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CHILD EVANGELISM FELLOWSHIP OF THE EMPIRE STATE INC
NORTH CHILI, NY · EIN 381850703 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE O55Z · Youth Development · Small ($100K-$1M) · cefempirestate.org
revenue
$420K
expenses
$397K
net assets
$449K
employees
16
volunteers
250
program ratio
49%
mission · from form 990

EVANGELIZE CHILDREN WITH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, DISCIPLE THEM IN THE BIBLE, AND ESTABLISH THEM IN THE CHURCH OF CHRISTIAN LIVING.

profile · synthesized from sources

Child Evangelism Fellowship of the Empire State is a Christian nonprofit focused on evangelizing children and discipling them in biblical teachings. It operates through after-school Good News Clubs, summer 5-Day Clubs, and training programs for youth and adult volunteers. The organization serves children across New York, primarily through local chapters and partnerships with churches.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $12K
    TRAINING MINISTRIES - TEACHER TRAINING: THESE PROGRAMS CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND ARE DESIGNED TO STRENTHEN AND ENHANCE THE VOLUNTEER RELIGIOUS TRAINING OF CHRISTIANS AND BIBLE-BASED CHURCHES. THE TRAINING IS OFFERED TO PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, WHETHER THEY SERVE AS VOLUNTEERS IN CEF OR NOT. SUMMER TRAINING SCHOOL (CYIA) FOR TEENS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS: A ONE WEEK CONCENTRATED TRAINING COURSE TO PREPARE STUDENTS AGED 14-22 FOR SUMMER MINISTRY FOR CHILDREN IN PARKS, BACK YARDS, AND HOMES. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE SEVERAL DAYS OF OPEN-AIR MINISTRY AND ASSISTED LOCAL CHURCHES, A WEEK AS WITH THEIR OWN VBS, CHILDREN BETWEEN 4-12 ARE REACHED WITH THE GOSPEL AND TEACHER TRAINING.
named programs · 8 · from sources

What they call their work

5-Day Club
Five-day summer program for children aged 5-12 featuring Bible lessons, missionary stories, songs, and Scripture memorization, held in parks, backyards, and community centers
Camp Good News
Summer day camp in Afton, NY offering outdoor activities and Bible teaching for children, led by CYIA-trained teens
Christian Youth In Action (CYIA)
Training program for youth aged 12+ to become summer missionaries, equipping them to teach Bible lessons and share the Gospel with children
Christmas Across America
National outreach program providing evangelistic events for children centered on the birth of Jesus
Good News Club
Weekly after-school Bible club for children, taught by trained volunteers in homes, schools, or community centers
JYC (Jesus You Connection) Clubs
After-school clubs adapted for middle schoolers (ages 11-14) to reach unchurched youth with biblical teaching
Party Clubs
One-time, themed evangelistic events for children held in schools, churches, or community centers
Teacher Training
Programs including Super Seminars and TCE-1 courses to train volunteers, Sunday school teachers, and church workers in child evangelism and discipleship
activities · 3 groups

What they do

  • Youth and Young Adult Spiritual Engagement 6 activities
    • Conduct fair, festival, and public outreach ministry
      Engages children in gospel outreach at public fairs and festivals through booths offering free activities such as face painting, games, bracelet making, puppet shows, and other interactive events designed to share the Gospel message.
    • Operate Camp Good News
      Runs Camp Good News®, a 15-acre summer day camp in Afton, NY, offering outdoor activities such as fishing, swimming, kayaking, archery, and crafts integrated with Bible teaching and spiritual challenges, staffed by trained CYIA teens.
    • Operate Good News Clubs and JYC Clubs
      Conducts weekly after-school and in-school religious programs for children, including Good News Clubs and JYC™ (Jesus You Connection™) clubs for middle schoolers, featuring Bible lessons, songs, Scripture memory, missions stories, and review games in schools, homes, and community centers across New York State.
    • Operate Summer Training School (CYIA) for youth ministry preparation
      Runs a one-week Summer Training School (CYIA) for students aged 14–22 to prepare them for summer ministry outreach, including training in open-air ministry, Gospel sharing, and support for local churches’ Vacation Bible Schools, offered in-person and virtually via Zoom during the pandemic.
    • Run 5-Day Clubs and seasonal evangelistic outreach events
      Operates summer and seasonal programs such as 5-Day Clubs, Christmas Party Clubs, and holiday-themed Party Clubs to share the Gospel with children through Bible lessons, songs, missionary stories, Scripture memorization, and celebratory events in community locations, parks, and homes.
    • Support local churches and chapters with ministry resources and coordination
      Operates a network of local chapters across New York State with oversight and leadership from the State Office to deliver children’s ministry programs, including partnerships with churches to deliver Vacation Bible Schools using 5-Day Club curriculum.
  • Religious Media Production and Distribution 1 activity
    • Deliver digital and media-based children's ministry content
      Produces and distributes animated Bible-based videos, music videos, audio episodes (e.g., Good News Heroes, Good News Devos), age-appropriate devotionals, and homeschool Bible lessons through U-Nite TV and email, including free online access to “The Story of Jesus for Children” film and “Stuck at Home Devotionals” for children of various age groups.
  • Christian Leadership & Discipleship Training 1 activity
    • Train youth and adults in children's evangelism
      Provides year-round teacher training programs and certifications for Christian workers, volunteers, and individuals of all ages, including online training through the Children’s Ministry Institute, free demonstrations, and curriculum-based instruction to equip participants to evangelize and disciple children.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$420K
Contributions & grants$393K93%
Program service revenue$10K2%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$18K
expenses
Total expenses$397K
Program expenses49%
Admin / overhead44%
Fundraising7%
Salaries & benefits$197K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$462K
Cash$194K
Investments$0
Liabilities$12K
Net assets$449K
Liquid reserves5.8 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +26.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 5
  • CRAIG DURHAM — BOARD MEMBER
  • DAVID TERP — BOARD MEMBER
  • ED NANO — CHAIRMAN
  • MICHAEL GRABOWSKI — VICE CHAIRMAN
  • NANCY DUDLEY — SECRETARY
relationships · 16

Who they work with

  • CEF Network — Local chapters operate as part of the national Child Evangelism Fellowship network, using its curriculum and training.
  • CEF Press Partner — Uses curriculum and materials from CEF Press for Bible lessons and activities in Good News Clubs.
  • CEF® Network — Member of Child Evangelism Fellowship's national network.
  • CEF® Network — Member of the national Child Evangelism Fellowship network, using the CEF® Chapter Finder to connect with other chapters.
  • Child Evangelism Fellowship Network — CEF Empire State is a chapter of the national Child Evangelism Fellowship organization.
  • Child Evangelism Fellowship Network — CEF Empire State is a state chapter of the national Child Evangelism Fellowship organization.
  • Child Evangelism Fellowship Network — Child Evangelism Fellowship of the Empire State is part of the global Child Evangelism Fellowship network.
  • Child Evangelism Fellowship Network — Member of the national Child Evangelism Fellowship network, operating as its New York state affiliate.
  • Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) Network — Member of the national Child Evangelism Fellowship network, implementing shared programs such as Good News Club and 5-Day Club.
  • Children’s Ministry Institute Network — Provides credentialing for TCE-1 instructors and offers online training resources in partnership with CEF of the Empire State.
  • Children’s Ministry Institute Partner — Partner organization through which individuals must create an account to access the Wordless Book training.
  • Christmas Across America Partner — Participates in the national Christmas Across America℠ outreach initiative to provide evangelistic events for children.
  • Local Churches Partner — Collaborates with local churches by providing teacher training and supporting their vacation Bible schools through shared ministry outreach.
  • Local Churches Partner — Partners with local churches to extend evangelical outreach to children through Good News Club and 5-Day Club programs.
  • U.S. Supreme Court Government — Relies on the 2001 Supreme Court ruling in Good News Clubs v. Milford Central School to access public school facilities for after-school religious programming.
  • local churches Partner — Co-sponsors 5-Day Clubs and partners with CEF chapters to host Vacation Bible School programs.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Child-Focused Evangelism Through Peer-Led Outreach
    methodology: peer_led_youth_ministry
    By engaging Christian youth and volunteers as peer leaders in evangelistic clubs and community events, we increase access to and engagement with unchurched children, because relational proximity and age-similar mentors lower barriers to spiritual receptivity.
  • Church Integration for Sustained Spiritual Development
    methodology: church_planting_and_establishment
    By connecting children to local churches following evangelistic outreach, we ensure ongoing discipleship, because integration into a faith community provides relational continuity, pastoral support, and long-term spiritual formation.
  • Contextualized Faith-Based Education in Accessible Settings
    methodology: legal_access_evangelism
    By delivering Bible-centered programming in familiar, non-church environments such as public schools and community centers, we increase spiritual engagement among unchurched children, because legal access and contextual relevance reduce resistance and foster trust through parental consent and institutional legitimacy.
  • Decentralized, Volunteer-Based Ministry Model
    methodology: decentralized_local_chapter_model
    By training and deploying screened volunteers through a decentralized network of local chapters, we scale faith-based outreach across diverse communities, because localized leadership and grassroots volunteerism increase cultural relevance, accessibility, and sustainability of children's evangelism.
  • Discipleship Through Structured, Age-Adapted Teaching
    methodology: discipleship_through_structured_teaching
    By using intentional, age-appropriate curricula and child-centered methods, we foster spiritual growth in children, because structured teaching with engaging media and adapted formats increases comprehension, retention, and personal application of biblical truths.