteered in the church nursery and family ministries for over three decades along with serving on leadership and finance committees for churches and non-profits.
Currently, CEF Rye Elementary Good News Club is partnering with Valley Community Church, United Methodist Church, Table Mountain Church and is always looking for more local community churches to get involved.
There is a make-up training for anyone in the community who is interested in volunteering.
That training is on Sunday, October 29, (at Table Mountain Church from 1-4:00 p.m.), or community members interested in volunteering can call with questions.
District 70 and the principal of Rye Elementary approved the lease request to use the school cafeteria Thursdays from approximately 3:05 p.m. – 4:35 p.m. so students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade who register before November 2nd can attend Good News Club every Thursday for 16 weeks.
The club is part of an outreach sponsored by Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), a Bible-centered, worldwide organization composed of born-again believers whose purpose is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to establish them in a local church for Christian living. CEF was founded by Jesse Irvin Overholtzer in 1937 and has 3,500 workers worldwide led by eight regional directors and 852 fulltime workers serve across the USA and Canada with the help of an estimated 40,000 volunteers.
The Good News Club teaches an exciting Bible lesson, and using colorful materials from CEF is presented to Kindergarten through Fifth Graders. This hour and a half of time also includes songs, Scripture memory, a mission’s story and review games or other activities focused on the lesson’s theme along with a snack. Each club meeting includes a clear presentation of the Gospel and an opportunity for children to trust the Lord Jesus as Savior.
Every club also includes basic discipleship training to build character and strengthen moral and spiritual growth. All children are also encouraged to attend a local church.
Roskop shared that Elementary School Children today face an increasingly dangerous and hopeless world. Unchurched families in every country have no legacy of faith to pass on to their children. They do not know the reason for our Christian hope. In schools (yes, schools!), community centers, churches, and neighborhood homes, teachers who are screened, trained, and equipped lead action-based Good News Clubs every week, delivering the timeless truths of the Bible in exciting, engaging ways. Children learn the Gospel, and many come to know Jesus as their Savior. There are 80,000 clubs worldwide reaching almost 4.5 million children through over 400,000 trained teachers who agree with CEF Statement of Faith.
If you or your church would like to get involved as snack providers, games and song coordinators, lead teachers or counselors call Nathan Roskop (719-284-5600).
“As with anything in life, prayer is so critical and we ask all Christians and churches in the area to be praying for Good News Club on Thursdays, for both the volunteers and children,” requested Roskop.
All volunteers have complete background checks through CEF Colorado and are trained. After successful completion of both, volunteers will receive an official ID badge recognizing them as a CEF Colorado South Chapter volunteer.
The statement of faith for CEF is available on their web site: Statement of Faith - Child Evangelism Fellowship (cefonline.com)