Childlike Faith

Louis Gervais has shared the gospel from South Africa to the South Side of Chicago. But no matter where the Lord has called him to tell the story of His love, there is one audience that Louis loves most: children.

“Children are fun to work with,” he says. And they have other attributes that Louis cherishes: “They don't question you, argue with you, and doubt you.”

Through many phases of his life, including his studies at a Bible college in his native South Africa, Louis remembers hearing about Moody. “At the Bible college in South Africa, they frequently talked about D. L. Moody and about Moody Bible Institute. And I listened to Great News Radio, a station that was a Moody Radio affiliate when I was in Central Illinois.”

Introduction to Moody

During a day trip to Chicago with friends, Louis remembers, “As I drove into the city, I remember thinking—hey—Moody Bible Institute is here, and maybe I could go down and check it out. I’d always heard about that place. It would be great to actually see it! I just sneaked away from the group.” Louis ran two miles over to The Moody Church, then down the street to see Moody’s undergraduate campus.

Louis spent time in prayer, including praying with his mentor and his mentor’s wife. He began to sense that God wanted him to seek pastoral training at Moody. In August of 2020, while working part time at his church and full time at a mechanic’s shop, he began taking online courses at Moody.

Louis was a full-time student at Moody's Chicago undergraduate campus when he was interviewed for this story. Since that interview, he graduated in May 2025 with a bachelor's degree in Pastoral Studies. “I'm a Pastoral Studies major, but I'm also preparing to teach English as a second language. I believe the Lord’s preparing me for ministry on the foreign mission field. The high point of my interactions with other students has been the weekly student-led prayer meetings. The fellowship has been a real blessing to me.”

Back to CEF

Louis was excited to learn that his PCM (Practical Christian Ministry) would put him back in touch with Child Evangelism Fellowship. “I began working with the CEF Good News Clubs on the South Side,” Louis says. “John and Nellie Fuder are our PCM site supervisors, and they got in touch with a local community center organizer about setting up the club the summer before I came to Chicago. So I got in on the ground floor, and we sort of built it up from scratch.”

Nellie Fuder, a CEF team member and wife of Moody professor John Fuder, says, “Louis was assigned to our PCM through CEF. He came with lots of training and experience working with kids, so we were thrilled to have him! But Louis has become more than a PCM volunteer to us. He is a kind-hearted, godly friend and co-laborer in the gospel.”

Working with kids aged five through eight brings its own unique set of challenges, but Louis says, “A lot of them are sweet kids, good kids. I frequently get free Bibles from Moody, so I’ve been able to take a big box of Bibles and give every kid one—or several Bibles—to take back to their homes or to give to their friends.”

“Louis keeps us focused on the gospel,” Nellie says. “When there are concerns with the kids who are fighting, or things that have gone terribly wrong during club, Louis is the one who has kept me going, always seeing the potential in others and viewing the problems as a need for prayer, not for giving up.”

“Children are fun to work with,” Louis says. “They really do have that childlike faith. They're still young and excited about life, and I enjoy their energy and their desire to have fun to experience joy and wonder at the things that God is doing.”

Kid magnet for the King

Louis’ giftedness with children—which he hopes to employ in working with children overseas, potentially in South America, after graduation from Moody—has not gone unnoticed by the other CEF workers.

“We call Louis ‘unflappable,’” Nellie says, “because no matter how chaotic our club is, Louis stays calm and patient and is able to go with the flow. His creativity is such an asset, but what I appreciate so much is his ability to spend time with the kids one-on-one. He shows no favoritism. He will give his attention to the one sitting in front of him, explaining things from the Bible to them or just getting to know them.”

At Good News Clubs, children hear the story of Jesus’ love, learn biblical truths that bring hope into their lives, and enjoy a safe, caring, Christ-centered environment. The love these children experience through the clubs reminds Louis of one of his favorite D. L. Moody stories:

“A young boy was once asked why he would go all the way to D. L. Moody’s Sunday School class when he had to walk by several churches in order to get there. The boy said, ‘Well, they love a fellow over there!’”