By Jennifer Graham
Caledonia Baptist Church
The Joy of The Lord is Your Strength. Nehemiah 8:10.
This is just one of the many memory verses being taught in approximately 70 of our Public Elementary Schools here in Southwestern Ontario. Praise God for what he is doing and the efforts of the Christian Service Centres of Canada based out of London, ON! Be amazed at what God can do!
Involved with three schools in Caledonia and preparing to enter and serve at these Key Bible Clubs for the ninth year in a row, I have never seen children so hungry for the truth about God. They want answers! What always touches my heart is how they grasp the goodness of God’s Word so quickly. Now, like never before, they need to know there is protection for them in knowing Jesus Christ as their Saviour—a safe place to turn from the world’s ideas and teachings they are bombarded with every day. Key Bible Clubs can and do provide them with this opportunity. These Clubs are standing in the gap. If children are not taught that knowing God’s Word will keep them from sin, then sin will keep them from knowing God’s Word. Statistics indicate that most coming to trust Jesus as their Saviour do so before the age of 15.
How many of us have personally been influenced by a child or beheld the effect a child had on someone else? I will never forget witnessing a young girl hearing for the first time what Jesus has done for her. I watched her actually grasp it and rejoice in her new found knowledge. I was humbled beyond words as her look of amazement slowly became that of absolute joy. She stood up and cried out with complete and utter conviction, “My brother must hear this. I’ll bring him next week!” True to her word, the following week she introduced us to her twin brother. Such is the unabashed love for Jesus in children when the opportunity exists for them to learn about him. Through Key Bible Clubs we have that opportunity, to save entire families and entire communities starting with the children. I encourage anyone reading this, sensing a call to get involved, to please follow that leading.
In His Joy
Jennifer Graham
Christian Service Centers of Canada has been teaching in the schools in Southern Ontario since 1950. They used to teach in the classrooms as well as holding Bible Clubs after school but in 1990 the Government of Ontario stopped all teaching of religion in the classroom so it was after that when the Key Bible Clubs began which are held at most schools after teaching hours. Some meet at lunch hour but they have to go to other locations for that. I have served as a Bible Club leader as well as an Assistant. After that in 1990 I became the office secretary, a position I held for 10 years so my husband, Jerry, and I were very much involved with this mission outreach at that time of change. We were members and Jerry was a member of the Board of Directors from 1974 to 2000. Since that time we have continued as donors but not involved in the actual work. We enjoyed our time with CSC and are thankful the Key Bible Clubs are continuing in many schools in the area.