List Your TCE Courses on the Web!

We now have the capability to list your upcoming TCE courses on the CMI website. To be most effective send in the information as soon as you plan to have a course. Even if you have not decided on the exact dates, you can send in the month or season you will begin the course—such as September 2008 or Fall 2008. Then when you know your exact dates let us know and we will make the change.

The course information you send in will also be placed in the Teach Kids! Essentials publication every other month beginning with the August issue. (Check the side bar for deadline dates for sending in the information.)

Following is the information we need:

* Location of course (city, state)
* Course dates, Beginning—End (or beginning month or season)
* Name of the contact person
* Contact telephone number

Send the information to Cheryl Oetting at Cheryl.Oetting@cefonline.com, or fax to 636-456-4435 or mail to CEF, Cheryl Oetting, PO Box 348, Warrenton MO 63383.

To view courses listed, go to the website, http://www.cefcmi.com/ and the “Our Training” page should come up. Click on "Browse Programs of Study"; then click on Teaching Children Effectively (either Level 1 or Level 2). Click on the icon with the two people (like the icon pictured above).

Register your TCE course with the Department of Education at least one week in advance of its start by sending in the TCE Course Registration Form along with the course schedule. If you do not have a Course Registration Form email Cheryl Oetting for one. Email, fax or mail the completed form with the schedule to Cheryl.

We have about 16 different schedules for TCE Level 1 for your use. How do you get them? Ask Cheryl.

Send in all Student Registration Forms as soon as your course begins. Please do not wait until you send in Request for Certificates to send in the Registration Forms. All certificates—TCE Level 1, Level 2 and CEUs are $5.00 each.

We look forward to assisting you in promoting your TCE courses by listing them on our favorite Website!

Happy Memorial Day

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is an American holiday of remembrance and traditions for soldiers who have died in our nation’s service. There are many legendary stories as to its actual beginnings.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soliders at Arlington National Cemetery.

Today, Memorial Day is celebrated as a day to remember those who have sacrificed their lives for our liberty. We pause as a nation and give thanks for their heroic service to our country.

To all of our servicemen and women we say thank you and may God continue to bless our nation with freedom.

Culture Changers!

Have you ever heard of Rev. Dr. Michael E. Haynes? He is a retired pastor from Boston, now in his 80s. He pastored the same historic church for over 50 years. His ministry in the tough Roxbury section of Boston served a neighborhood overwhelmed with drugs, gangs, violence and racism. Dr. Haynes said of his ministry, “Those three or four city blocks are what I’ve given my whole life to. It’s been my world.”

Some would be discontented with such a “small” ministry. But Dr. Haynes knew how to make the most of what God entrusted to him. He sought to reach the youth of his neighborhood and be a culture changer one child at a time.

Many experts believed the youth of that neighborhood were beyond hope and destined to lives of violence, addiction and crime. But Dr. Haynes believed those kids could be reached and changed. In an article referring to the young people Dr. Haynes has influenced in 50 years of ministry, the Boston Globe wrote, “They are now surgeons, presidents of school boards, high school principals, journalists, policemen, lawyers, political aides, FBI agents, former UN officials and bankers." Many have also gone into vocational ministry.

Dr. Haynes believed the future good of those four city blocks depended on raising up a generation of leaders. So he expanded his ministry to begin a leadership training program. His program drew the attention of a local seminary, and soon his church became an extension campus of the seminary. Today, his church is one of the leading urban training centers in the USA, training people in six languages for leadership in urban ministry.

Though retired, Dr. Haynes is still intent on affecting the culture of his city and the country. And he still lives in the same four-block neighborhood of Roxbury.

Have you ever considered how your ministry as an IOT is affecting the culture where you live? Maybe others have given up hope for the kids in your area. But, as you faithfully train teachers and send them into your local neighborhoods and schools, you are making an impact on a generation! You are a culture changer!

Some people aspire to greatness. They want to have worldwide fame and influence. But God’s idea of greatness is all about faithfulness and servanthood. Maybe you minister in a small town or rural county. Maybe you will never move beyond the “four blocks” of your home area. Be faithful to the task God has given to you. The children whose lives your ministry touches may go on to have great impact in the world, further influencing the culture for Christ for generations to come.

We're Ba-a-a-a-a-a-c-k!

No, these are not refugees from some female Mafia group! It's our own Lynne and Lisa disguised as...um...Deal or No Deal, case carriers. Actually, this was Tim and Dave's job, but the girls took over! This is just some of the fun we had at the IOT Adv anced Training at Ridgecrest. Check our this brief video montage to see some of the happenings!



You can view these and more pictures in the special slideshow in the sidebar on the right.

About 70 IOTs attened the two-day event which preceeded the International Conference. We had folks there from various regions including Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America. It was fun to see old friends and make some new ones! All of the class sessions were interactive and interspersed with fun give-aways. Everyone went home with a heavier suitcase!

Our Instructors' Cafe Live on Tuesday evening was great fun, too. We had good eats and special mugs to enjoy the coffee and tea. Six tables were set up for chats about various subjects of interest to instructors such as, illustrations, intros and conclusions, making classes exciting, etc. Everyone chose a table to start with, then rotated to different tables every 15 minutes. There were lots of good ideas shared and most everyone came away encouraged and inspired to try some new things in their next training opportunity.

One of the things we did at the training was to plug the blog! We really, really encouraged all IOTs to come and visit us here at the Cafe. Hopefully, we will see some new faces popping in here from time to time!

Those of you who were at the advanced training remember, we don't want to let the discussions and idea swapping stop now that we're home. Let's keep the conversation going!

Thanks to all of you who took time to attend. Please click on the comment link below to leave a testimony of what the advanced training meant to you.