What do chili, children and church all have in common? For Kelvin Wallin, a Windermere Centralia Realtor, these three things are his passions in life. In fact, Kelvin has been a Washington Conference Pathfinder Bible Experience Coordinator for decades. Pathfinder clubs are similar to scouts, but they are organized through the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
The kids, ages 10 to 16, learn crafts, life skills, go camping and more. The kids on Pathfinder Bible Experience Teams, who are not all church members, are tested on their knowledge of the Bible, earn badges and the ability to move on to larger competitions. This year, four of his 34 teams qualified to attend the North American Division finals in Chicago, Illinois, on April 21-22. Already involved in church and children, it’s no wonder Kelvin was interested when he saw a flyer in 2016 about the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF).
“I saw a flyer at a local Starbucks for the CEF chili cook-off and I said ‘I can make chili,’” Kelvin says. “And it looked like a good event for a great cause. When I called to get more information, I found out my barista was helping organize the fundraiser.”
Kelvin’s “Sweet-fire” chili was already well known by his co-workers at Windermere Centralia from their own chili cook-offs. In 2014, the Lewis County Association of Realtors (LCAR) decided to hold a chili cook-off as a benefit fundraiser for their charitable events. Each Realtor office made their own chili and then their affiliates (lenders, title and escrow, etc.) were the judges. Kelvin won two years in a row. And while he ended up bringing home the second-place trophy for the CEF event, he feels the real winners are the children the fellowship helps.
The Child Evangelism Fellowship uses after-school programs to teach children about the gospel. “This is something I think is very important,” says Kelvin. “In today’s society, I think that if we actually gave kids some fundamentals, we wouldn’t have all the problems we are having. The Bible is a guidebook. It tells us how to treat each other. There are things we probably shouldn’t do to each other, and if you study it, you will figure that out.” He’s talking about things like not killing and stealing. “It’s a book about common sense,” he adds.
One of their programs, The Good News Club, is an after-school program for school-aged children. They have clubs across America with the goal of spreading the gospel. In Lewis County, they have 15 clubs that take place in elementary schools, churches, a shelter and even a couple homes. The clubs are led by specially trained teachers who give a weekly Bible lesson using CEF Press materials. “50 percent of the children who participate in The Good News Clubs across the United States are not members of a church body,” says Jeff Kiser, CEF Washington state/NW district director.
“Especially now with parents working, you don’t want to just leave your kids home alone,” Kelvin explains. “The CEF programs provide a safe place for children to be after school while their parents are still at work.”
For teenagers, the CEF has the Christian Youth in Action (CYIA) training program. This training program is nine days long and prepares teens to teach CEF’s 5-Day Club summer camp. During their training, they teach one day of a 5-Day Club and then they return to their own area and teach three more clubs. There is no cost to attend a 5-Day Club. The club’s mission is to teach biblical principles, moral values, character qualities and respect for authority. It’s similar to Vacation Bible School (VBS), with some differences.
“The main difference between the 5-Day Club and traditional VBS is that with the club, the gospel is clearly taught and the opportunity to receive Christ is given at each club,” Jeff explains. “The other difference is our young people are well trained and they can tell the lesson instead of just reading it to the kids.”
Jeff says they use teenagers to teach these clubs instead of adults because of the relationship between younger children and teens. “There is a unique bond that forms between teenagers and children,” he adds. “They really look up to the teenagers.”
The other benefit to the 5-Day Club is that it comes to the children – it’s held in locations they already are, instead of making the parents take their kids to another location. This makes it convenient for busy families.
Kelvin plans on getting more involved with CEF in the future, and of course, to keep making his chili. More information about Kelvin and his real estate business can be found at the Windermere Centralia’s website or by calling 360-736-3300.
For more information about Children Evangelism Fellowship, visit their website or call the Lewis County chapter at 360-736-8715.
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