echoN e w s f r o m t h e E u r o p e a n H e a d q u a r t e r s o f C h i l d E v a n g e l i s m Fe l l o w s h i p ® S u m m e r 2 0 1 1

Kilchzimmer

Probably every Christian agrees: the children of Europe need the Gospel!

In the last year, Child Evangelism Fellowship® was able to personally tell approximately 820,000 children the good news of Jesus Christ our Saviour. This number may sound high, but it is only about 0.5 percent of the 157 million children who live in the large area of CEF Europe. Despite the efforts of the churches and other organisations, probably 90 percent of children have not yet heard the Gospel. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could reach more children in the coming years?

Romans 10:15 hints at a brilliant solution: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace….” We need more feet, especially in CEF. Feet that can bring the greatest message of all time to the most open mission field of all the age groups, which is the children!

Perhaps the feet are already there. Every year CEF in Europe trains around 28,000 people. Or should we call that “56,000 lovely feet”? Most of them do a great work in their own churches and look after a children’s group there—and we are very pleased about this! Let’s just imagine though, if one percent of those trained each year came into full time work, trained and involved others and systematically reached children with CEF. We could soon win millions of additional unreached children for Christ, year after year!

Quick counting shows the root of the issue—additional workers cost additional money! While this may be true, fewer workers cost children! To this end, we are pleased to

announce a new programme: SPan™. Sponsor a national!

The gifts, which come in at the present time for the SPan programme, ❭❭

CEF Centre, Kilchzimmer • 4438 Langenbruck, Switzerland • Tel: +41 62 387 30 10 • www.kilchzimmer.com

Dear Friends:With the verse from Eph-

esians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”, I look back with thanksgiving over the first half of this year.

First, I want to thank our gra-cious God who has bestowed rich gifts on us and who has provided everything we needed and even more. Our faithful Lord cares for us!

Second, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you who both pray and give so that, through the ministry of Kilchzim-mer, many can be equipped to reach boys and girls throughout Europe with the Gospel, winning them over to Christ.

Thirdly, I am thankful to God, who has kept us safe so far and given us the protection we need each day. We cannot take this for granted with so many people visit-ing this place every day.

Are we always aware of this need to be thankful, even when things are running smoothly? Or do we only call on our Heavenly Father in times of trouble? May this verse speak to us afresh, reminding us above all to be thankful “always for all things”, in good times as well as in bad, for the small as well as the big things.

May the Lord bless you as you continually thank Him!

sPAN brings ‘lovely feet’ to CeF A word fromFelix DürrenbergerKilchzimmer House leader

“SPan means more workers and more workers means more children are reached with the Gospel in romania!”

Claire Bain, Romania

make it possible to support around 130 CEF workers in Europe already. We first started assisting existing workers who did not have sufficient support. Now new workers are also financed by SPan. Further fully trained children’s missionaries will be able to go into full time ministry this year, if additional help is made available from SPan.

Therefore this programme should now definitely be widened and made known in many countries in Europe.

Continued ❭❭

SPan means ■ Sponsor A National.

The main aim of SPan is that more children in the area of ■ CEF europe hear the gospel of Jesus christ!

There are at present around 140 ■ CEF workers in europe without sufficient support. SPan helps them to keep doing their ministry among the children.

SPan will help to support new workers, whose circle of supporters is still ■too small.

For workers in countries with few churches or christians or in countries ■where the Gospel is suppressed, SPan is often the only source of finance.

SPAN

how you can support SPan:everything begins with prayer! Please pray God calls more workers who can reach the children. ■“Therefore pray the lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” (mt 9:38).

help us to make SPan better known! This article can be requested from us for free in any quantity ■as a special print. or you can order it as a PDF and print it out as necessary or show it on your computer.

Decide in prayer, whether you yourself, your home group or your church would like to partly or ■completely finance a new children’s missionary. in some countries, just 500 euro per month can keep a worker full time in the ministry, covering all expenses needed to focus on the work of evangelism. “how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace!” (rom 10:15).

All funds which come in for SPAN until December 31, 2011 will be matched by a donor! ■

help SPan bring feet to the children!

Children’s Ministry Leadership Courses are not simply about imparting knowledge (head to head) but about investing in lives (head to head, head to heart and heart to heart). Each teacher seeks not only to teach but to share from his life and experience so that students are not only informed but also motivated and inspired. Lenka, a student from Slovakia, said “What I enjoyed the most about the CMLC was listening to the testimonies of the teachers and having the opportunity to see how they live.” Isn’t it interesting how our lives speak much more than our words?

This summer the second half of the Balkan and Czech/Slovak CMLCs took place. A total of thirty students completed these two courses. Nine of

the students are already working in CEF and have started their practical training time and a number of others are in the “pipeline”. Thank you for your prayers!

Other CMLCs have been taking place this summer at Kilchzimmer and for the first time in Batumi, Georgia. A Russian CMLC is planned to start in the late summer and again the German/English speaking CMLCs at Kilchzimmer in the autumn. Our desire is that in all these courses we will not simply impart knowledge but rather invest in lives and as a result a new generation of co workers with a passion to reach Europe’s children with the Gospel will be raised up!

Linda Corry

CMlCs – more than head to head

“many workers who have been discouraged before can focus on reaching children now. Praise the lord for his special provision!”

Sebastian Edelmann Area Director, Central Europe

macedoniaOur children’s camp this year was

one of the largest ever – 74 children, plus counsellors. In my group there was a girl named Jana (12). She came from a non-believing family and was invited to camp by a believing relative. During our quiet time one day, I was talking about the eternal life with God, that we could

have in Jesus. Jana asked me: “How is it possible for a life never to end?” I explained that it is a gift from God that can be received even at this moment. At the last day of camp, during our quiet time, Jana spoke before the whole group and confessed that she had heard about God many times before, but during camp everything made sense and she understood the message of salvation. She also said that she received the Lord Jesus as Saviour on the second day of camp, after praying. Her face was tell-ing the joy she had inside. I gave her a New Testament as a gift. She was one of at least 12 children who came to know the Lord during this camp after being counselled by our helpers / counsellors. The joy was great in heaven and in our camp!

Susana Kostadinova

PortugalThis special camp at Vendas Novas

was a new venture for Teo and Madalena Cavaco, the National Directors of Portu-gal. It can be best described as…

EnjoyableThe camp staff were totally dedicated •and helpful.

The facilities were excellent and •wonderful.The weather was absolutely perfect.•The programme was varied, interesting •and challenging.

ExcitingChristians from Portugal, Brazil,

USA and Ireland were responsible for the Camp programme. Each day the

children learnt about the history, culture and sports as well as tasted and enjoyed the typical food from each country. The dining room was fully decorated with flags, photos and information.

The children showed attentive-ness during the Bible hour, mis-sionary meetings

and thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the devotional times, crafts, swimming, games and nighttime meetings.

EncouragingIt was encouraging to witness

the unity on the team, appreciation expressed by the parents and the desire of the Christian children to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

On the concluding night we had campfire and testimony meeting. What a blessing and delight that was to listen to the leaders and children share how God had worked in their lives.

One aptly described camp as “an unforgettable experience”.

We thank the Lord for His faithful-ness and goodness shown toward us throughout this special camp.

Henry Berry

kyrgyzstanIn 2010 I first came to Kyrgyzstan to

help with teaching at one of the camps. The Lord touched children’s hearts and they responded to His call. Many of them came to me for counselling. Among them was a boy, Timerlan, whom I remember particularly. Last year at camp, at Lake Issyk-Kul, Timerlan trusted the Lord. Back in the Ukraine I recollected faces of those dear kids and among them the sincere eyes of Timerlan and his question, “Is it true? Would my name be written in that huge Book of Life in Heaven?”

This summer the Lord gave me another meeting at Lake Issyk-Kul! Again noisy kids ran out of the bus, but this time many familiar faces were among them. I was standing and waiting while they would find their places and settle down to begin the lesson. All of a sudden I heard a quiet voice, “Aunt Valya, do you remember me?” It was Timerlan! After the lesson we were sitting a long while and recollecting the previous year. Tim is a Christian. His life has changed in spite of difficult trials and grief – the death of his mother. Now Tim knows that his name is in “that huge Book of Life in Heaven” forever.

Valentina Kolyada

e u r o N e w s

kyrgyzstan

Portugal

macedonia

We look back with thanks at the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the CEF centre at Kilchzimmer. Beforehand all our workers were busy, some working on promotional leaflets and a video, others decorating the house, baking cakes and preparing the buffet. How thankful we were on the

day that – after a very wet morning – it stopped raining shortly before the commencement. It was good both to renew old acquaintanceships and to make new contacts and everyone enjoyed the fine buffet and the barbequed sausages. Many followed the guided tour of the buildings, whilst the presentation by Gerd-Walter Buskies on the theme “CEF – What It Is and What It Does” was

also well attended. Our visitors also liked to have a look into one of our guest rooms or the bookshop. We really want to thank all our prayer partners and volunteers who helped to make this day special – so that God was glorified.

k i l c h z i m m e r N e w s

We would like to thank all our volunteers, who have been a great help to us and a real enhancement to our team. May God bless each one of them and guide them on their future journey.

Myriam Jaccaz (Housekeeping)Edina Reichert (Kitchen)Sandra Velásquez (Housekeeping)Nathalie Meynadier (Housekeeping)Maria Berg (Babysitter)Heidi Johannesen (Babysitter)Hanneke Tijhof (Babysitter)Mary Brown (Babysitter)Amy Garrett (Babysitter)Rachel Garrett (Babysitter)

Work-teamWe are very thankful for the men

from six European countries who were ready to give their time and use their gifts here at Kilchzimmer. They formed a wonderful team and in a very short time carried out some urgently needed renovations; making the roof of the old

part of the house watertight, giving the table tennis room a coat of fresh paint, installing new gutters and rebuilding the wall behind the library.

We want to express our special thanks to Simon Lindenfelser from Germany who chose to do community service abroad as an alternative to national service in German. During his 11 months at Kilchzimmer he performed many tasks in and around the house. Countless times he drove to the station to pick up teachers and guests. We really appreciated him.

T h a n k Y o u v o l u N t e e r s

LegaciesPlease consider CEF as you write your will and leave a lasting gift that will work on for eternity in the hearts of precious children who respond to God’s loving message.

The Kilchzimmer Echo is distributed three times a year free-of-charge by the European Headquarters of Child Evangelism Fellowship®.

Please designate your gifts “European Headquarters”, quoting any specific project for which you wish your gifts to be used. Your gifts may be sent to any of the addresses mentioned. Thank you!

Bank transfer information: UBS AG, 8098 Zurich, Switzerland Account: KEB ZentrumIBAN: CH97 0024 5245 9257 2141 CBIC Nr. UBSWCHZH80Aor Post Office Account: 46-4843-2

Our Address: CEF European Centre, Kilchzimmer, 4438 Langenbruck, Switzerland Tel.: + 41 62 387 30 10 Fax: + 41 62 387 30 40Email: kilchzimmer@cefeurope.orgWeb-site: www.cefeurope.com

USA: CEF, PO Box 348, Warrenton, Missouri 63383

Canada: CEF, PO Box 165, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 2G9

Ireland: CEF, 199 Templemore Avenue, Belfast BT5 4FR

Britain: CEF, 73 West Coats Road, Cambuslang, Glasgow G72 8AW

The Kilchzimmer Echo is available by e-mail as a PDF. To receive it electronically, send an e-mail to echo@cefeurope.org, along with your full name and address in the message text. Your information will remain confidential.

Editorial/layout: Gerd-Walter Buskies, Felix and Diane Dürrenberger, Brent Hautle