English as a Second Language (ESL)
In communities across Florida, the number of people who want and need to learn to speak English is increasing rapidly. Non-English speakers come to our state as refugees, migrant workers, international students, wives of military personnel, international businesspeople, seafarers, tourists and people who want a new start in life. Many ethnic communities are found in our cities as well as our rural communities. One of the best ways to demonstrate and share God’s love with our non-English speaking neighbors is through local church-based English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. The primary goal of church-based ESL ministries is to intentionally share and demonstrate the gospel of Jesus Christ as we help people learn to speak English.
The 11-hour English as a Second Language Basic Workshop equips local church volunteers to intentionally share the gospel with new English speakers. It addresses these topics: Organizing a local church English as a Second Language ministry; Dealing with cultural misunderstanding; Techniques for teaching English; Planning class sessions; Understanding a student’s English fluency; Incorporating the Bible in class sessions and sharing the gospel with students. Regional Advanced Trainings are offered as well.
Nine Florida Baptist Certified ESL Workshop Leaders are available to lead a workshop at your church. These are listed on this web page. Feel free to contact the one for your region or the Community Ministries Catalyst to schedule a workshop.
Citizenship
Citizenship Ministry helps qualified ESL students prepare to become U.S. citizens. During Citizenship Classes, students learn vocabulary, American history and system of government that will help them prepare for their naturalization interview. This is a great ministry reaching out to Internationals that have moved into our communities.
The 5-hour Citizenship Workshop shows how to integrate Citizenship with ESL Ministry and to equip the local church volunteers in preparing ESL students for their naturalization interview. Contact the Community Ministries Catalyst to schedule a workshop.
English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
Many people living in nations overseas desire to know English. English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is a great ministry for mission teams traveling abroad.
The 9-hour EFL Workshop is designed for short-term volunteers going overseas to teach conversational English. Workshop contents include lesson planning, sample lessons, essentials for a bag of tricks, placement testing, culturally appropriate topics and what materials to take.
Many of the Certified ESL Workshop Leaders are qualified to lead EFL as well. You may contact the ESL Workshop Leader for your region or the Community Ministries Catalyst to schedule a workshop.
Adult Reading & Writing (ARW)
More than 2.6 million adults in Florida— or 20 percent of those 16 and older — lack even the most basic reading skills, according to a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 2009. Life is difficult in several ways for struggling readers. Job prospects are limited. Family relationships suffer. Medical instructions are often difficult to follow. Navigating insurance, financial and social services are nearly impossible. The Bible is inaccessible. This ministry involves tutoring adults who are either illiterate, functioning non-readers, or those who are seeking to pass the “General Educational Development” (GED) test. The primary goal of church based ARW ministries is to demonstrate and share the love of Jesus Christ.
The 11-hour Adult Reading and Writing Basic Workshop equips local church volunteers to intentionally share the gospel with adult low-level readers. It addresses: ARW as a mission outreach of the church; Organizing an ARW ministry; Understanding low-level readers; Using the Bible to teach an adult to read; Introduction to high school equivalency and sharing Jesus with students.
Contact the Community Ministries Catalyst to schedule a workshop for your church.
Tutoring Children & Youth (TCY)
Many children and youth struggle with schoolwork. This can lead to low test scores, dropping out of school, family conflict, fear of failure, low self-esteem and the inability to understand what they read in the Bible. Tutoring Children and Youth (TCY) ministries are designed to share Christ with children and youth while helping them build academic skills needed for school success.
The 11-hour Tutoring Children & Youth Basic Workshop equips churches to begin ministries to help students succeed in school. Local church volunteers are taught to help children with reading, writing and math. They are also introduced to working with students new to the United States and Canada.
Most important, the TCY Basic Workshop equips local church volunteers to share God’s plan of salvation with children and youth using language the students understand. Workshop participants learn to incorporate prayer and scripture into every lesson so that the students have the opportunity to learn about Jesus. They practice giving their testimony as if they were talking to a child or teen. They become aware of questions to ask when they believe a child is ready to receive Christ.
Contact the Community Ministries Catalyst to schedule a workshop for your church.
Resource List
ESL Workshop Leaders
These leaders are equipped and certified by the National Literacy Missions Partnership in cooperation with the North American Mission Board. If your Church wants to start an ESL Ministry, feel free to contact the workshop leader in your region for information and set a date for training. The Florida Baptist Convention will provide an honorarium and travel expenses to the workshop leader. The Church is requested to provide housing, if needed, meals and space for training.
| REGION | NAME | PHONE | CHURCH | |
| East | Melissa Fraser | MelissaF@FBCJax.com | First Baptist Church of Jax @ Nocatee | |
| East | Susan Russo | SusanR@AspireJax.org | (904) 536-4430 | Aspire Church, Jacksonville |
| Central | Karen MccBee | Karen.McBee@gmail.com | (407) 353-5255 | Lifeway Community Church, Sanford |
| Central | Sue Isaac | Sbisaac127@gmail.com | (407) 435-4174 | Aloma BC, Winter Park |
| Central | Debbie Sawmiller | dwoltmann1@yahoo.com | (813) 454-7866 | Idlewild Baptist Church, Lutz |
| Southeast | Pat Wolfe | pkwgestro@gmail.com | (954) 646-3624 | Parkridge BC, Coral Springs |
| Southwest | Holley Holland | hholland@fbalions.org | (239) 293-1543 | First Church, Naples |
| West | Vacant | |||
| North | Vacant |
ESL Ministry Directory
West
| Church | Contact Name | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calvary BC, Pensacola | Pat Chun | pgchunn@gmail.com | (850) 375-8062 |
| FBC, Ft. Walton Beach | Glenda McMahan | jgmcmahan@aol.com | (850) 862-5515 |
| FBC on Bayshore Niceville | John Corley | rocketmanjdc@gmail.com | (850) 830-8985 |
| Seagrove BC, Seagrove | Katrina Chilton | jkchilton@msn.com | (205) 445-4327 |
| FBC Bonifay | Daniela Cerrado | office@fbbonifay | (267) 333-0648 |
North
| Church | Contact Name | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FBC, Tallahassee | Larry Kung | Larry_Kung_live@yahoo.com | (850) 544-4300 |
| FBC, Live Oak | Steve Sweitzer | steve@fbcliveoak.org | (386) 362-1583 |
| Celebration Baptist Church, Tallahassee | Cindy Laney | cydlaney@hotmail.com | (850) 591-5907 |
| ILC of Parkview BC, Gainesville | Mary Lynne Moore | ml@myilc.org | (540) 663-2026 |
| College Road BC, Ocala | Debbie Simmons | Simsdj@aol.com | (601) 814-0423 |
| FBC, Ocala | Dominique Guerrier | benis.guerrier@gmail.com |
East
| Church | Contact Name | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covenant Fellowship, Stuart | Matthew Gile | Matthew@cfbcstuart.com | (772) 283-8306 |
| Aspire Church @ San Marco, Jacksonville | Susan Russo | susanr@aspirejax.org | (904) 536-4430 |
| Hibernia BC, Fleming Island | Barbara Adams | basiaachicago@gmail.com | (352) 442-8888 |
| Deermeadows BC, Jacksonville | Susan Rushing | rushing.susan@gmail.com | (571) 225-0383 |
| Chets Creek BC, Jacksonville | Efrain Sevilla | efrain@chetscreek.com | (904) 223-5954 |
| Chets Creek Southside, Jacksonville | John DeGram | johndegram2009@outlook.com | (904) 223-5954 |
| FBC, Jacksonville Nocatee | Melissa Fraser | MelissaF@FBCJax.com | |
| FBC, Merritt Island | Cheryl Dixon | cdixon978@gmail.com | (502) 609-6047 |
| FBC, Melbourne | Jenny Goodson | vegoodson@gmail.com | (321) 749-6245 |
| Three Rivers Church, St. Marys | Misty Gilland | mistygilland@protonmail.com | (912) 552-7626 |
| Westside Baptist Church, Jacksonville | Kristin Alvarez | mktalvarez@gmail.com | (904) 609-1740 |
| Faithbridge Church, Jacksonville | Dayana Perdomo de Zuleta | wdperdomo@gmail.com | (813) 327-0836 |
Central
| Church | Contact Name | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminole First Baptist Church, Seminole | Pat Choi | patchoi888@gmail.com | (727) 392-7729 / (727) 432-7233 |
| North Oak, Citrus Springs | Kathryn Page | nobckat@gmail.com | (352) 489-1688 |
| FBC, Longwood | Carlos Garcia | cgarcia@fbclongwood.org | (407) 339-3817 |
| Lakes Church, Lakeland | Juan Puente | juan.puente@golakeschurch.com | (903) 244-6018 |
| Generations Church, Orlando | John Sanders | hello@fbcpinecastle.com | (407) 855-4741 |
| Cornerstone BC, Lakeland | Betsy Butts / Pam Champion | betzaidabutts@yahoo.com pchampion@tampabay.rr.com |
|
| Aloma BC, Winter Park | Sue Isaac | English@alomachurch.org | (407) 575-2102 / (407) 435-4174 |
| FBC, Orlando | Zulkerine Alvarez | ZulkerineAlvarez@FirstOrlando.com | (407) 600-9199 |
| Mission Hill Church, Temple Terrace | Zak Moussa | Zak@Missionhillchurch.com | (813) 988-1138 |
| CrossLife Church, Oviedo | Madelda Thompson | Madeldathompson@yahoo.com | (407) 924-7997 |
| FBC, Kissimmee | Mary Ann Meola | citigirl4@gmail.com | (315) 778-4802 |
Southeast
| Church | Contact Name | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkridge Church, Coral Springs | Patricia Wolfe | pkwgestro@gmail.com | (954) 646-3624 |
| Bethel Evangelical BC, Fort Lauderdale | Patrick Jules | drjules@bethelftlauderdale.org | (954) 523-9312 |
| International Bible Church, Boca Raton | Daniel Naberezhny | danieljob@gmail.com | (561) 229-3436 |
Southwest
| Church | Contact Name | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FBC, Naples | David George | dgeorge@fbcn.org | (239) 596-8600 |
TCY Ministry Directory
| Church / Ministry | Director / Contact | Phone |
|---|
North
| Church / Ministry | Director / Contact | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Baptist Church, Perry | Steven Ruff | stevenruff@fbcperryfl.org | (850) 584-7066 |
| Lakeside BC, Hawthorne | Sammy Nelson | samuelthepreacher@gmail.com | (352) 338-3334 |
West
| Church / Ministry | Director / Contact | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Heights Tutoring Center Rocky Bayou Baptist Church |
Pamela Bristol | theheightstutoringcenter@gmail.com | (850) 420-3605 |
East
| Church / Ministry | Director / Contact | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shiloh BC, Jacksonville | Reggie Bryant | rbryant@smbcjax.com | (904) 887-9133 |
Central
| Church / Ministry | Director / Contact | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No entries | |||
Southeast
| Church / Ministry | Director / Contact | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No entries | |||
Southwest
| Church / Ministry | Director / Contact | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No entries | |||
ESL Resources
General
| Session Title |
|---|
| Sharing Christ with ESL students |
| Building Community through Games and Activities |
| A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action |
| Building Community within the ESL Classroom |
| Pronunciation |
| The House that Jack Builded: Second Language Acquisition |
| Creating a Devotion Using One Word |
| Patience |
| Words |
| Whoever |
Vocabulary
| Session Title |
|---|
| Constructing Words with Meaning |
| Vocabulary Workout |
Beginners
| Session Title |
|---|
| Drill Work for Beginners |
| Effective Strategies for Beginners |
| Effective Strategies for Beginners Lessons |
| Effective Strategies – Lesson Plan |
| Ventures 3e-S80basic-UO8 |
| Ventures 3e-S81-U08 |
Intermediates
| Session Title |
|---|
| Ways with Intermediates |
TCY Resources
Games
| Resource / Link |
|---|
| http://www.fcrr.org/forteachers.htm |
| http://www.theschoolbell.com/Links/math/number_families/main/cards.html |
| http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/ChristianFileFolderGames.html |
| Fidget Spinner Game |
| Bottle Cap Resources |
Printable Books and Resources
| Resource / Link |
|---|
| http://abcteach.com |
| http://dltk-teach.com |
| http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/ |
| http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/printable_booklets.html |
Graphic Organizers
| Resource / Link |
|---|
| http://graphic.org/goindex.html |
| My Personal Word Wall |
| My Thesaurus |
| TCY Editing Wheel |
| Word lines record sheet |
Math
| Resource / Link |
|---|
| Add and Subtract Card Mats |
| Hundreds Chart |
| Mul and div game |
Miscellaneous
Links
National Literacy Missions Partnership
National Literacy Missions Partnership is State Conventions joining with the North American Mission Board to use literacy missions ministries to share Jesus Christ. The Florida Baptist Convention serves as an active partner. This Partnership provides certified training for ESL, ARW and TCY. Through this Partnership, training manuals are written and updated. Web Site: www.LiteracyMissionsSBC.net.
Tried and True ESL Lessons
This curriculum was written by our very own Barbara Black. Barbara serves as Director, ESL Ministry at First Baptist Church of Sebring. She, also, serves as a National Certified ESL Workshop Leader.
Website: www.TriedandTrueESLResources.com.
U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
Vesna Bozic serves as the Community Relations Officer with USCIS. She is willing to come and speak at your training conferences on Citizenship.
Contact Information: (407) 858-3749 Office; (843) 822-7667 Cell; Vesna.Bozic@USCIS.dhs.gov
Website: www.ucis.gov
ESL Video Trainings
ESL Possibilities During COVID-19
A Digital Ventures Walkthrough for ESL Directors
ESL Directors’ Meeting
ESL During COVID-19 Part II
ESL Possibilities During COVID-19
Click here for additional tips for virtual ESL classrooms.
Ordering Literacy Missions Material From FedEx
“Open” Site: https://www.office.fedex.com/ondemand/namb_literacy
FedEx has recently changed its platform. Every person who orders is required to create an account. There is no longer the option to go directly to the site. You will have to verify your email. After creating the account or signing in, use this information:
- Choose “Browse Catalog”:
- Click on “Literacy”
- In the window that opens, click on the Literacy
- Open the folder you are interested in so that it reveals the individual files. Manuals are in the folder with the name of the Basic English Lessons from the Bible are in the Book of Mark folder. Lillian Isaacs’ biographies are in Ministry History, and So He May Run Who Reads is in Ministry Background.
- Click in the box to the left of the material you want to order. You will be taken to another screen to add it to your cart. If you are ordering manuals for a basic workshop, find out which manual the workshop leader was trained to use. Leaders trained or updated in 2019-2021 may use the 2019 version of either the TELL or Adult Reading and Writing Workshop leaders trained in 2022 or later should use the 2022 TELL or the 2022 TCY manual. Order by the manual title not the date added. Coil bound items will be less expensive than 3-ring binders.
- Type in the number of copies you want to order next to “Add to ” Choose “Add to Cart.” You will get a pop-up window that allows you to view the cart.
- When you get to the Cart Summary screen, you will be given the opportunity to choose to pick up in the local store or to Shipping options and choosing the store for local pickup will be available after you choose “Proceed to Checkout.” Follow the prompts.
- If you have chosen shipping, the next screen will prompt you to enter shipping You will have the option of allowing FedEx to choose the store for production or choosing the store yourself. Do not attempt to put in a FedEx account shipping account number. Leave that blank. Click on “See Shipping Results.” If your delivery is within a 30-mile radius of the FedEx Office and Print Store from which you are ordering, you should see a free delivery option.
- Payment for the material, and shipping if needed, is required at checkout. Because we are using the North American Mission Board FedEx account, this is not a tax-deductible Do not change any printing options or include special delivery instructions. That will override the contracted manual price; you will not receive the discount.
Need assistance developing English Language Missions classes in your church for your community?
Contact Marc Johnston, Community Ministries Catalyst.