Good News Clubs help resiliency, spiritual strength of military families

by Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett
673d Air Base Wing Public Affairs

4/8/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska  -- Georgene Bandara has always had a passion for God, country and caring for children. She is the coordinator for Good News Clubs at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, an after-school program taking place at some of the elementary schools on base.

The clubs include a Bible lesson, songs, Scripture memorization, overseas mission updates and review games or other activities related to the lesson's theme, Bandara said. The GNCs are designed for children to learn Biblical principles and moral values, and for building character. The program welcomes volunteers and normally includes an administrative coordinator, a Bible teacher and two assistant teachers per team.

The clubs meet on Tuesdays at both Mt. Spurr Elementary and Orion Elementary schools in the multi-purpose room, and at Ursa Minor Elementary School in the cafeteria. There are also meetings after on Thursdays at Ursa Major Elementary School in room 220 and Aurora Elementary School in the multi-purpose room. Parent permissions slips can be found in the school's main office.

Across the five schools, there are an average of 98 children in attendance weekly, according to the JBER Religious Operations Center.

The GNC program is a ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship, a worldwide organization in which trained teachers meet with groups of children in schools, homes, community centers, churches, apartment complexes or other locations the children can easily and safely meet with their parent's permission.

Bandara did not grow up in a military family, but said she felt the urge to serve children for God and country.

"I know there are a lot of people like me who love God and love our country, but don't know what to do," she said. "I was frustrated."

She began asking questions to find out what could be done where.

"I just kept asking, 'what is going on with our children?'" she said. "What are we doing? I know what happens to children when you're leaving and moving to another base and daddy's going to be deployed. How do kids wrap their minds around that? That's really a passion of mine."

Her inquiries spread and, in 2006, a call came from Fort Hood, Texas, inviting her to the base.

"As a civilian, this is a whole new thing for me," she said. "I was working in Jackson County, Ore., when in August of 2006 a colonel at Fort Hood who was familiar with the after-school Good News Clubs program invited me to bring the club to the base schools there. That's the first time in my entire life I ever talked to anybody in the military. He said he needed our program there and wanted us by December first."

Bandara didn't know how she was going to make that happen, she said, but it happened anyway.

"That's when God began working," she said. "I resigned from my position and arrived at Fort Hood December first. [The colonel] said that the chaplains would want this program. Well, here I am now; this is my fourth military base. I've been doing this program since I was 23, but my involvement on military bases didn't start until 2006. I've been involved in working with children for almost 50 years."

Today, the Good News Club program is a chapel-sponsored program.

"I was so excited about it, I convinced my wife to lead club for our kids' elementary school," Air Force Chaplain (Maj.) Steven Richardson, JBER senior protestant chaplain and the sponsor for the program.

The purpose of the Protestant program is to provide information on the 'good news' within public schools on military installations to bring resiliency, continuity and spiritual strength to military families, she said.

CEF currently sponsors clubs in more than 2,700 public schools in the U.S. with more than 130,000 children in attendance on a weekly basis, according to their website.

People across the country are partnering with Child Evangelism Fellowship to take advantage of this opportunity to impact the next generation, said Moises Esteves, acting vice president for CEF ministries in the U.S.

There are currently 23 installations active in the ministry.

"It's a non-denominational program; we keep the gospel very simple," she said. "Children need to see what the word of God says for themselves."

Chaplains rely on Bandara and other volunteers to recruit teachers, she said.

"It's taken a while, I have to recruit people," the GNC coordinator said. "A chaplain can't go to a local church and begin to recruit children's workers their programs. That's what I do.

"There are three things that I look for in volunteers," she said. "I look for someone who has roots in the community. They have to be outside the gate, living here. They have to understand and know this ministry because we train our volunteers. They have to have a passion for children and the Gospel. Those three qualities are not always easy to find."

Bandara's work isn't finished; she hopes to spread further in the military community.

"I'm working on getting a ministry with military wives because I understand what it's like to be alone and raise children," she said. "My last of seven were only six and nine when my husband passed away. I get it. I might one day get involved in ministry with the chaplains; they are the same ages as my sons. People my age have already retired. I'm a missionary; I looked up retirement in the Bible and it's not there."

JBER chaplains also want the program to grow.

"[I recommend we] establish 'Good News Clubs' in every military public education school to meet the commander's intent in addressing the spiritual/religious needs of military families," said Army Chaplain (Maj.) Dwight Croy, officer in charge of Soldiers' Chapel.

"It's been the passion of my life and I love it," Bandera said. "Who would have thought that at 65 I could run away from home and join the military? This is great; I'm honored to be here."

For more information, contact Georgene Bandara at cefjacksonconco@ccountry.com or the JBER Religious Operations Center at 552-4422.