Archives for March 2020

What’s Going On in the North Caribbean During COVID-19?

So many people are concerned about COVID-19 (aka the coronavirus), and so Mandi and I thought it would be good to update our missionary blog with what has been taking place in the area that we serve.

First and foremost as of the time of this blog post writing (March 26, 2020), our family is healthy and the many staff we serve across the North Caribbean & Bermuda are healthy. There are thankfully no known cases among the CEF staff in the North Caribbean & Bermuda area at this time.

In most all of the nations we serve, the staff are under lockdown alongside the rest of the population of each of the countries. Most all of the airline and ship borders are closed to the outside world. Due to many countries in the Caribbean being largely economically dependent on North American and European tourism, it is a very dangerous predicament for these relatively small nations to be in. Thankfully, peak season for Caribbean tourism is naturally largely in the wintertime, so this lockdown is coming at the end of the November-March tourism season. But I ask you to pray for God to sustain these nations through this.

The upcoming May international conference for CEF has been postponed to May 2021, and so therefore the April 2021 regional conference that Mandi and I were working behind the scenes on has been postponed until at least 2022.

All Good News Clubs have temporarily ceased as each of the school systems have temporarily ceased. However, some of the various nations are each utilizing technology in different ways (based on their technological ability and context) to engage with the children. They are helping the local church partners continue to reach out to the children they were ministering too.

Some are even using digital versions of Do You Wonder Why? booklet tool to help answer questions the children are asking. I would encourage you to check it out!

Additionally in ministry it is often easy for important but not urgent things to lapse. So I am encouraging each of the workers we serve in the North Caribbean to use this time (like I am!) to catch up on planning, emails, projects and behind the scenes tasks that are important to get done but due to not being urgent haven’t been done. Often in ministry where there are only one or two staff members in an area or even an entire nation the staff feel overwhelmed. This is a chance to breathe, get caught up, and create a new normal for when things open back up.

I also created a guide to working from home that was recently sent out region-wide, and as always I am working daily with each of the staff of the area through this.

This is a great opportunity for each of the nations we serve to relaunch through this afterward and use the time as a springboard for dynamic growth in ministry to children after all this is over! Pray with us as we help these national workers in each of the countries we serve. Pray for the health of the CEF family and pray for God to do mighty things through this!

“The LORD replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” -Habakkuk 1:5

And remember, CEF was ultimately started because our founder, Jesse Irvin Overholtzer, was in quarantine! God used the time at his house for “Mr. O” to discover grace and later read Charles Spurgeon. That was when he read the famous quote: “A child of five, if properly instructed, can, as truly believe, and be regenerated, as an adult.”

We are praying for you too! Thank you for ‘holding the rope’ and being on our team as missionaries with and alongside the North Caribbean & Bermuda area.

CEF Bahamas Regional Week in Review

Guest post again today by CEF Bahamas Ministry Coordinator Lisa Moss! The Bahamas is a nation that Mandi and I are deeply involved with as missionaries and thus every single person and event listed below is directly a part of what we do. Beltane is my new leader as Regional Director and each of the staff members, board members and volunteers are people we know, love and serve on a regular (if not daily) basis! Enjoy!
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Lisa Moss

Monday, March 9th Pastor Beltane Harrigan, Child Evangelism Fellowship Regional Director of North America and the Caribbean, made his first official visit to Nassau, Bahamas . He was officially appointed Regional Director in December 2019.

Beltane Harrigan

Pastor Harrigan’s visit was three-fold. He was invited to speak at the annual missions conference of Abundant Life Bible Church for two nights. An invitation was also extended to him to be the guest speaker for the missions conference at Victory Baptist Church. Last but not least, he was the special guest for CEF Bahamas’ Regional Week, climaxing with the Regional Day of Prayer on Friday, March,13th 2020.

Monday evening, Pastor Harrigan spoke at Abundant Life Bible Church’s Missions Conference. Their theme was “God’s Mission, Our Mission” which he used as the topic of his messages also.

Early Tuesday morning, Pastor Harrigan and the team visited the Good News Clubs at a local Primary school. There are two clubs in this school, one for Upper Primary and one for Lower Primary. We combined the club session for that morning. Club members listened intently and watched with anticipation as he dramatized the story of Zacchaeus. Pastor Harrigan ran up to the stage and jumped on a chair, depicting Zacchaeus running to climb a tree to see Jesus as he passed.

Through much prayer, the Lord opened the door for the president of the Bahamas Christian Counsel and his team to meet with CEF Bahamas and Pastor Harrigan. The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday morning, and we prepared breakfast for the attendees. The pastors represented a cross-section of various denominations.

We visited the Good News Club at another local Primary School. This was a new club recently started in the Lower Primary School during the lunch break. The story of Zacchaeus to this new group of students was dramatized with more intensity and animation, and the students watched in amazement. Without failing us, the chair and the counter-top became the famous sycamore tree that Zacchaeus climbed up to see Jesus.

Tuesday evening, Pastor Harrigan spoke at the Abundant Life Missions Conference again, the focus being CEF Bahamas. His topic was “An Urgent Call from God to You!” In great support, CEF Bahamas’ staff, volunteers, and national board members were represented.

Wednesday morning, we visited a small primary school tucked away in the back of a major shopping center in a local community. Pastor Harrigan again brought the lesson and captivated the children with the dramatization of Zacchaeus.

Immediately following club, a special Meet and Greet was hosted by the volunteers with Pastor Harrigan. We were also encouraged by Pastor Harrigan to work as a team. Even though there is a team captain, no one is more important than the other, for each person has a part to play. Working together as a team makes the dream work.

We were also scheduled to be at Government House to meet with the Queen’s representative, the Governor General of The Bahamas, Mr. Cornelius Smith. Pastor Harrigan was presented and introduced to the Governor General by Dr. Willamae Miller, CEF National Director Emeritus. Pastor Geoff Wood, Vice Chairman of the CEF National Board, Mrs. Terry Bain, and I introduced ourselves to the Governor General. The ministry of CEF international was shared, Pastor Harrigan gave a brief history as to how he became involved in CEF for this region, and he also highlighted CEF Bahamas and the difference we are making in the lives of children in The Bahamas.

Thursday we had been given an invitation to be guests on The Darold Miller Live Show, a radio talk show, and we wanted to be “making the most out of every opportunity.” (Ephesians 5:16). We took a short drive to The Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas and waited patiently to join the show that was in progress. During the one-hour radio presentation, we shared the vision of CEF and our purpose, Pastor Harrigan shared the work of CEF international and how this region is connected. We also advertised our special prayer service for Regional Day of Prayer, and encouraged persons across the Islands of The Bahamas, to pray for the children of The Bahamas.

During CEF Regional Week, Dr. Miller invited Pastor Harrigan, to also be a guest on the Children’s Hour radio program. This week’s recording was very different in that children normally host the program, but they were unable to do so. Poems, brain teasers, songs, and a Bible lesson with the gospel are normally shared in the usual line-up for the pre- recorded program. Dr. Miller hosted, two poems on prayer were read by Lisa Moss, and Pastor Harrigan gave the Bible lesson on prayer from the book of Daniel

Friday arrived! This was our Regional Day of Prayer, our grand finale! CEF Bahamas’ staff, volunteers, and invited guests gathered at Discovery Learning Development Center for our special prayer service. Students from the school prayed for the various requests made by the workers in and around the were lifted for The Bahamas, the Corona Virus, and children around the region. Songs were sung in response to the prayers lifted. The Scripture reading and prayer were done by our National Board Chairman, Mrs. Kimberley Minors. Superintendent Mr. Jerome Forbes from the Ministry of Education attended the service and brought greetings. He applauded the principal and the school for setting the example by not just teaching academics but also focusing on instilling Christian values. It was now time for the message, and Dr. Willamae Miller National Director Emeritus, introduced Pastor Harrigan. His topic was “The Importance of Prayer.” Referencing the book of Acts, he showed how vitally important prayer is no matter the situation. Beginning at chapter one, every chapter had a problem or a situation that could only be resolved by prayer. The message was clear, “Prayer to a Christian, is Like Oxygen to the Body.”

At noon we went to another primary school for club that is held during the lunch break. Pastor Harrigan again dramatized the story of Zacchaeus, and this time he spoke as Zacchaeus.

Then, my husband Cornell and I, along with my brother Keith treated Pastor Harrigan to a down home Bahamian meal at another popular Bahamian restaurant, Frankie Gone Bananas, on Arawak Cay. The food was delicious, there was lots of fun and the fellowship all made it a great way to end the day.

Our Regional Week was filled with opportunities to share the ministry of CEF Bahamas and the vision for the region. Our purpose remains the same, ‘To evangelize boys and girls with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to disciple/establish them in a Bible believing church.’ This is done through our primary ministry, the Good News Club. It is also our goal to bring awareness to un-churched children within our communities and to encourage churches to adopt Good News Clubs.

Please continue to pray for CEF® Bahamas and our region at large as we prayerfully trust the Lord to send more labors and continue to provide such opportunities to reach boys and girls with the gospel of Christ.