Our Purpose
The purpose of CBF has been carried forth throughout our history, flowing from these two words coined by our founder, "Forgotten Fields." These Forgotten Fields are the focus of our mission: the Special Needs Community and Inner-City Youth. Children's Bible Fellowship of New York is Reconnecting the Next Generation and the Forgotten into real belonging in the Body of Christ. This is our very heart. We cannot help but love and connect the often-forgotten into a growing relationship with Christ and his Community. We see two problems in our world today. First, the Special Needs Community has been consistently forgotten and neglected. Second, Youth are missing from the church. Barna group shares out of all Youth raised in the church, only 10% become engaged disciples with core faith beliefs. And so, we go. It is our joy to bring “Hope to the Forgotten.”
Mission In Action
Our History
Children's Bible Fellowship of New York, known initially as Lakeside Bible Conference, was founded in 1943 by Rev. Win Ruelke with the mission to disciple New York City's "Forgotten Fields." From an early age, his passion was to "by all means" share the gospel. This passion began with Youth and expanded to the Special Needs Community. A parent of a child with special needs once told Rev. Win something he would never forget, "You've all done so much for my son - therapy, education, and I'm so grateful, but does anyone know that my child has a soul?". At the time, many Youths roamed the streets of NYC with nowhere to play and grow, inspiring both NYC programs and the eventual creation of the CBF Campus in Carmel, NY. Unfortunately, the Special Needs Community tended to be neglected and forgotten, especially in the 1940s in NYC. This inspired CBF to bring Hope to the Forgotten Fields. In the late 1980s, our founder, Rev. Win Ruelke, retired, passing the torch of leadership and the heart of CBF's mission to our second-generation leader, Jim Wickliffe. After his retirement in 2014, our current CEO, Sean Stewart, took up the mantle. With over 80 years of ministry and only three generations of leadership, the purpose of CBF has never wavered. Since its origins, the heart of CBFNY has been reconnecting the Next Generation and the Forgotten into real belonging in the Body of Christ. The methods have changed, but the mission remains.