By Jeff Gottschalk
For with God nothing will be impossible.
(Luke 1:37)
I am the vine, you are the branch. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
(John 15:5)
As I was nearing retirement I began to consider what I could do with the extra time I would have. The thought came to me that there would be no better use of this time than doing something for God; but what? Tim Stevens, a friend of mine and a former missionary to Libya, suggested I consider teaching ESL for my church. I offered it to the Lord: if He wanted it, I was willing to do it. I considered how to present this idea to our Pastor.
But In the multitude of counselors there is safety
(Proverbs 11:14)
I prayed about how I could proceed and God answered through Tim by introducing me to SOCEM and their many resources for church ESL Ministries. During Covid, I was able to get on a Zoom call with Jennifer Yung and Dr. Marion Chang. Both encouraged me, and answered many of my questions. Dr. Chang’s “English as a Second Language Ministry Manual – A Practical Guide for Churches” was a great help in providing me with a good understanding of the task ahead, and how I might adapt it to our particular church. It gave me confidence when I met with the Pastor, and one of our members, who was an experienced ESL teacher.
Tim then introduced me to many other SOCEM members who shared their experiences and offered ideas. I had to learn to use Zoom, and I sat in on a couple of classes of another ESL program that included using breakout rooms. Yet another teacher allowed me to gain experience by having me share in teaching an ESL lesson with a small class.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…
(Matthew 28:19)
Many churches have come to understand that it is more cost effective to fulfill the Great Commission by reaching the nations when they come here, rather than sending people from here to the nations. The evidence is in, and souls are being saved through church ESL programs. Students are then telling their families and friends in their home countries about the love of Christ. Some have returned to their nations to start a church and some to start many churches.
Unless the LORD builds the house, they labour in vain who build it.
(Psalm 127:1)
Sometime after the second meeting with the Pastor, the ESL Ministry was approved as part of our Church Missions Program. The name “All Nations Conversations ESL” was chosen for promoting our ESL classes in the community. We used a nicely printed bookmark as a handout to advertise our ESL program.
Covid restrictions were just being lifted and we were now committed to both Zoom and In-Person classes. Two weeks before our agreed starting date, some ladies from the Philippines who attended our church asked the Pastor if he knew of an ESL group they could attend. This became our first Zoom class. It was held on Sunday evening and had people join from both Toronto and the Philippines. Praise God!
The date for our first In-Person class was set for the Wednesday of that same week, but no students had registered. On Monday, a lady from Cameroon who had just started attending our church phoned to see if she could attend. She became our first in-person student. Soon after a Japanese lady took the wrong bus on her way to a Japanese church. She realized she was lost, got off the bus, saw our church and came in. She joined our ESL and now continues to attend our church and our ESL on-line from Japan. A month or so later we got another student from Brazil through word of mouth from my friend.
The many SOCEM and SOCEM-sponsored webinars have been most helpful to me in understanding how to make our ESL more effective in both teaching English and in sharing the Gospel. One was about students who might be refugees and suffering the effects of trauma. I asked God for the opportunity to help someone in that situation. A few weeks later, I was preparing to give a lesson to four students but none of them was able to come. I was there alone when a new student came in for help in learning English. He was a refugee and was homeless in Scarborough. I spent the two-hour lesson time with him, and he was faithful to return every week. I began to help him in his search for a room to rent. One Saturday, he did not show up for our appointment, and the next day he phoned me from his hospital room to tell me that he was hit by a car while on his bicycle. Since then I had the privilege of visiting him in the hospital and am assisting him in his recovery from the two surgeries on his leg.
Ask of Me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance.
(Psalm 2:8)
Since the start of All Nations Conversations ESL on Mother’s Day Sunday, May 8, 2022, we have welcomed students from 12 different nations and now offer 3 classes. Our Zoom class has taught 12 Canadians, and 9 from the Philippines, Japan, and Brazil. The In-Person Intermediate class has taught 17 different students; and the Beginners class has had 6 different students. Praise God!