Liberty Bible Church Hosts CEF Spring Banquet – Ignite Our Vision

Liberty Bible Church in Chesterton partnered with Child Evangelism Fellowship in northwest Indiana to host their annual Spring banquet—Ignite Our Vision— on Thursday, March 19. Those who attended gathered, bowed their heads in prayer, and shared a beautiful evening of community outreach.

The opening prayer was led by CEF board member John Bennett, who grounded event-goers, blessed the food they were about to consume, and kicked off the evening’s festivities.

Iris Gustafson, the event chairman, thanked everyone for their dedication to the cause and for the community’s support by attending. Gustafson made formal introductions and explained the partnership’s mission and goals to attendees.

“The funds raised at our events help fund our ministry for the year,” said Gustafson. “ We could not continue to exist if it weren’t for our supporters. Our community is a huge part of the organization, both in prayer and financial support.”

Gustafson sought to inspire the 160 attendees to support CEF and the children who stand to gain from its fellowship’s opportunities. The funds raised at the night’s Ignite Our Vision event, along with proceeds from their Fall chili cook-off held in Crown Point, are crucial to sustaining the organization’s operations and advancing its mission.

CEF is a Bible-centered, interdenominational, worldwide organization whose purpose and mission is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, disciple them in the Word of God, and establish them in a Bible-believing church for Christian living.

Gustafson, who became the oldest summer missionary in Indiana at 70, aims to share that vision with the youth.

During our upcoming summer ministry of 5-Day Clubs, “hosts … invite their neighbor kids, and we come there and do a 90-minute club with games and snacks and a Bible story and a missionary story, and we run those [clubs] in the summer for five days,” said Gustafson.

Other programs offered by the organization are: Children Reaching Children, which provides ministry training for children ages 10-14 to learn to share the Gospel with peers and connect with Scripture on a deeper level.

Chris Corwin, CEF’s chapter director for Northwest Indiana, shed light on her roles with the organization and her hopes for the future.

“We work with a number of different churches and denominations, and whether they’re the volunteers who come from that church to work in our ministry, or whether it’s just the church supporting us financially or allowing us to use spaces in the building, each plays a crucial role in the success of the organization,” said Corwin.

“CEF has our own statement of faith, so while approaching a church, especially with the intention of partnership within our ministry, we ask that they review our statement of faith and be in agreement with it, so that we’re talking the same language, teaching the same doctrine,” said Corwin.  

Corwin has worked for CEF for 14 years and has served as director for the past decade, having personally witnessed the growth and the expressions of support over the years. Corwin enjoys putting faces and names to the supporters who attend events, stressing the importance of face-to-face community building.

“I see the mailing list every quarter when I send newsletters or emails, but I don’t really know their faces,” said Corwin. “Events like Ignite Our Vision let me connect with the community and update supporters on what the ministry is involved in, what we’re doing, and where we’re going.”

Corwin believes that children are our future, and that providing summer programs, fellowship, and mentoring opportunities will make their and the community’s futures even brighter.

For those interested in CEF or Liberty Bible Church programs, Karen Montuori, CEF’s co-chair, emphasizes the many opportunities for families.

“We have a great community and so much to do here—women’s and men’s Bible studies, dodgeball, video game night, and soccer for all the kids,” said Montuori. “It’s growing year after year.”

Montuori has been a lifelong member of the church and proudly carries out its mission in her adult life. Her familiarity with the organization’s work is personal.

“This event means a lot to us, because in order to reach the youth all over northwest Indiana, we have to get the word out about what we’re doing,” said Montuori. “We are here tonight to ask for that help and support from our community.  And I mean, my dad was involved in CEF while I was growing up, I went to Good News clubs when I was a little girl, down the street in my neighborhood, so working with the organization just felt like a natural progression.”

CEF as an international organization aims to train, equip, and support community members to reach children across the country and around the world. CEF reached more than 27 million children world-wide in 2024 and hopes to reach 100 million by 2032. The organization is confident not only in its strategy to enact change, but also in God, on whom it depends for support, and is willing to see the mission through to reach the next generation.

For more information about CEF and the numerous volunteer opportunities within the organization, check out their website: https://www.cefnwi.com or call the local chapter at (219)465-0201.