USA (MNN) — Teaching English as a second language is an open door to sharing the Gospel in the United States. There are many who need this training. Cornerstone University is committed to training people to do this on the undergraduate level, but also at the graduate level. This week, they're taking their expertise to Prague, Czech Republic.
CU Humanities Division Chair Michael Pasquale says he'll be there "to connect with missionaries and English teachers serving not only in the Czech Republic, but also the central European region."
Pasquale says it will be like a teacher training conference. They'll talk about "new ideas of teaching, network together, talk about what may be working for people in one area. Teaching is something for which you never know too many tricks or tools, so these types of interactions are very helpful for teachers."
Why is it a doorway for sharing Christ? Pasquale says it opens doors "by providing excellent English classes, excellent English outreach that provides a wonderful way to build relationship to ultimately lead people to Christ. It's a ministry used all around the world because people are interested in learning English."
Providing this kind of training is just the beginning of what Pasquale would like to do in Prague. He'd like to provide "an on-campus component of our graduate program in Europe, which right now we only offer in Michigan. Tailoring it to their needs [is important]. What would an English teacher in Prague need to make their teaching more effective?"
Students would come to Prague for a week of intense instruction, "but then the rest of their course work would be online," says Pasquale. "So it would be ideal for missionaries to continue working, not having to come off the field, being able to stay in their current ministry environment."
This is going to be a program that helps ministry leaders in the region. Pasquale explains, "We don't want to just come and say, 'Hey, this is what we got.' We want to listen and say, 'What would be beneficial to you?' And then over the next year we'll network, and then, Lord willing, we'd start next summer."
In the meantime, pray for Pasquale. Pray for safety as he travels, that he'd meet the people he needs to meet, and that he'd be responsive to their needs.
If you'd like additional information about Cornerstone University's TESOL program, click here.
