Expanding Your Program

As you get to know your students, you may find that there are more ways you can love, serve, and engage with them throughout the week. Talk to them to find out what they need and want. You could have a great idea, but if it's not what your students are looking for, it won't be helpful! Getting them involved in planning and carrying them out would be even better!

Consider how you might offer these classes via video chat if in-person options are unavailable.

• ESOL Bible Study: Gather each week to study the Bible. You can use simplified English Bible curricula or another book, like the Jesus Storybook Bible (see vocabulary and instructions on this page) or English Lessons from the Book of Mark or Laubauch Reading Method. Other prepared Bible studies are available here.

• Moms Group: Some churches offer this as a social time for moms to gather, learn some English, and fellowship with other moms. This can especially be important for women who come with their husbands while the husband is studying or on work assignment; the husband is busy and the kids are in school, but the wife may get quite lonely! Some groups choose to go through a short book together each week with a topic about parenting. You will probably find that parenting ideas and styles vary widely! Instructions and suggestions for moms groups are available here.

• Sermon Prep Class: Some churches offer this as a Sunday School class or a separate class during the week that helps students prepare to listen to the Sunday morning sermon. The class talks about the background and context of the passage and explains important illustrations and vocabulary. The pastor should send his notes to the leader of the class ahead of time so s/he can prepare! If your church has Sunday School in between two services, you might choose to hold a modified class so that students can come to this class and attend either service.

• Sermon Discussion Class: Similar to the sermon prep class, this class happens after the sermon, but functions similarly, discussing the content of the sermon and vocabulary and clarifying any confusion. If your church has Sunday School in between two services, you might choose to hold a modified class so that students can come to this class and attend either service. Otherwise, the class might be held on Sunday afternoon or evening or even later in the week.

• ESOL Sunday School Class: This can be a Sunday School class on whatever topic you'd like. If your students come from the same language background, you might offer a class in their first language (if you can) or offer some translation when necessary. You might also use bilingual Bibles or materials, when possible. If everything is in English, try to follow sound teaching practices for ESL classes - speak a little slower and with pauses, define your vocabulary, give the students outlines to follow, have time for discussion, etc.

• Cooking Class: Take turns cooking traditional foods for each other! Each night, one participant is the "guest chef" and teaches everyone else how to cook something from his/her home culture. Everyone will watch and learn, sample the food, and take some home. If your students are beginning learners, you may need to provide translation help with another student or help the student prepare the explanations. A written recipe to send home is also nice! Consider providing some or all of the ingredients, if needed.

• Parenting Class: The Moms group is more of a social and support group, but you might want to offer a class with skills and techniques for parenting. It can be incredibly difficult for parents to raise their children in a different culture, as their children are learning different expectations from home, school, and the community. Try to find a teacher who is familiar with different cultural parenting styles, and have him/her explain some philosophies for parenting in the US. This will also help your students understand how their children are expected to behave in school. They may find that adapting their parenting styles to match those of the school will produce different outcomes at home!

• Have another idea? Try it out! As long as your students have shared interests, or are willing to try new things, you can do it! Consider a hiking club, arts and crafts club, fiction book club, sports club, and more. See the field trip page for some ideas of outings with your students. And, if your students have interests and want to start a group, see how you can facilitate their ideas to become reality!

Other Practical Supports

You may find that your students have other life needs that you can help with, as well, such as:

• Tutoring program: Do your students' children need help with their homework? Consider offering after-school tutoring regularly.

• Job club: Help your students with getting jobs, including practicing interviewing, making resumes, and more. You may need to find someone experienced in immigration law to offer advice. Note: tread carefully when working with undocumented immigrants; Find more information on job clubs here.

• Food Pantry/Clothes Closet: Do your students need food, clothes, or other items? Can they help collect or distribute items for others? Some churches have put together items for their students and communities.