June 29, 2026
CEF® GUIDE Retreat equips Christians to discern God’s calling for service and future
As church engagement grows, the August 5–7 retreat encourages believers of all ages to prayerfully discern their next step toward service
ST. LOUIS — While younger adults are fueling renewed church engagement, volunteer participation remains comparatively low. A recent Lifeway Research study found that although many churchgoers say they want to serve, two-thirds had not volunteered with a church, ministry or charity during the previous year.
To help Christians discern God’s will and faithfully respond to His calling, Child Evangelism Fellowship® (CEF®) is hosting GUIDE Retreat, a three-day retreat built around five practical and biblical principles for following His leading:
- Gaining a Biblical Perspective
- Understanding God’s Will
- Investigating Opportunities
- Developing a Plan
- Enjoying the Journey
As the world’s largest ministry to children, CEF equips volunteers and ministry leaders to share the Gospel with millions of children around the world each year. GUIDE Retreat extends that mission by helping believers across the country to recognize how God has gifted them and faithfully respond to His calling, whether through CEF or other opportunities for ministry.
Hosted at CEF International Headquarters in Warrenton, Missouri, GUIDE Retreat is scheduled for August 5–7. The GUIDE Retreat is designed for anyone seeking to make decisions that are biblically grounded and guided by the Holy Spirit. This retreat has helped countless Christians discover God’s will for their lives as they explore how God may be leading them, whether through CEF, another ministry or other unexplored areas of service.
“Many believers spend years asking, ‘What does God want me to do?’ without ever slowing down to intentionally seek His direction,” said Fred Pry, CEF Vice President of Administration. “GUIDE Retreat gives people an opportunity to step away from the distractions of everyday life, immerse themselves in God’s Word, learn more about themselves, pray with other believers, and thoughtfully consider His calling. Our hope is that every participant leaves with greater confidence to faithfully follow wherever God leads.”
Rather than simply introducing ministry opportunities, GUIDE Retreat gives participants time to seek God’s direction through Bible teaching, prayer, worship, fellowship, group discussion and personal exploration and reflection. Participants also explore ways to serve through CEF and other ministries as they prayerfully consider where God may be leading them.
Each participant is placed in a small discussion group led by a trained guide who helps them reflect on the retreat’s activities through meaningful conversation.
Another highlight of the retreat is the Spiritual Gifts Inventory, which helps participants identify how God has uniquely gifted them and consider how those gifts can be used to serve others. Combined with biblical teaching, prayer and small-group discussion, this assessment encourages participants to thoughtfully consider how their gifts, passions and opportunities fit together.
“God doesn’t call every believer to the same place of service, but He does call each of us to faithfully follow Him wherever He leads,” Pry said. “Our prayer is that every participant leaves GUIDE Retreat with a clearer understanding of how God has gifted them and the confidence to take the next step He places before them.”
Registration for the August 5–7 GUIDE Retreat is open through July 17. To learn more and register, click here.
Child Evangelism Fellowship® (CEF®), founded in 1937, has been establishing the Good News Club® in countries around the world for decades.
In 2025, more than 34 million children worldwide were impacted by the Good News through CEF ministries.
For more CEF news, see the ministry’s latest edition of the online magazine Impact.
CEF is an international, nonprofit, Christian ministry that has been dedicated to seeing every child reached with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, discipled and established in a local church since 1937. CEF is located in all 50 American states and in most countries around the world, with over 3,800 paid staff and tens of thousands of volunteers around the world.
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To interview a representative from Child Evangelism Fellowship, contact Hamilton Strategies, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.
