The Miracle at Gwathmey Baptist Church
Gwathmey Baptist Church set out on an adventure to minister to the non-English speaking residents in their community. They received a life lesson that is a theme throughout the Bible.
At least twenty-two volunteers at Gwathmey Baptist Church were led by their pastor, Rev. Butch Hutson, to begin what they believed was an English as a Second Language (ESL) program. This Ashland area congregation soon realized, was that God had to turn this into a ministry in their hearts.
The volunteers met diligently for eleven weeks, even though not a single student came. The volunteers were good stewards of their time by continuing to pray and have Bible studies. God used this extra time to prepare each volunteer's heart. Marilyn Towsey, the leader of Gwathmey's ESL Ministry, shared the following highlights from what God taught them:
Essentials the Son would have you Learn (ESL)--
- Learn the first language which is Love
- Preparation precedes invitation
- God must shape us to fit the vision
- Be faithful in the small things
- Wait on the Lord, in prayer; then let him lead you out of your comfort zone
- Be prepared, be patient, and persevere
- Don't quit because you haven't seen results
- Learn to listen to their [ESL students'] hearts as well as their words
From the Hebrews' wandering in the desert seeking the Promised Land, through the Psalms agonizing over waiting upon the Lord, the essence of what the volunteers at Gwathmey Baptist Church experienced is truly a Biblical lesson. Could each of us wait eleven long weeks, with no results, and not give up?
On the twelfth week, after spending a lot of time together but without a single student, Gwathmey Baptist Church threw a celebration banquet. While they were enjoying fellowship with each other, five people rang the church's door bell. From these five people, Gwathmey now has an average attendance of fifteen to twenty students each Sunday.
Marilyn attended the ESL training at Dover Baptist Association, which was led by Jennifer Chrisman. Dover will provide ESL training again August 8-10. For more information about ESL training, call the Dover office at (804) 550-1980.
For more information about this ESL ministry, please contact the Gwathmey Baptist Church office at (804) 798-6615.
