How Do You Reach English-speaking Internationals?

This is a question we’ve been pondering since we arrived in Costa Rica. English Christian Fellowship seeks to bring the good news of Jesus to the English-speaking internationals who live in this area. There are over two million people living in the Central Valley, but only a portion of those are English speakers. One website suggests there may be 60,000 English speakers in this area. But most people think it’s less…perhaps 20,000 or so.

So, how do we reach them? We faced a different problem when we planted Summit Christian Church in 1999. At that point, church attendance in Northern Nevada was less than 5% of the population. So, we used an extensive direct mail campaign to get the word out. In Summit’s first year we sent eight oversized post cards to the 20,000+ households in our primary target area. It was costly, but the results were amazing. Over two hundred people became part of the Summit family in our first year.

Pondering and praying about how to reach the “hidden” 20,000+ English-speakers in the San Jose area, we are trying a new approach. This week we put up two billboards on the main highway between the areas where most of the English-speakers live. One billboard faces one direction and the other faces the opposite direction. I’m quite certain that the vast majority of the English-speakers travel this highway regularly.

The question is: Will the billboards catch their attention and cause them to check out ECF? We don’t know for sure. But we’re asking you to pray in this direction. The Bible tells us that at one point God opened a donkey’s mouth to speak clearly. If God can do that, we’re pretty sure he can also use a billboard to spark spiritual interest among English-speakers who are seeking the more and better life that Jesus offers.

We also want to thank you for your prayers for ECF’s Christmas Eve service. We had our largest attendance yet with 43 people…and God’s loving presence was evident. We are encouraged as we continue rebuilding ECF in this new season of ministry for us.

After Christmas, we traveled to Santa Rosa, CA to spend several days with our daughter, Christina, and her family. We enjoyed playing games, sharing meals, laughing, talking and connecting with each other. Their three kids are growing up quickly, so it was nice for Pam and I to be able to connect with each of them.

One of the goals Pam and I set for this year is to develop a new hobby. So, this week we are taking our first golf lesson. Our marriage has weathered some tumultuous storms in the past 43 years. Now, we’ll see how we do on the golf course. Fortunately, we are both at ground zero knowing nothing about how to play golf. We hope it’s a fun new experience that we can both enjoy.

Thanks for your prayers!

Steve & Pam