When Christian TEFL graduate Barbara Nagy retired from her church administration position, she felt led to start an English conversation class from her church café. We asked her to share her experiences, starting by asking what inspired her.
“I always had an interest in languages and lived abroad for some years. After retiring, knew I wanted to help immigrants in our immediate vicinity and use the class as a way to show the church’s concern for people and introduce them to the gospel. Classes at Christ church café in Cockfosters, London, started in September 2018.”
The “shape of our classes”
“Our classes take place on Thursday mornings, 10am-11.30am during term time and usually around 6 attend. There are four of us in the teaching team (not all are there every week). We use some resources from the 2:19 organisation, particularly the ‘So to Speak’ conversational English lessons and devise our own lessons, too. We invite students to suitable events that are happening at church, and we plan lessons on the themes of Christmas and Easter, etc. It’s easy to invite people to our church café because it provides a relaxed, non-threatening environment. We have a coffee break in the middle of the lesson which allows for more informal contact with the students.”
The English we teach
“Student want to improve their fluency, accuracy and understanding of English – most of our students are mothers with young children and they need the language for daily life, communication with teachers, etc. Some wish to go on to more formal lessons.”
Where our students are from and how we get the word out
“We have had people of about 10 nationalities, and of various religious backgrounds attending. These include Ecuadoreans, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Turkish, Albanians. Several of our students are mothers from our church pre-school and toddler group and they sometimes invite their friends. We have not, as yet, advertised beyond church.”
Thank you, Barbara, for sharing your story and every blessing as you continue reaching out to your local community.
—————————–
Find out how other Christians are using English to teach English and reach internationals for Christ:
Gillian on helping pre-literate students
A warm welcome at the English language café on the Isle of Man, UK
Teaching English from home to internationals
Great Christian resources for potential English teachers:
Teach English in church guide eBook
0 Comments