A Mission Vision

Recently a group of Immanuel Baptist Christians came together to pray for vision for the future of our ESL (English as a Second Language) mission.

At the same time four of the ESL programs in Salisbury closed their doors because their funding was cut. Currently only two free programs remain. This dramatically increases the need and demand for ESL classes in our city. Living in Salisbury without the English language limits a person’s employment possibilities, limits a person’s ability to find health care, limits a person’s ability to find resources to help their children. Those of us who have spent any time with people who speak a language we don’t understand know that it is fatique-ing, frustrating and sometimes frightening.

We have been given an opportunity to reach out, in Christ’s love and service, to strangers. Some are already Christians; many are not. We can minister. We can be missionaries. To do this we don’t need to travel. We don’t need to apply to a missions board. We don’t need to leave our family and friends. We don’t need to know or learn another language. We don’t even need to get vaccinated!

This is a mission a whole family could do. What a wonderful way to spend a family night!

There are helpful workshops available from Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware. We have found them informative and inspiring. But we were able to begin doing this work without any training at all.

This is a mission that requires:

A caring heart.

A desire to “Love one another”.

A desire to bring Christ’s message to the lost.

A desire to be “the only Bible, someone may ever see.”

The ability to speak English. (Accents are acceptable ... even from Bivalve!)

If you are reading this, it’s possible that you meet the requirements already.

After much prayer and some discussion, here is our vision.

o ESL classes for beginners, intermediate, and citizenship level on Monday and Thursday nights - structured in semesters.

o A homework club for children of ESL participating students

o A bus or van to pick up some of the participants.

o A special 60 day, concentrated, guaranteed course for committed individuals.

o ESL classes for families on Saturday (less formal, less structured)

o An ESL Bible study Sunday School Class that Monday/Thursday participants can be invited to.

With your help we can fulfill most of it soon. Please continue to pray for this mission. Please check off the job descriptions that you might fill.

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ESL job descriptions

“God does not call the equipped, He equips the called.”

Please review the mission opportunities, and if you wish to put your name by one or more, please put your paper in the collection plate or give it to the pastor as you are leaving.

Bus drivers/ Greeters

oMonday evenings

oThursday evenings

Teacher teams (To cover Monday and Thursday classes - one may work Monday evening, the other on Thursday):

oBeginner English - Learning greetings, job related vocabulary, health related vocabulary

oIntermediate English - Improving verb usage, increase vocabulary, conversation skills

oCitizenship level (Students can read, write, speak English.) Work on learning US history, government, civics. Work on idioms, pronunciation and what ever ESL skills students seem to need.

oHomework club -Help children of ESL participants do their homework. (If you have homework, you could model homework skills

oNursery

oAdministrator (“Servant-Boss”) - Provides materials, course outlines, some lesson plans, guidance, supplies to teachers. Fills in for essential personnel. Picks up gum wrappers on floor in hall, unless Pastor Woody gets them first.

oSecretary - takes attendance, telephones absentees, reviews registration forms, keeps data base of students’ data, reminds staff of student birthdays

oTeacher helper - acts as extended legs and arms of teacher. Substitutes once in a blue moon.

oLibrarian - maintains book collection, assists students with optional book orders

oOther ____________________________________________________________________