Community Time Bible Resources

Community time (also referred to as hospitality time) is a wonderful part of your class that can bring all students together and build rapport in your ESL community.    

Typically, this is a 10–15-minute time where all classes come together in one large room for snacks, coffee, tea, etc. Then, there is a Christianity-themed lesson where everyone listens together. 

Because this brings together all levels, including your lowest, it's very important to plan this time carefully.  Here are some tips: 

• Keep it short -- no more than 5–7  minutes for the lesson. 

• Keep it simple -- any complex language will go over the heads of most (if not all) of your students) 

• Remember this is not an English/monolingual Bible study. You are attempting to teach key truths in a way that is accessible to your students. 

• If you use an English Bible, we recommend a learner-friendly Bible, such as the New International Reader's Version. 

• We recommend God's Big Story for this curriculum. 

  • To use God's Big Story, find the week for your lesson (e.g., week 1) from the curriculum linked below.  

  • In preparing to teach, identify the key words in the lesson principle or the verse in English, like "made" or "God." 

  • Think of an object lesson you can do to tangibly show the meaning of these words.  For example, create a simple origami/object from paper to show make. Show how what God does is different. Lead students to the main idea of God as the creator of the world.  Consider pointing to everything in the room and saying God made this (or made a way for this to be made).  

  • Before class, use God's Big Story Translation Card Generator (see below for the generator and a how-to video) to print the number and languages needed for your students. 

  • Pass out the papers that have the translations into your students' languages. 

  • After you do your lesson, read the big idea in English and ask students to read it in their language.  Do the same with the verses. 

    • It's a good idea not to require students to read the verses in their language but ask for volunteers.  They are usually more than happy to do so. 

  • When you do the next lesson the following week, spend time reviewing the previous lesson. 

• For another example of a different ESL-friendly curriculum, see the "For the Nations" curriculum at the bottom.

• You can use the Bible, but remember to do only 1–2 verses at a time or simple, clear truths.