On October 30, 2021, SOCEM held its annual training conference, Gathering XVII. It was the first time we held an online conference, and we welcomed close to 50 participants not only from throughout Southern Ontario, but also from other provinces. Thanks to technology such as Zoom, we were able to accommodate participants from Alberta, B.C., New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan. One participant joined from Nepal.
After a brief time of worship and devotional, participants were sent to 5 pre-assigned breakout rooms to attend parallel workshop sessions of their choice. They learnt about topics such as non-formal learning, components of newcomer ministries, and ministering to Muslims. After the workshop, they were sent back to the Main Room for a Plenary Panel session. The topic was “Sowing and Reaping: Introducing Students to Jesus.” Three Panelists and a Moderator shared about different aspects of introducing the gospel in ESL ministry. After that, we were again divided into breakout rooms for another workshop, this time with 3 parallel sessions. Participants learnt about beyond-the-classroom activities, teaching tools and mental health of refugees and newcomers. We then reached the close of the three-and-a-half-hour conference.
Some of the feedback we received include: “Well run; on schedule; informative; opportunities to share/ask questions in session with smaller group;” “I really liked seeing and getting to know what types of language learning is going on in the country;” “Very good content, especially Workshop A and the plenary panel. [I like] the emphasis on the Holy Spirit and reminder of Christian goals.”
We are grateful to all the presenters, panelists, hosts and helpers who made this conference a successful event.