From the beginning, ACCESS has built its program on a foundation of prayer and listening to God's direction. Join us at our site in Chinatown for the next quarterly prayer meeting on Saturday, October 3, 9:00-11:00 a.m. as we seek God's guidance in being God's extended hands in Chinatown. Whether you can come pray with us on site or will pray at home, please bring to the Lord the following:

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

Thank God for...

• the return of our existing teachers and 2 new ESOL teachers.
• an additional volunteer tester at the start of a new semester.
• the success of the ESOL scholarship program.
• grant money received from English for New Bostonians and the Chinatown Trust Fund.

Pray for...

• cohesiveness of our ESOL team on a spiritual level
• students' adjustments to new teachers, classmates and classrooms.
• the level 1-1 morning class as some students struggle with a non-bilingual teacher.
• the implementation of the ENB grant and the administration of proficiency assessment.
• successful grant award from the Lenny Zakim Fund.

Enrichment Program (EP)

Thank God for...

• the successful completion of summer programs, including the 3rd annual Summerbridge week staffed by volunteers from CBCGB.
• continued relationships between our students, staff and volunteers.
• valued experience and relational strength of our returning
• teachers; many have been at ACCESS for five or more years.

Pray for...

• an EP mother, a new Christian, as a result of Stephen Tong's recent evangelistic rallies in Boston.
• 10 more students to enroll, especially in K-2nd grade.
• the success of a grant being written designed to improve
• English language skills of 5th grade boys.
• the successful implantation of the two front teeth of one of our 4th graders who fell on the playground last week.

Computer Literacy Classes

Thank God for...

• 3 classes scheduled to start at the beginning of October.

Pray for...

• more volunteers to teach different levels of computer courses.
• direction as we explore more effective use of our computer lab.
• The possibility of upgrading hardware in the lab.

Family Life

Thank God for...

• recent baptism of a single mother who used our family support services.

Pray for...

• wisdom in planning the first EP parents' meeting this year and in supporting single parents, especially mothers with boys, (about 25% of the EP students are parented by a single parent).
• wisdom in helping several EP students with learning and/or emotional needs.
• for Mrs. Lo, Mrs. Siu and Mrs. Wong as they demonstrate God's love in their work with parents and families, many struggling with complex problems.

Statewide Head Injury Program (SHIP)

Pray for...

• success in our application and start of this new program.

Administration & Volunteer Support

Thank God for...

• our staff and volunteers who continue to serve so faithfully.

Board & Committees

Thank God for...

• faithful and active Board and committees.

Pray for...

• 2010 board and committee recruitment, that God would bring the right people, particularly as we undertake a process of reviewing our personnel structure.
• success in new efforts in communicating with supporters, fundraising, and grant-writing.
• supporters who will consider regular, ongoing support for the ESOL scholarship program.
• $30K projected annual deficit for 2009.

Read the Chinese version of this prayer letter (requires PDF reader).

From the beginning, ACCESS has built its program on a foundation of prayer and listening to God’s direction, as we seek God’s guidance in being God’s extended hands in Chinatown. Please join us in prayer to the Lord for the following items of thanksgiving and need:

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

Thank God for…

• a successful re-launch of all 5 levels of ESOL classes this summer, with 88 students enrolled.
• the use of space at Tufts and Josiah Quincy Upper School.
• a very good substitute teacher to cover the Level 2 class while Ms. Yoo is in Korea.
• a very hard-working group of teachers with very caring hearts for our students.

Pray for…

• continued coordination of classroom use at Tufts and JQUS.
• teacher Ahyoung Yoo who returned to Korea to visit her ailing grandfather, who then needed to extend her stay for the funeral.
• level 2-0 class working with a substitute for 3 weeks.
• level 1-0 class in general.
• building up of the Body of Christ among our staff.
• the coordination of parking spaces for ESOL and EP staff.

Summer Enrichment Program (SEP)

Thank God for…

• a fully-enrolled program with 52 students enrolled. 32 have so far signed up for the 8th week Summerbridge program.
• the marriage of two Summerbridge leaders on June 27.

Pray for…

• teachers needed on Fridays for our Fun & Fitness Team.
• 7 new teachers and 21 new students.
• a safe and fruitful summer for both students and staff.
• unity and servant hearts among our summer staff.
• the Summerbridge preparation.

Computer Literacy Classes

Thank God for…

• 3 volunteers teaching the pilot children’s computer program.
• full enrollment of the children’s class and 7 attendees of the Beginners’ Adult computer Literacy Cantonese class in May/June.

Pray for…

• 2 adult computer classes starting in the fall.

Family Life

Pray for…

• several particularly needy families in EP program and for those helping them with their difficulties in family relationships.

Administration & Volunteer Support

Thank God for…

• donations of a new desktop computer and an old laptop.
• invitation to provide a recreational program for Mass Rehab SHIP (Statewide Head Injury Program) consumers.

Board & Committees

Thank God for…

• a successful start to our new ESOL scholarship program; with 10 full scholarships and 3 half scholarship awarded.

Pray for…

• clarity about moving forward on fundraising and program planning goals and about board committee structures.
• God to call new members to serve on the board and committees.

Financial Need

Thank God for…

• faithful supporters and new donors who have given so generously to stabilize our cash flow.
• grant awards of $25K from Chinatown Trust Fund and $20K from English for New Bostonians, both for the period 7/2009-6/2010 for the ESOL program.

Pray for…

• $30K projected annual deficit for 2009.

The Re-launching of the Adult ESOL Program

by Mei Kee Wong

The Adult ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Program suffered a drop in enrollment during 2008 due to the recession. In 2009, while offering only 1 class during the Spring Semester, our ESOL coordinator conducted a community survey and found that the need for survival English classes among Chinese immigrants was still great. The finance committee also conducted an in-depth analysis into the viability of providing the ESOL program and its ramifications for the financial health of the agency. The board of directors, after much prayer, decided to re-launch the Adult ESOL Program with the implementation of a new scholarship component.

The scholarship drive was a success. Pledges for 48 semester-scholarships ($400 per semester) were raised. Support for one teacher for one semester also came in. We are extremely grateful to those who gave so generously. On May 26, our ESOL Program was re-launched with five classes, one at each level. So far, 10 full-scholarships and 3 half-scholarships have been given out. Enrollment went from 18 in the Spring Semester to 88 in the Summer Semester.

Among the scholarship recipients, there was a family that had arrived in Boston in mid-June with two teenagers, one in middle school and one in high school. The Boston Public Schools told them that they could not enroll their children until mid-August for the 2009-2010 school year. Worrying about their sons’ English abilities, the parents came in less than a week after their arrival to inquire about enrolling their two sons in our adult ESOL program. Allowing teenagers into our adult ESOL Program has been done in the past, as services for them have been scarce in the summer. When they found out that scholarships were available, they all signed up for our summer classes, the parents in lower levels than the sons, taking advantage of this initial time to improve their English before they were able to find a job. We feel privileged to be able to serve the entire family when they first arrived in Boston. The relative who brought them to us is a Christian, and we are praying that this family will experience God’s love, besides having the opportunity to learn English.

We are also thankful to report that we have been successful in two of our grant applications for our ESOL Program. We have been awarded $25K by the Chinatown Trust Fund, and $20K by English for New Bostonians, both in support of our new scholarship program for the period of July 2009 to June 2010. We continue to seek support to sustain this scholarship program over the long-term. Would you prayerfully consider contributing to support our new scholarship program for July 2010 and beyond?

From the beginning, ACCESS has built its program on a foundation of prayer and listening to God’s direction. Join us at our site in Chinatown for the next quarterly prayer meeting on Saturday, October 11, 9:00-11:00 a.m. as we seek God’s guidance in being God’s extended hands in Chinatown. Whether you can come pray with us on site or will pray at home, please bring to the Lord the following:

ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES (ESOL)

Thank God for…

• three new teachers hand-picked by God. Each of them brings such a range of gifts to their students.
• 50 returning and newly registered students in our three classes.
• the opportunity to equip students with English competencies and to provide relationship-building and cohesion between students and teachers.

Pray for…

• level 3 students who are transitioning to a new book and new teacher despite having a delayed start to their semester.
• a smooth commute for teachers (one of whom comes from as far as the North Shore) who start classes at 8:30 a.m.
• the encouragement of teachers during the early weeks of the semester.
• God’s granting of faithfulness and humility as we serve Him in our ESOL ministry.
• grant applications that have been submitted or are currently being written for support of this program.

BOARD & COMMITTEES

Pray for…

• volunteers with experience in personnel issues/human resources to join the Board and/or committees.
• grant-writing efforts of the staff and Finance Committee.
• wisdom for the board and leadership as we continue to listen to God for his plans for ACCESS.
• planning and recruiting volunteers for an annual banquet.

AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (ASEP)

Thank God for…

• 36 students enrolled in our after school program.
• our teachers—all are returning staff, able to build on existing relationships with students and parents.

Pray for…

• a teacher willing to teach 2 afternoons a week.
• at least 2 (preferably 4) volunteers a day to assist children in all our classrooms.
• acceptance into a federally-funded After School Snack Program that would provide daily free snacks for our students.
• an effective way to minister to our parents, especially in sharing with them the difference between helpful and harmful ways of assisting children academically.
• grant applications that have been submitted or are currently being written for support of this program.

COMPUTER LITERACY CLASSES

Thank God for…

• 3 volunteers staffing an adult computer literacy class in October.

Pray for…

• additional teachers for an additional computer class.

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT

Pray for…

• planning for the hiring of a TechMission Intern for next year, to work on integrating computer literacy into EP and ESOL.
• a suitable, enthusiastic candidate, preferably Chinese speaking.

FINANCIAL NEED

Pray for…

• $58K deficit as of 8/31/08. We trust God for His provision.

From the beginning, ACCESS has built its program on a foundation of prayer and listening to God’s direction. Join us at our site in Chinatown for the next quarterly prayer meeting on Saturday, July 12, 9:00-11:00 a.m. as we seek God’s guidance in being God’s extended hands in Chinatown. Whether you can come pray with us on site or will pray at home, please bring to the Lord the following:

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

Thank God for…

• the use of the Josiah Quincy Upper School for our summer ESOL program.
• excellent ESOL teachers who continually demonstrate an unwavering commitment to their students.
• new possibilities for ESOL ministry.

Pray for…

• teacher recruitment for the fall—at least 4 needed.
• an effective outreach in student recruitment.
• continued collaboration with other Chinatown agencies providing ESOL services.
• available funding to consider expanding the program into surrounding neighborhoods.

Summer Enrichment Program (SEP)

Thank God for…

• full student enrollment in the summer program.

Pray for…

• recruitment for fall EP students, that God would bring the right students and families to our program.
• a successful second year of the Summerbridge week at the end of Summer EP.
• great relationships between staff and students.
• hiring and training of teachers in August.

Computer Literacy Classes

Thank God for…

• two adult computer literacy sessions starting in July, one in Cantonese and one in Mandarin.

Pray for…

• the efforts of teachers and students.
• the opportunity to share the Word through this ministry.

Technology Support

Pray for…

• planning for the hiring of a TechMission Intern for next year, to work on integrating computer literacy into EP and ESOL.
• a suitable, enthusiastic candidate, preferably Chinese speaking.

Board and Committees

Pray for…

• volunteers with experience in personnel issues/human resources to join the Board and/or committees.
• grant-writing efforts of the Finance Committee.
• wisdom for the board and leadership as we continue to listen to God for his plans for ACCESS.
• planning and recruiting volunteers for an annual banquet.