IS YOUR CHURCH PREPARED?

Starting an ESL program in your church requires the entire congregation’s support and involvement. Newcomers (immigrants, refugees, temporary foreign workers, international students) can attend ESL classes to learn English, but to feel a sense of community, a church congregation must be willing to welcome and embrace ESL students.

  • Cooperative ESL Ministries offers various training events throughout the year for church volunteers. To learn more about our training events, visit our Training Events page. We also offer resources to help your church start a new ESL program at ESL Quick Start Guide and Which ESL Program is Right for Your Church. To help your teachers with lesson planning, go to our Teacher Resources page. For more information, contact us at training@eslcooperative.ca.

  • Church congregations need to be informed about cultural issues so they can show hospitality to ESL students. Cooperative ESL Ministries offers 3-hour intercultural training to all Calgary churches. For more information, visit our Training Events page.

HOW WILL YOUR CHURCH REACH NEWCOMERS?

Once you have trained an ESL teacher and prepared your congregation to welcome newcomers, you also need to spread the word about your ESL program. Consider putting an ad in your church’s local neighbourhood newspaper. If your church has a website, add information on your ESL program to the site. It’s also a good idea to list your ESL program in the Calgary Immigrant Services ESL Directory. This organization is one of the largest immigrant-serving agencies in Calgary

You can also list your ESL program on our website. Our directory of church-based ESL programs provides contact information for all churches offering ESL classes, Bible studies, conversation groups, or other types of program for newcomers.

CONSIDER INVESTING IN COOPERATIVE ESL MINISTRIES

Your investment will help support Cooperative ESL Ministries’ mission to empower churches to reach out in love to the immigrants and internationals in our communities.

Cooperative ESL Ministries is a charitable organization and depends on donations from Calgary’s Christian community to reach out to those immigrants, refugees, and other newcomers trying to integrate into Canadian society. By supporting Cooperative ESL Ministries, your church will contribute to the growing needs of Calgary’s newcomers, showing God’s love by dissolving barriers and building community. For more information visit our donate page.