Author: ESL Link

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ESL Lessons Seasonal

Valentine’s Day ESL Resources

Valentine’s Day Love and Valentine’s Day lessons (The Virtues series) (readings, including from the Bible; discussion questions, quotes and other activities) http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/valentinesday.pdf (excellent reading on the history and customs of Valentine’s Day, with glossary) http://www.eslholidaylessons.com/02/valentines_day.pdf (a reading with lots of accompanying activities) http://iteslj.org/questions/valentine.html (Valentine’s Day conversation questions) http://bogglesworldesl.com/valentines_day_worksheets.htm (vocabulary and writing activities for lower level) […]

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ESL Program Ideas Resources

Overwhelmed. Now to Him Who Is Able…

By Linda Reed Editor’s Note: While Christmas 2019 is behind us, some of us still look back with nostalgia. Further, there may be lessons from Christmas that can apply throughout the year. We are publishing this Christmas-related article now because it may encourage and edify us in our ministries throughout the year. Sometimes ministry is […]

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Devotional Holidays Seasonal

A Christmas Eve Story

Abridged by Colin Brewster There was a man. He was a kind, and mostly good man. He was generous to his family, and honest in his dealings with others, but each year when Christmas came along, he had a problem. He just couldn’t accept the Christmas story.  “I’m really sorry to upset you”, he told […]

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ESL Lessons Holidays Seasonal

Christmas and New Year Resources

Check out the rich Christmas resources on our SOCEM site including Christmas lessons from the Virtues series and the Conversation Guides: https://eslministries.org/resources/teaching-materials/seasonal-resources/ An excellent reading about the North American Christmas traditions, with a glossary: http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/christmasday.pdf Christmas traditions around the world; good for starting conversations with students: http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/ http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/ Stories behind favourite Christmas carols and […]

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ESL Program Ideas Holidays Seasonal

Helping Interpret Christmas

By Marion Chang Imagine that you are a tourist visiting Canada for the very first time during this holiday season. You see coloured lights on houses and gaudily festive store windows as you tour the city streets. There also seems to be a large, bearded, old man in a red uniform all over the media. […]

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ESL Program Ideas Mission & Outreach Resources

ESL House Church – Hospitality and Faith

By Tom More The last time I wrote an article for this newsletter, I reflected on Jesus the refugee. At Christmas time, we recall that shortly after the jubilant birth and angelic choir, the shepherds and magi, after the gold, frankincense and myrrh, Jesus was on the road and on the run. It occurs to […]

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Gatherings

Gathering XVI Report

On October 26, 2019, SOCEM held its annual conference, Gathering XVI, at Trinity Church Streetsville once again. There were close to 110 attending, and participants came from all over Southern Ontario including Kingston, Oshawa, the Greater Toronto Area, Niagara Falls, Kitchener-Waterloo and more. After a brief opening worship and devotional, participants spread into different rooms […]

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ESL Program Ideas

ESL at Oak Ridges Church

By Anne Sim The ESL Ministry of our church, Oak Ridges Church in Richmond Hill, started as an outreach effort involving a local Retirement Community. While praying for ways to grow and revitalize the church, our pastor encountered a chaplain who asked if church members could participate in ESL ministry alongside some of the elderly […]

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Devotional

An Open Heart

By Allan Pole I am, by nature, a shy introvert. It’s not that I dislike people. I wouldn’t want to live out the rest of my days in a cabin on a mountaintop. However, I have been hurt and let down by people. Even though I enjoy interacting and socializing, I get worn down if […]

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ESL Program Ideas Mission & Outreach Resources

A Portal to Hope

Discussion around the table

By Sandy Ho-Lam As an ESL teacher, I have wrestled with the question of how to become Jesus’ hands and feet while students seem to come and go through a revolving door without any chance of building long-lasting relationships. Then one day, things started to change. A student, one day, said: “Sandy…I have a lot […]