When A Principal Prays

When God allowed a freshman girl’s internship to collapse in January 2012, no one would have guessed that He was about to open a door for one of the most exciting and multi-faceted community outreaches our church has ever done.

Abby Wikner, who at the time was in 9th Grade at Covenant Life School (CLS), found a different internship at South Lake Elementary School in Gaithersburg (near Lake Forest Mall) where she had a great experience. When her dad, former Covenant Life pastor Ben Wikner, learned that the principal had been praying to partner with local churches in serving school families, he shared this information with members of the church who were exploring new opportunities for local missions.

Todd Keeler, an elder and faculty member at CLS who leads our annual Youth Local Missions “Joy Camp,” followed up by meeting with principal Celeste King. Together they identified two strategic opportunities. First, they agreed to add South Lake Elementary School as a Joy Camp site in the summer. Second, Todd committed to bringing a group of CLS students each week to volunteer in classrooms, play with the South Lake students at recess, and serve in other ways.

In light of his many school responsibilities, Todd found it difficult to sustain the weekly visits to South Lake. And even though the summer Joy Camp program drew lots of students, Todd longed for deeper impact. “The goal is not merely to have a one-week outreach,” he says, “but to establish structures so that relationships can deepen as bridges for the gospel. It’s hard to do that if you only have a one-week blip each summer.”

While Todd was working to connect Covenant Life youth to the students at South Lake, he did not realize that church members had started an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program serving adults at the same school. That program grew steadily until this fall, when registration exploded.

“We have been amazed at the growth of our ESOL program!” says Pam Wilbur, who together with Rosa Goyes oversees the English-language classes being offered for the fourth year at South Lake.

In the last year, the number of students learning English at South Lake has tripled – with 115 registered students who have come to at least one class, and 70-80 students in attendance each week. The students come from 21 countries (including some closed to the gospel) and speak 8 different languages at home. They hail from Mexico and El Salvador in North and Central America, Ukraine and Belarus in Europe, Togo and Benin in Africa, Peru and Columbia in South America, and Pakistan and China in Asia—just to name a few.

No one is getting paid a salary for this service, but the rewards are great. Thirty-two church members volunteer on Monday and Wednesday nights to teach five 11-week classes ranging from Beginner to Advanced. This fall, volunteers are offering students a chance to extend their English conversation skills through a Discovery Bible Study. The first night this option was offered, every single student chose to stay! “Students are sharing prayer requests that are being assigned to a special prayer team at CLC,” says Charlotte Deibel. “One devout Muslim has asked for prayer for a family member. I’m praying that we will see conversions through these Discovery Bible Studies.”

In order to stay, many of these adults depend on childcare. And this is where the story leads back to Todd Keeler and Youth Local Missions. As ESOL attendance at South Lake tripled this fall, Todd saw an opportunity to involve the teens who had served at Joy Camp. He and Travis Earles, Chairman of the Local Missions Committee and father of two Joy Camp participants, met with the school administration and ESOL leadership to discuss childcare needs. The result? A new Covenant Life outreach called “JOY Club”!

“Every Monday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. over 20 youth and parents spend time helping kids with homework, playing games with them, and sharing a story from the Bible. With over 65 kids registered,” says Travis, “JOY Club has been a wonderful opportunity to keep sharing and showing God's love to these folks.

“This is only one example of investing in one of our communities, but it is the heart of our Local Missions team’s vision: To be disciples who make disciples precisely wherever we currently are. Consider what unique opportunities and desires God may be giving you in your community. And please pray that God would continue to broaden the doors for us to share the love of Christ with these kids and families at South Lake!”

The three-way merger of ESOL, JOY Club, and Discovery Bible Studies at South Lake Elementary School did not happen overnight. “I remember Grant Layman encouraging me to think in terms of faithfulness instead of fruitfulness,” says Todd Keeler. “Often we think in terms of quick results, but programs like this can be very small for a long time. There were moments when I thought, Am I just spinning my wheels trying to force something? Should I put my energies elsewhere? But every once in a while God punctuates this kind of slow faithfulness and does something unexpected that really moves forward. That’s exciting!”

Editor’s Note: The ESOL ministry is always looking for new volunteers. They need teachers, teaching assistants, childcare helpers (for the youngest children), administration, special event helpers, help with translation of flyers, and even holiday bakers!

Visit the ESOL team page or email the ESOL Ministry for more information.