Dec 18th, 2018

ESL held its end-of-year Christmas Party in the church’s Fellowship Hall on December 18 and it was a huge success!  Round tables were decorated with red or green tablecloths and beautiful holiday centerpieces.  Several stations around the room and on the stage made it possible for students and volunteers alike to participate in traditional American Christmas customs.  These included:

•    Christmas card making;

•    Ornament making;

•    Cookie decorating;

•    Tree decorating;

•    Putting a Christmas puzzle together;

•    Taking fun photos and selfies (Please email us your favorite pics.);

•    Making hot chocolate with a variety of flavor options; and

•    Listening to the Nativity Story while one of our students played the viola softly in the background.​

For lunch, we enjoyed a variety of lasagna dishes, fresh salad, and rolls.  For dessert, we had our choice of fruit medley, chocolate cake, and Panettone.  This was served with more hot chocolate or coffee, tea, or water.  It was a delicious meal.

A special “Thank You” to Sharon Jarrett and all the volunteers who made this such an enjoyable morning.

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Click to listen to a clip of “Silent Night” on viola with our students singing along.

11/13/18 Taking time to celebrate together!

All levels of our ESL had an opportunity to share together in their respective areas.

Upstairs, Classes met to share in all things 'Stone Soup.' They began by prepping the soup ingredients and while it simmered, students experienced hearing the folklore from an amazing storyteller, Ann. Afterwards, they worked in groups on a Thanksgiving anagram, discovering upwards of 60 words. Jeanie shared a devotional and tied in how over history we've been able to come together to share meals.  Pat brought out the colored pencils and the students shared their creative sides by designing colorful Thanksgiving booklets. The day ended with consuming the delicious soup that had been prepared while enjoying a wonderful time of fellowship and laughter. "What a great way to celebrate the beauty of diversity and the warmth of friendship! -- Jeanie A."

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Downstairs, The morning began with Psalm 136:1 in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Kannada. A great way to start a day of thanks!  Our first activity was Thanksgiving picture  BINGO—going over the pictures before we played was a fun way to teach Thanksgiving vocabulary.  After a few rounds, our M&M markers were mysteriously disappearing!  We moved on to the story of the first Thanksgiving in America, reinforcing our vocabulary, speaking out loud, following along in written text, and learning some history. Break was delicious breakfast treats. After break we decorated cookies and made turkeys and pilgrim hats. Our students were enthusiastic and creative! We finished our the morning working a crossword puzzle together and then taking a brief survey of if and how everyone planned to celebrate this year. Surprisingly, only one person in the room was going to have pumpkin pie!  -- Kendra Martin

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If you weren't able to attend, we hope you'll join us soon at one of our next ESL events. Click the image (of stones) on this post, to see more pictures from today.

Anyone part of our ESL program - please consider joining the Fort Mill FBC ESL Facebook Page to get insider clips of today's event.

Only God!

You can't put God in a box; unless it's a shoebox!

On October 30, FBCFM's ESL ministry packed ninety-seven shoeboxes and collected over nine hundred dollars for Operation Christmas Child!! Only God! Only God can be the explanation. Many of these students barely speak English. A lot have grown up in the same countries where these boxes are to be delivered! Some of the students have never heard the name Jesus before coming to ESL.

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Despite all this, God used them. They came, they gave, they heard the gospel, they packed the shoeboxes and then they prayed. For a few minutes, men and women from all corners of the world held a shoebox in their hand and together prayed. It was powerful. It was beautiful. Only God! 

10/16/18 Visit in Downtown Fort Mill

On Tuesday Oct 16,2018, the Advanced Women’s Class took a field trip to Town Hall where they met with Clerk to Council Virginia Burgess, who explained local government and what Town Hall does for our community. They also met with Sgt. Hildreth and Officer Kelly from the Fort Mill Police Department who told them about their jobs and informed the students of special programs they offer to help residents of Fort Mill. They also allowed the ladies to look inside their police car and explained how their equipment (cameras, etc.) works, and answered any questions the students had. The class then walked to The Fort Mill Fire Department, where they met Chief Wilkerson who talked to our students about fire safety, answered questions, and gave them a tour of the station. From there they walked to Confederate Park where they discussed the history of the gazebo and monuments. The purpose of this trip was to help our students feel more connected to their community, to help them better understand how our local government works, and to discover the resources that are available to them. It was also a good opportunity for them to practice their English by listening to other English speakers and asking questions. 

This trip was put together with the help of Caroline Hasty who is the events and media coordinator for the town of Fort Mill. Her email address is chasty@fortmillsc.gov

Now Open!

​ESL Fall Semester began Tuesday, 8/28/18.  Student and Volunteer registrations are currently being accepted on-line.  Please visit our registration page.  Register today and an ESL staff member will be in touch shortly to discuss next steps. Class space is limited.

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Classes are held each Tuesday and begin at 9am, please arrive by 8:45am to sign-in.  Directions to class are available here.

The Fort Mill Times interviews ESL staff and students about what ESL means to them.

9/6/17

Read article click here 

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ESL staff and students discuss their experiences with ESL and what it means to them to be involved in the ministry.