The ACCESS Annual Report 2009 is now available.

(This is a bilingual Chinese-English PDF.)

Also available in Chinese

“Do you commit yourself to being a faithful follower of Christ for the rest of your life?” asked the pastor. Choi Ying (not her real name) replied in the affirmative. When she emerged from the baptismal pool, her face was beaming with joy. She smiled at the congregation and waved to her children.

Looking at her now, one cannot imagine that only eight months ago she was in such deep despair that she even thought of ending her life. Abandoned suddenly by her husband and left with two young children, she cried until she had no more tears.

Referred by a friend who attends Boston Chinese Evangelical Church (BCEC), Choi Ying came to ACCESS. She had almost weekly appointments with our Family Service Volunteer to sort out her confusion, discuss her hurt and fears, and seek guidance on how to be a single parent to her two young children. She was determined to help her children grow up to be emotionally healthy people despite their parents’ marital trouble.

Realizing her weakness and limitations, she began to seek God and eventually decided to let God walk beside her. “Now I want to draw close to God … to gain wisdom and strength and receive healing for my body, spirit and soul. I am thirsty for God’s love and help. I want to learn more about God’s word in the Bible and surrender fully to Him. I think it will revive my soul and spirit. I have enough depression… Life really doesn’t have to be that miserable. I want to be reborn with a happy, joyful, and abundant life,” says Choi Ying.

She is extremely grateful for the support and encouragement she has received from Christian sisters at ACCESS and BCEC.

—Sau-Fong Siu

Summerbridge 2009 Slideshow

See the childrens' week with volunteers from the Chinese Bible Church of Great Boston (Lexington).

Some of the Teachers' Favorite Memories:

• The K-1 "Bug" Relay and watching students cheer one another on (by jumping up and down on tables)
• A student asking of their teacher for every blueberry - "Is this one good?" At the end he said that he didn't like blueberries and gave them to the teacher.
• Making an under the sea theme pinata
• During an exercise focusing on disabilities, one student was leading another student who was blindfolded. But the first student saw a butterfly and ran off after it, leaving the other student blindfolded and alone in the parking lot
• Older students encouraging younger ones whilst playing Capture the Flag
• During a "desert journey", this conversation took place:
  Teacher: What can you do during a sandstorm?
  Student: Talk to Jesus!
• Seeing "The Titanic" beat out all other boats in a race due to superior design
• Hundreds more grasshoppers caught
• A student telling a teacher they would be okay in college because "God will be with you even when you run into troubles"
• The chance to tell the students that Summerbridge exists because God loves them and we want to share His love with them

Click here for Chinese Version

Dear ACCESS friends and supporters:

What can you buy with about $4? A large Starbucks coffee or a roundtrip on the Boston subway? Did you know it also pays for an hour of instruction for an adult English Speaker of Other Languages (ESOL) student at ACCESS?

Would you prayerfully consider contributing to our new ESOL scholarship program to support an ESOL student for a month ($100), a semester ($400), or even for a full sequence of 5 courses ($2000) for the next 2 years?

Donate now!

It is our hope that students in our ESOL program would not only gain valuable skills, but also experience the love of Christ through the relationships with staff and volunteers, and the support and prayers of donors. To our knowledge, this privately-supported scholarship program would be unique in Chinatown.

Why now?
During this past Easter season, the board of directors, staff, and volunteers of ACCESS have been praying for a new season of ministry. The past year has been difficult economically for many, and ACCESS was no exception. Due to economic pressures, enrollment in our adult English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program dropped significantly in 2008, threatening the viability of the agency. In early April, the ACCESS board met with some staff, volunteers, and founders during a retreat in order to consider the future of the ESOL program and the agency as a whole. The board voted to implement several cost-cutting measures. However, at the same time, we felt strongly encouraged by God to re-commit ourselves to the original vision of ACCESS to be Jesus’ servants in Chinatown. In the words of our Executive Director from ACCESS’s early years:

Do we see what He sees? Are we following His footsteps as the incarnate Christ: being and living among the common people, enjoying their company, sharing their joys and sorrows, healing and ministering to their needs, informing them of God’s love, care and provisions?

Rebirth for the Adult ESOL Program
In faith, the board voted to re-launch the ESOL program this summer, with a renewed commitment to serving adults with the lowest levels of English language proficiency, a new focus on tailoring instruction to meet the needs and interests of the particular students in each class, and new morning and evening class times. Most importantly, we voted to begin a new scholarship program. Until now, our ESOL program has always been fee-based (even though our tuition fee covers less than half of the actual cost). In order to make as many free- and half-fee slots available to the students in the community, all seven members of the current board have already agreed to seed this scholarship program with a total of $20,000 for the period from May 2009 to December 2010, above and beyond their regular support to ACCESS. We are excited to re-launch our ESOL ministry in the Chinatown community in the midst of this economic downturn as a testament to the abundance love and resources of God. Please join us on this faith journey.

With hope and blessings,

Mei Kee Wong
Executive Directory

Cliff Chuang
President, Board of Directors

Learn more or get involved at ACCESS!

Serve on our ESOL Scholarship Selection Committee and hear our ESOL students’ stories. If interested, please email

Read about one ESOL teacher’s experience here.

Watch a video about ACCESS here.

Join our Intercessory Prayer Team. Please email access- with Intercessory Prayer Team in the subject line.

Work with ESOL students. Our new schedule allows for more flexibility for those considering part-time work, including 4-day-a-week morning classes and 3-day-a-week evening classes. If you are interested in teaching or serving as a conversation partner, please contact or call 617-426-1070 and ask for Susanna.

Work with K-5 Enrichment Program students. We are looking for staff and volunteers for our summer program, and always welcome volunteers during the school year. If interested, please contact or call 617-426-1070 and ask for Becky.