Creating Opportunities through English

As we open our Tuesday evening Zoom call, the screen populates with the faces of twenty or so students. About half are international students from Vancouver; the others join from around the world. All are eager to practice their English, chat with each other, and engage with that night’s conversation theme.

The FOCUS English Conversation Club launched in February, modeled after The Speaking Club. Students identify themselves by level and participate in three 20-minute sessions of one-on-one conversation in breakout rooms. We post our conversation theme and questions ahead of time, so even students with lower English levels can join in.

The goal of the conversation club: to empower international students by creating a comfortable setting for practicing English, and to be a bridge to other resources.

As an ESL teacher who also learned English as a second language, I find that many international students wish they had more opportunities to practice speaking. Students come to Canada with high hopes of becoming fluent in just a few years. While they find an abundance of opportunities to improve their reading or listening, speaking opportunities are surprisingly rare. Students feel their English isn’t good enough or think they are wasting someone’s time. A conversation club is a safe place to freely speak and learn English, regardless of level, with someone who is willing to listen.

The FOCUS English Conversation Club includes students from Vancouver & around the world

Our conversation club provides a platform to share about other resources, including workshops, social gatherings, FOCUS Club events, church events, and Bible studies. We end each meeting with announcements and post opportunities on social media.

The evening includes conversation questions that relate to faith, spiritual topics, and big questions of life, and we see God using these questions to reveal those He is drawing near. This summer, when a student asked about faith, I was able to share the gospel; you never know what kind of work God is doing in people’s hearts. Our job is to create opportunities, to be ready to share the gospel though our words and lives, and to invite people to Jesus.

If you’d like to participate in an ISMC ESL ministry, please connect with us through ismc.ca/volunteer.

ISMC has a FOCUS ENGLISH Discord Server that connects up various ISMC ESL ministries across the country. Feel free to check it out or to invite an international student you know to join: https://discord.gg/kSS4HDXDHA

Michael brought his planned and reasoned approach to life to Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC in 2017. Taking a post-bacc in supply chain management, he reasoned, was the most efficient route from Ukraine to permanent resident status in Canada.

His introduction to FOCUS Club was equally measured. Michael had made a decision to socialize more, so he attended TRU’s Clubs Day. “I was specifically looking for a club where I could meet some local people,” said Michael, “not only international students.” He accepted a friend’s invitation to FOCUS Club.

The first meeting included pizza, games, and socializing with other international students and volunteers. “I was surprised at the amount of Canadians who were not otherwise connected to the university,” said Michael. He became a regular at the Friday night meetings.

Michael and a student volunteer at a FOCUS Club fundraiser

FOCUS Club included discussions about a faith that differed sharply from what Michael was familiar with. “Before I came to Canada,” he says, “I knew faith as something mandatory, unless you came from a specifically atheist family. In my community, not many people will dare to say something bad about God, but very few follow the way of Jesus.” In Ukraine, Michael was not exposed to much religion, but he was taught to stay away from all but the orthodox churches. Little wonder he was cautious.

But Michael was also curious. After attending several FOCUS Club sessions, he decided to see what a Canadian church looks like, so ISMC Kamloops City Director Jeff Torrans helped him find one to suit his personality.

Compared to Ukraine, church in Canada reminded Michael more of a performance than a religious service, with a stage, rows of seats, music, and “public speaking”. But he liked it and appreciated the church’s academic approach to the Bible, so different from what he was exposed to in Ukraine.

Michael explored faith just like he approached life: rationally and logically. He began to study the Bible and have discussions with the Pastor, which led to researching Christian apologetics. God met Michael where he was at, and through the process, Michael became convinced of the solid arguments behind Jesus.

Michael still has his life completely planned out. At the FOCUS Club grad celebration, he talked about his future plans—right through to retirement and grandkids! After graduation, Michael became a follower of Christ. Now those plans also include growing his faith.

The 2021 school year has started with hope. Despite continued restrictions, we saw new students arriving and the restart (or reimagining) of so many International Student Ministries programs!

That’s not to say that ministry didn’t continue throughout the pandemic. Some programs were transformed into online formats and smaller gatherings, while new needs also became apparent and ISMC workers and partner churches rose to the challenge. Whether ministry took the form of care packages to meet physical needs or individual phone calls and Zoom gatherings to meet emotional and spiritual needs, God’s love was being extended to international students. The other day, I heard an encouraging story from one of our Hamilton team members that illustrates how familiar and new ministry programs have blended to reach around the world. A graduate student had been attending an ISMC Bible study. As ministry shifted online, the student’s wife, who couldn’t be in Canada with her husband, was able to join the study! Similarly, ISMC Vancouver has started reaching out to students both locally and internationally through their Zoom conversation club. God has provided fascinating opportunities for outreach and discipleship even at the height of COVID restrictions.

That said, we are excited to see face-to-face ministry resume in some capacity at campuses across the country to engage the many students God is bringing to Canada! Students like Michael, who approach the Christian faith out of curiosity and a desire to learn about Canadian culture. They give us opportunities to sow seeds and build relationships.

It has become abundantly clear that international student ministry happens in the context of relationships. We see God using ISMC programs such as FOCUS Clubs, ESL programs, Discovery Bible Studies, Friends for Dinner and Friendship Partners to initiate relationships between international students and Canadians. It is within these relationships that students are introduced to the people of God and to the person and teachings of Christ. While building relationships with Canadians is a heart desire of so many students who come to Canada, our heart’s desire is that they will also have the opportunity to build a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you for joining us on this exciting journey of speaking into the lives of international students! Your gifts and prayers make it possible for ISMC to continue ministering on campuses across the country. Learn more ways to get involved at ismc.ca/get-involved.

Jakob Koch
ISMC President

Students learn about ISMC programs at the Dalhousie Society & Volunteer Expo