by Terry Glover

Somewhere around the spring of 2007 I read an article in the California Southern Baptist about a new ministry working with international students. I contacted the church in Fresno that had set up that ministry and arranged for the coordinator to explain it to our congregation. That fall semester we set up this simple program in our church.

Working in conjunction with the director of international students at our local community college, we promoted the program, offering a free dinner and the opportunity to develop English-speaking and comprehension skills. By about the fourth week word had gotten around the college campus and the Lord had provided us with a dozen students or more.

What an exciting opportunity for our church members to engage with people from other parts of the world! After assessing individual English skills each student was assigned to their appropriate group. At this point adult members of our church - known as "Adult English Partners" - were assigned to a group of students (or an individual student). Sometimes high school or even middle school students from our church were involved and they were known as "Helpers."

The results of this ministry are multifaceted.

First of all, their English-speaking and comprehension skills increased at a notable rate, which was confirmed by the college's director of international students. This was important because students have to pass their English proficiency test in order to be accepted into a university. Many of the students are going to be doctors, corporate CEOs, lawyers and communication experts, people in high position and influence in their country.

Secondly, we established relationships with people from different countries and cultures. God has shown us the reality of unity amongst such diversity - the common thread of humanity. Some of these students moved out of the college dorms and into the homes of church members; one is our son's roommate in our home. Our son is learning to write and speak Korean.

How will God use this ministry to influence our son, our family? And families in our church for God's Kingdom work?

Third and most important of all, we have the opportunity to share the love of Christ with these international students. We have the privilege to put into practice that which Christ has taught us to do, to be "the light and salt of the Earth" and "to plant the seed" of the Gospel of Christ. Some of these students will go on in their lives and/or go back to their country with a positive impression of Christians. Some will continue their lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ on their hearts.

We are very up-front with the director of international students at the college and the students themselves, that we are Christians. We meet at our church, we pray at each session when we begin, and we close in prayer asking if anyone has anything they would like us to pray for. We openly invite them to our Sunday morning college class held at a local coffee shop and we invite them to come to church if they would like to learn more about our faith and culture, expanding their knowledge. We let the students know that they will not offend us if they choose not to participate and that we do not want to make them feel pressured or uncomfortable.

The best result: one Korean and three Japanese students received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior! One Japanese student said she has no family history of faith in God of any kind, but now she knows the one true God! She was baptized in our church along with a young man from South Korea who was already a Christian but had never been baptized in obedience to Christ.

This is a great opportunity for global evangelism within your home church - an opportunity to make a mark in the world through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

(Glover is pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Coalinga.)