ESL Evangelism
by Zecharias Weldeyesus, Pastor, Redeemer Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Atlanta
People who have come to the United States as refugees with no ability to speak or write English would always tell you how much they appreciate believers in a local church who taught them English in their early days here in America. But more important, they would also tell you how grateful to the Lord they are for using those men and women to show them the love of Christ and point them to the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way to inherit eternal life by faith in Him alone.
That's why involvement of the local church in teaching ESL (English as a second language) is such an effective way of sharing Christ and His saving work with refugees whom the Lord brings to the church--although, of course, it is subordinate to the preaching of the word of God as the primary means that the Holy Spirit uses to convict and convert sinners.
ESL classes offered by a gospel-saturated and witnessing church uses volunteer teachers in building up friendship and trust with refugees, not only by teaching them English, but also by showing them the love of Christ as refugees share their burdens, by praying for and with them during every class, by sharing the good news of salvation through Christ with them, and ultimately by drawing them into the worship of God and the ordinary means of grace in Christ's church. ESL also serves as an efficient tool for the evangelist of the local church to use to advance Bible studies with refugees and to help build a foundation toward planting a sound and worshiping church of all nations.
Please pray that our church’s ESL evangelism classes would bear much fruit for the Kingdom as our evangelist, Pastor Melaku, calls refugees to repentance and faith through the preaching and teaching of God's word and as our volunteer ESL teachers show the love of Christ to the refugees under the care of Redeemer Mercy Ministry in Clarkston.
This article was taken from Redeemer Mercy Ministry's October 2022 newsletter, with permission. You can find their entire issue, including more about ESL, here. Photo: Dr. Martha Wright with prospective learners from Redeemer OPC. She met with them twice at Refuge Coffee Company in Clarkston to assess their needs, skill levels, and concerns.