Arlington Chinese School

THE BEGINNING

It was in 1980 that the Arlington Chinese Mission was established within the First Baptist Church of Arlington. At the same time, the parents felt the importance of teaching Chinese to their children. This was the impetus to start the Chinese class. The teachers were the parents themselves. The curriculum materials came from Taiwan and were compiled by the teachers. As the word about the Chinese classes spread, other Chinese families sent their children and the Arlington Chinese School was formally organized. The School became an essential bridge between the Chinese community and ACC. Non-believing parents as well as people moving into Arlington had many opportunities to come in contact with ACC's brothers and sisters. Even some teachers had come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

THE PRESENT

There were 60 students enrolled at the Arlington Chinese School in the Spring Semester 2002. They are grouped into 10 classes. Since the School is the member of the Dallas-Fort Worth Chinese School Association, the students often participate in standardized Chinese examinations and the teachers in Teachers' Evaluation Meetings. In 2001, a free new class was formed to teach children Chinese through the Bible. The objective is to use Chinese hymns and songs to teach Chinese phonetics to the children under six.

During the last few years, we have witnessed how God has blessed and used the school for His purpose. We hope that more people will join us serving in the Chinese School. We hope to coordinate our activities with ACC and its small group activities to reach out to the parents and students. We hope they will come to know our God and accept Him as their Savior.

By Jason Yen, Translated by Shum Ho