Pictured are children who attended the spring 2012 semester of Good News Club and earned a gift certificate for an ice cream cone, courtesy of Cecil Ragsdale of Bo-Macs. The children are wearing Good News Club T-shirts purchased with funds from Shoals United Methodist Church. Children earned their gift certificates by accumulating points for attendance, Bible memorization, wearing Club shirts and exhibiting good behavior each session. It took 5000 points to earn an ice cream cone! A donut from Sugar Shack was earned with 3000 points, the second certificate the children are holding.

Good News Club is part of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), a 75 year-old international organization. Good News Clubs are held as an after-hours club at elementary schools for children ages 5 to 12. Volunteers from local churches set out snacks, give Bible lessons, teach Bible memory verses, lead children in songs and games and provide a nurturing friendship. Each volunteer is screened through CEF to ensure safety of children who attend. Good News Clubs are provided at no cost to attending children or their parents.

Local churches and businesses provide funds that purchase snacks, prizes and club T-shirts. Cecil Ragsdale of Bo-Macs provided ice cream cones for each child who earned enough points during last spring session. Points are earned for attendance, Bible memorization, wearing club T-shirts and exhibiting good behavior for each session. The children pictured earned over 5000 points to earn their ice cream cone. United Methodist Church provided funds to buy club T-shirts.

Jones Oil and Faytastic Pizza have also donated funds or gift certificates. Sponsoring churches are Weisbach Community Church, Hillside Mennonite Church, Shoals Nazarene, Shoals United Methodist Church, The Church at Powell Valley. In addition to teen volunteers from Weisbach Community Church, three teen volunteers have driven over weekly from Pleasantview Mennonite School to serve as friends and mentors to the children.

Wednesday, September 19, was the first club for this fall semester at Shoals Elementary School. This session is the twelfth semester that Good News Club has been held at Shoals. Currently there are seven Clubs in Lawrence County, two in Monroe County, and one each in Brown and Jennings County.

Jada Royer is the Ministry Coordinator for Child Evangelism/Good News Club of South Central Indiana. Jada taught as special education teacher for Englewood School, Bedford, for five years before resigning that paid position to serve for CEF. She, her husband and sons attend Fayetteville Baptist Church where Jada leads Awana, a children’s ministry program.