Articles on a variety of topics useful to those in ESL ministry.
Has your church/ministry decided to start an ESL ministry with the hope of opening doors to share the gospel with non-English-speaking people in the community? If so, the million-dollar question is: how to move from just teaching English to using the ESL ministry to open doors for sharing the gospel? When a church or ministry moves […]
Connecting with the Worship Service Many ESL ministries want to figure out how to best integrate their ESL students into the church. This is a significant question that requires prayer, thought and planning. Some ESL ministries may partner with a local non-English language church (Spanish, Korean, Chinese etc.) and direct their ESL students to a church
Integrating ESL Students into the Church Read More »
Caring for older adults in one’s family is often a stressful experience, even under the best of circumstances. When older adults appear to be suffering from depression, anxiety, or symptoms related to grief, it can be hard for their children and other concerned family members to know what to say and do to help. The
Mental Wellness Support for Older Adults Read More »
Internationals: Who Are They? How far are the nations from your front porch? They’re closer than you think. The nations are all around us. To reach them, we must understand who they are. Just like us, internationals are not all the same. Here are just a few of the types of internationals among us: How
Reaching the Nations . . . from Your Front Porch Read More »
ESL in the Bible Is ESL in the Bible? Well, sort of. Jesus never really addressed the issue of language teaching, but He did talk about loving our neighbor. Matthew 22:34-40 highlights a question Jesus was once asked: “Which command in the Law is the greatest?” In His answer, Jesus pointed to two commandments: 1.
The Role of ESL in a Church’s Ministry to Internationals Read More »
In this blog, I will share my experiences with a positive psychology activity that helps people feel more grateful quickly and easily. First, I’ll briefly discuss gratitude and its benefits, and then my experiences trying a simple activity (Three Good Things) that helped me experience more gratitude and joy in my life. Why Should Christians
Easy Gratitude: A Mental Health Therapist Tries “Three Good Things” for a Week Read More »
Has someone asked you to help them learn English, and you don’t know where to start? Learning any language is a marathon, not a sprint, and understanding this concept and a few basic principles about learning a new language can guide you as you help your friend in their English study. Understanding Language Levels Unfortunately,
How to Help a Friend Learn English Read More »
How Culture Shapes our Presentation of the Gospel How does culture tend to shape our presentation of the gospel? I have already touched on this some: we are much more direct in our communication style than many other cultures in the world, and we tend to think that this is much better . .
Communicating the Gospel Cross Culturally Read More »
What Aspects of a Person’s “Being” Do We Need to Consider as We Share the Gospel? There are three aspects of every person’s being which need to be active in “believing” or “having faith” in Jesus, regardless of cultural background. One of those aspects is the intellect. The fact that I mention this first does not
Communicating the Gospel Cross Culturally Read More »
Big Picture Basis When starting an ESL ministry, it is important to know your goals for the ministry. Do you want to teach English Bible stories? Do you want to provide basic English conversation practice? Do you want to help students study for their green card? Is your ESL ministry a service to the community
An ESL Ministry Journey: Getting Started Read More »
