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Mission & Outreach Newcomers, Refugees & Internationals

ESL for Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada

By Albert Janzen We seldom hear of churches that teach ESL to Temporary Foreign Workers (“TFWs”), and it probably stays below the ministry radar of most churches much as the workers themselves are well below the radar of Canadian multicultural diversity. After all, they are only here temporarily, why should they need good English? There […]

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Mission & Outreach

Ottawa ESL Prayer Network Forming

By Carey Jo Johnston, for the Ottawa ESL Prayer Network Team The vision for networking people in Southern Ontario who are doing ESL ministry started with SOCEM. However, since most of the SOCEM events are in the GTA area, some of us in the Ottawa area thought we might have a subset of SOCEM. It […]

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ESL Lessons ESL Program Ideas

Field Tripping ESL Learners in the Community

By Carol Blake What happens when you take ESL learners outside the classroom? There’s a peak in interest in the class and in the lessons, a growth in connection among the class members, and an increased sense of belonging to the wider community. Over the past number of years, I have taken adult learners in […]

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ESL Program Ideas

The Time Is Right to Start an ESL Ministry: ESL at Warden Full Gospel Assembly, Toronto

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 […]

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Mission & Outreach Newcomers, Refugees & Internationals

Latino Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada: Suspended Identity and English

By Albert Janzen God has placed His love in my heart for the young men from Central America who regularly come north as Temporary Foreign Workers to work on our farms. This is like winning the lottery for them because it allows them to assure their family back home with a better life while they […]

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ESL Program Ideas Mission & Outreach Newcomers, Refugees & Internationals

What if…?

By Heather Berghuis Are you seeing a good work beginning, progressing, coming to completion in your life for the work of Christ’s Kingdom? Heather Berghuis cared for her family through 25 years of military family life and is just beginning to see a long-term passion to teach ESL and share the love of Jesus with […]

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ESL Program Ideas Holidays Seasonal

Two Fun Easter Activities

Submitted by Carey Jo Johnston 1. Resurrection Eggs We can use the commercially made ‘dozen eggs’ children’s tool to teach the Easter story to our students. Each of the 12 ‘egg’ cups in the egg carton contains a small symbol from the Biblical account; e.g. a stone to represent the stone rolled over the tomb; […]

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Mission & Outreach Newcomers, Refugees & Internationals

There and back again

By Brian Seim – Urban Mission Research and Development, SIM Canada China has opened its doors once again for travel to and from their country. On January 8th, our Chinese ESL students were invited to return home. As the Economist wrote, “for the better part of three years—1016 days to be exact—China will have been […]

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Mission & Outreach

A Survey of Volunteers Serving in Church-based ESL Programs: A Canada-wide Study — A Summary of results

By Gordon Moulden, Ed.D In response to changes taking place in church ministries as a result of the COVID pandemic, Southern Ontario Cooperative of ESL Ministries commissioned me, as a professional researcher recently involved in a church-based ESL ministry in Metro Vancouver, to conduct a survey of representatives of church-based ESL programs across the country […]

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ESL Program Ideas

Questions from Students in ESL Classes

By Jennifer Tong Every teacher knows the importance of asking questions. It is an art to ask questions that are engaging and inspiring, and that stimulate the students’ thinking. However, have you ever made use of students’ questions in an ESL class? In the Advanced class I teach online, at the start of each lesson, […]