What is FriendSpeak

What is FriendSpeak?

Friendspeak is an internationally known program offering the chance to improve your English skills through creating meaningful conversations using the book of Luke from the bible!

FriendSpeak is designed for those who already speak a little English, but who want to practice “conversation”. FriendSpeak is not an official “teaching” curriculum for language, reading, or writing.

The reading sessions are between 45 minutes to one hour in length. Part of the time is spent in friendly conversation, the basis for a non-threatening, relaxed, and caring atmosphere. The remainder of the session is spent using a lesson from one of the FriendSpeak workbooks. (There is a series of workbooks, each of which contains lessons with excerpts from the Bible, as well as comprehension and thought-provoking questions. The first workbook is from the book of Luke.)

The sessions take place at Church on Sundays from 4:00-5:00pm.

• Free English conversation classes
• One-on-one environment
• Focus on conversation
• Practice listening, speaking and vocabulary skills
• Learn conversational English not textbook English
• Builds confidence in speaking
• Make a friend
• Friendly, casual atmosphere

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

FriendSpeak trains and equips churches to reach out to our international neighbors with English, friendship, and the Word of God. FriendSpeak got its start in the early 1990’s as returned missionaries helping foreign college students practice their English while using biblical texts. Today, FriendSpeak offers a proven set of tools and full range of training that enables all Christians to respond to the changing demographics in our communities.

The FriendSpeak strategy is effective because it offers people something they want but have difficulty finding -- a friend who will help them improve their conversational English. Unlike traditional English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes, language missions, or literacy programs, FriendSpeak is conducted in a one-to-one setting with the emphasis on relationships and meaningful conversation, not on teaching the text. The result is a series of heart-felt conversations about faith, love, and the source of abundant life!

FriendSpeak has trained over 200 churches throughout North America, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Talk to anyone on a FriendSpeak team, and you will quickly sense our passion for serving among God’s people. As students and immigrants from every corner of the globe arrive at the University of Texas at Dallas and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Christians in our area have an opportunity to reach the whole world with the Good News of Jesus.

This program allows people opportunity to practice their conversational English skills. The conversations, however, are based on materials taken from the New Testament, so that the Reader is exposed to the Word of God in a friendly setting. Also, naturally, Readers raise questions about what they are reading, which opens the door for Workers to share their faith in a very non-confrontational environment. While some Readers are initially interested only in the English; with time, the conversations will turn from grammar and pronunciation to spiritual themes. Our hope is that it plants seeds of faith in Jesus in each Reader. As a result, the worker's life is changed and blessed too!