"I thought my child would learn something about Christians at the school,” said a Buddhist parent when she registered her child to attend the Christian Vietnamese Language School. The school meets each Sunday at the El Monte Vietnamese Church.

About 40 Vietnamese children, ages 6 to 16, meet each week from 10 a.m. to noon during the school year to learn the Vietnamese language. According to Pastor Vinh Nguyen, this is the second year of the school, which includes a lunch with a Vietnamese menu.

The students are grouped in four classes to learn reading, writing and conversation in Vietnamese. Parents learn about the class through ads placed in the Vietnamese newspaper and on Vietnamese radio. The fee to join the class is $60, which covers materials and lunch. All school personnel volunteer their time, including the woman who cooks the lunch each week. Some teachers are interested community residents with language skills.

“We offer the classes as a ministry to the Vietnamese community in our area,” said Nguyen. “During the year, we plan one or two holiday programs in the church in which we can involve the students and invite their parents to attend. Last Christmas, we had them learn to sing Christmas carols. This year, students will demonstrate their growing language advances by participating in a Christmas play scripted in Vietnamese."

“About 80 percent of the students are from the community and 70 to 80 percent returned for our second year," noted Nguyen. "Most of the students come from Buddhist homes or from families with other non-Christian beliefs. I am preparing a communication textbook about Christianity for students to use in their classes.

“Since I am not teaching in the classrooms and cannot add Christian words or thoughts there,” said Nguyen, “I make it a point to open each class with prayer.”

In addition to the school, the El Monte Vietnamese church conducts a printing ministry in which the pastor and Cynthia, his wife, and some church members are involved in writing, translation and printing materials in Vietnamese. The materials are for the church to use in outreach to the local Vietnamese community. The are also available to Adventist Vietnamese churches across North America and in Vietnam. Pastor Nguyen also produces and distributes the Vietnamese Sabbath school quarterly.

“I think the school is one of the good ministries that our church has started,” Nguyen said. “Health events that we host have appealed to older people in the community. We are thankful that the school is appealing to young adult and middle-aged parents.

Thuy Trang is a church member who volunteers to teach the first-level class of students, ages 8 to 12. She willingly gives her time because, she said, “I love children, and I love my language. I think it is important for Vietnamese children in this country to learn their language.

“I ask students, ‘Why do you come to this class?’” Trang said. “Students tell me, ‘Because I am Vietnamese and Vietnamese is my language, and I need to understand my culture and my history.’” Trang, who served as a teacher when she lived in Vietnam, hopes to focus on both Vietnamese culture and history after students have learned more language basics. Currently, she is a quality control inspector for a manufacturer of aircraft instruments.

She loves her work with the students. “I am so happy every time I can see students learn to read and write, or pronounce correctly—even if they have not learned much.”