ESL at Bruen Chapel UMC

An English as a Second Language program that we started a couple of years ago with the help of a nearby New Light UMC (a Korean-American congregation) is now thriving. This semester we have an enrollment of approximately 40 students from all over the world -- South Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Ethiopia, Belorusse, Ukraine, El Salvador, Guatemala, Columbia, . . . . There also are 11 volunteer staff members and 7 children to care for while their parents are involved in the classes or teaching them. This is a great way for our church to connect with the increasingly diverse community around us and also provide a means for volunteer teachers (including friends from the community as well as church members) to express their discipleship. Among the children to be cared for are an "America", a "Jesus", a "Lincoln", and an "Amethyst" -- where else could you get all four of these in a 20' x 14' room? Supporting us in our ESL venture: ESLIM (English as a Second Language and Immigrant Ministries), an Alexandria-Arlington Bi-District UMC organization that advertises programs like ours in various English and foreign language news services in our region as well as on its websites, helps us with recruiting volunteers, and also provides training for volunteers. In addition, Virginia Conference grants received in 2012 and 2013 have helped or will help us continue to upgrade our textbook collection and cover some other expenses beyond what can be defrayed by income from the $30 registration fee. This is our connection at work!