More Than English: Church Uses ESL to Serve and Connect
By Sharon Mager
ROCKVILLE, Md. — On a warm September Sunday morning at First Baptist Church of Rockville, a diverse group of men and women prepares for a class to begin. Some seem a little nervous, while others appear confident. All are friendly and smiling. Primarily young adults, they participate in an English as a Second Language (ESL) program offered by the church. The students have a goal of learning to speak English. The church views the classes as an opportunity to meet a need, love and care for these individuals, and gently introduce them to the gospel.
ESL Director LaShonda Coleman opens in prayer: “Father, thank you right now in the name of Jesus… May You be exalted and lifted up. Thank you for every class member who will be in attendance today… Let us be a vessel to help our students learn.”
Elsie Figueroa said, “I love to see their faces light up when they pronounce something well.”
Elsie Figueroa, who co-leads with Coleman, smiles and warmly chats with students as they enter the room. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to teach. She said, “I wanted to teach English as a second language to help other people, but now, at the same time, I get to do it in a fun way that is sharing God’s love.”
The students, over a dozen, reflect the incredible diversity of Montgomery County. A few who arrived early introduced themselves: Sari from Indonesia, who recently came to the U.S. and wants to improve her English; Emiko from Japan, who has two children and hopes to communicate more confidently; Isabela from Brazil; Li Wei from China; and Kwame from Côte d’Ivoire, who was thrilled to discover the ESL class while seeking a church community.
The beginners’ class, led by Figueroa, starts with simple sentences: “My name is…,” “Where are you from?” or learning how to say phone numbers and social security numbers (and what they are). Role-playing exercises, introducing themselves to one another, bring smiles and encouragement, helping students bond as they struggle together over similar-sounding words. Figueroa patiently explains different sounds, exaggerating facial expressions to help them understand.
The teachers incorporate Bible verses into their readings. Figueroa said, “When they start reading, well, we start reading passages, little verses from the Bible, and explain to them that this is what we believe in. So, it’s a way of sharing the gospel.
Jen Acker teaches the ESL advanced class. (Photo by Sharon Mager)
She said students tell her their spouses compliment them on how much they’re learning, which is an encouragement to the students and encourages the teachers.
Coleman teaches the mid-level class, assisting them more with sentence structure, pronouns, verbs, getting them to read more, and helping them with similar-sounding words.
Advanced students, under the leadership of teacher Jen Acker, the wife of FBC Senior Pastor Allen Acker, delve deeper, sharing reflections on books, their countries’ histories, and even issues like pharmacology or slavery. They are fully engaged, strengthening both their English skills and confidence. In the advanced class, Kwame excitedly shared how he visited FBC, just looking for a place to worship, discovered the ESL class, and was thrilled.
Growing in Faith and Community
There are also fun cultural exchange activities. Coleman said,
“We encourage every student within their classes to bring something for show and tell the next week about their country. And it can be anything. It could be a picture, it could be some food, it could be something representing their family customs.”
The group also uses a WhatsApp group chat, which serves as their primary communication platform. Coleman sends fun photos or news she thinks students will be interested in. Students are encouraged to submit questions or comments. It’s also another way of building community.
As leaders strive to encourage students spiritually, they invite them to worship services and special events. ESL leaders also extend invitations to families and past students. The church offers an app that can be used to translate the service into the user’s own language.
The team enjoys using holidays, like Christmas, to explain the birth of Jesus, said Coleman. “We also found Thanksgiving interests them. They’re like, ‘That’s just another day for us,’ but many will adopt the holiday because they want to follow Western culture.’
Students use a combination of bookwork, role-playing, and other teaching means to learn English. (Photo by Sharon Mager)
Throughout the class and beyond, the teachers and the church body are there to answer questions about the faith. Some students are from countries hostile to the gospel, so they are curious, and it’s a safe place. Coleman said, “We don’t force anyone. We use every opportunity to invite them in and to answer their questions. We want to be a doorway for them to learn more about God.”
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Sharon Mager serves as BCM/D Stories Editor.
Feature photo: Director LaShonda Coleman welcomes the ESL class on Sunday morning. (Photo by Sharon Mager)