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- TeamUfa
- We are a team of people trying to reach people in Ufa and Bashkortostan in Russia. It is no small task and we want your support!
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Tuesday, June 29, 2010
English Language Conversation Groups part 2
3:50 AM | Posted by
TeamUfa
This is the second post regarding our ESL groups. It discusses our Bible discussion groups in Ufa as well as how we build relationships cross culturally.
As mentioned earlier, the ESL groups are very important for making the first contact with people out in public, as there are many people who desire to learn English, practice English, listen to native English speakers and to participate in discussions with native English speakers as well as other local English speakers. When inviting people to the English group, one of the first things they ask is "How much does it cost?" Everything in Russia costs in some way, so they are expecting a cost. We tell them that their time is the only cost. Since it is free, a lot of people are very suspicious at first, so they are very watchful of all we do. It takes some longer than others to begin to feel comfortable. One of the ways we try to make them feel more comfortable is by doing social activities with them so they see us as people in everyday life and not just at English group on a given night. We share the human side of things with our questions, discussions and topics.
As we practice our English, we do discuss all of the different kinds of idioms and terms that have Biblical roots. We do this very casually and non-threatening manner. We talk about their culture and some of their idioms and terms and they realize that many of their terms come from Scripture as well. We also announce at each English group that they are invited to attend our Bible discussion group on Sunday evening. We tell them that we discuss the Scriptures and only the Scriptures.
During the Bible discussions we want everyone who comes to feel safe in the group and not threatened by anything we do. One of the things we do to keep things casual is we sit in a circle around the living room. This makes everybody equal and keeps it from looking like anyone is teaching because we aren’t. Each Bible group time starts with a short prayer. We discuss the society and social issues during Biblical times from the Scripture and draw parallels to today. We discuss what is being said and ask questions have each person Something we don’t do is argue Scripture. Many people have never read the Bible and/or have only gone to church as a symbolic gesture. Many have been wounded by people in the church and are very wary of ‘church things’. We are trying to rebuild that lost trust.
We try to keep the discussions Bible based and use Scriptural references for all discussion topics and areas. We always refer back to the Scriptures when a question is asked. "Let's see what the Scriptures say about that topic." is one of our most used phrases. If we need more information or need deeper research, then we are honest and say we need to look at it further. They normally appreciate the honesty and it is one more way we can build their trust and have further contact with them.
We take careful aim at sharing the Gospel with our group and take every chance to look talk about what Christ did for us. For many people, if they have read the Scriptures at all, they have done it quickly and have not really taken the time to really think about what it is saying. We take our time and encourage questions and comments from people in the group. Having them share their thoughts, feelings and opinions is a great way to learn about them and they see that we care enough to listen and not just preach at them. We also try to talk about misconceptions, misunderstandings, and Scripture taken out of context. One thing we stress is the importance of knowing the WHOLE Scripture.
We share from Scriptures frequently that we are all loved by God and He wants to have a relationship with us and that we can have that relationship no matter what our past is or what we have done in the past. This is a very hard concept for many of them to understand or believe, as they have been taught that you must earn or deserve whatever you get. We encourage as much as possible in all avenues of their lives and let them know that they have value to other people and most importantly to God.
This Bible discussion group and the English conversation groups are really for one thing: to build relationships so we can share the Gospel with lost people. Having refreshments at the groups encourages people to hang around after the discussion has ended. It is during this time we get to have some good conversations with people, many of whom become friends with whom we hang out on a regular basis. We always encourage those who want to visit local churches. (we have a few that we point them toward) Also, we try to get some local believers to come to the groups and interact with the others. That way the group members can know someone in the christian community personally, then the local believer can talk with them about these spiritual things in their own language. Our ultimate goal is for these folks that come to our groups to be exposed to the Gospel, many times if possible.
As mentioned earlier, the ESL groups are very important for making the first contact with people out in public, as there are many people who desire to learn English, practice English, listen to native English speakers and to participate in discussions with native English speakers as well as other local English speakers. When inviting people to the English group, one of the first things they ask is "How much does it cost?" Everything in Russia costs in some way, so they are expecting a cost. We tell them that their time is the only cost. Since it is free, a lot of people are very suspicious at first, so they are very watchful of all we do. It takes some longer than others to begin to feel comfortable. One of the ways we try to make them feel more comfortable is by doing social activities with them so they see us as people in everyday life and not just at English group on a given night. We share the human side of things with our questions, discussions and topics.
As we practice our English, we do discuss all of the different kinds of idioms and terms that have Biblical roots. We do this very casually and non-threatening manner. We talk about their culture and some of their idioms and terms and they realize that many of their terms come from Scripture as well. We also announce at each English group that they are invited to attend our Bible discussion group on Sunday evening. We tell them that we discuss the Scriptures and only the Scriptures.
During the Bible discussions we want everyone who comes to feel safe in the group and not threatened by anything we do. One of the things we do to keep things casual is we sit in a circle around the living room. This makes everybody equal and keeps it from looking like anyone is teaching because we aren’t. Each Bible group time starts with a short prayer. We discuss the society and social issues during Biblical times from the Scripture and draw parallels to today. We discuss what is being said and ask questions have each person Something we don’t do is argue Scripture. Many people have never read the Bible and/or have only gone to church as a symbolic gesture. Many have been wounded by people in the church and are very wary of ‘church things’. We are trying to rebuild that lost trust.
We try to keep the discussions Bible based and use Scriptural references for all discussion topics and areas. We always refer back to the Scriptures when a question is asked. "Let's see what the Scriptures say about that topic." is one of our most used phrases. If we need more information or need deeper research, then we are honest and say we need to look at it further. They normally appreciate the honesty and it is one more way we can build their trust and have further contact with them.
We take careful aim at sharing the Gospel with our group and take every chance to look talk about what Christ did for us. For many people, if they have read the Scriptures at all, they have done it quickly and have not really taken the time to really think about what it is saying. We take our time and encourage questions and comments from people in the group. Having them share their thoughts, feelings and opinions is a great way to learn about them and they see that we care enough to listen and not just preach at them. We also try to talk about misconceptions, misunderstandings, and Scripture taken out of context. One thing we stress is the importance of knowing the WHOLE Scripture.
We share from Scriptures frequently that we are all loved by God and He wants to have a relationship with us and that we can have that relationship no matter what our past is or what we have done in the past. This is a very hard concept for many of them to understand or believe, as they have been taught that you must earn or deserve whatever you get. We encourage as much as possible in all avenues of their lives and let them know that they have value to other people and most importantly to God.
This Bible discussion group and the English conversation groups are really for one thing: to build relationships so we can share the Gospel with lost people. Having refreshments at the groups encourages people to hang around after the discussion has ended. It is during this time we get to have some good conversations with people, many of whom become friends with whom we hang out on a regular basis. We always encourage those who want to visit local churches. (we have a few that we point them toward) Also, we try to get some local believers to come to the groups and interact with the others. That way the group members can know someone in the christian community personally, then the local believer can talk with them about these spiritual things in their own language. Our ultimate goal is for these folks that come to our groups to be exposed to the Gospel, many times if possible.
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