Imagine that you are a professional person with only one thing preventing you for gaining employment – a language barrier. They say when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and in Bermuda that means being able to speak English.

Pastor Ariel Manzueta of the Warwick Seventh-day Adventist Church is helping Bermuda's Hispanic community be more "Roman" under the auspices of the Hispanic Ministry Department of the Bermuda Conference of SDA.

The Warwick church hosts an English as a Second Language (ESL) class for Hispanics on the island. Hailing from countries such as Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Peru, about 25 individuals come together to learn or improve their English skills. The idea came about just over two years ago that to serve the Hispanic community by assisting them in their language skills was to ultimately assist them in their social skills.

Pastor Manzueta notes that, "Many of these people might know English enough to do their job, but the more they know, the better they can serve. When they are socially happy, they perform better."

The benefits don't end there, either. Students at the class also gain valuable time for social interaction and activities such as t

Students begin with an evaluation to determine their English proficiency level. They are asked why they want to learn English, and based on the assessment, they're placed in the conversational or advanced class.

The Bible is used to help students write English sentences and learn pronunciation through stories like Adam & Eve or David & Goliath.

The main curriculum is a Bible-based, fun and action packed by which students are exposed to Bible characters. Learning will also be reinforced through the well-recommended Rosetta Stone, which is a complete curriculum in itself.

Pastor Manzueta guesses that there are more than 1,000 Hispanics on the island with some being married to Bermudians and some as guest workers.

The church reaches out to these people in other ways as well by offering a bi-lingual worship service on Saturdays at 6:00 pm.

"We wanted to provide an opportunity for them to worship in their own language," explains Ariel.

"The service is translated, so if anyone wants to attend to improve their Spanish skills, they are more than welcome."

A special event is coming up on December 5th that is an extension of the class: an international dinner.

Called "Getting to Know our Culture" this tastebud festival will include typical dishes from the various countries of the participants.

Enjoy some exotic dishes at the church from 1-4PM at the Warwick SDA church on South Shore.

The challenge of teaching ESL is slowly being met by the volunteers at the Warwick Church, but they could always use more help.

If you are able to assist by teaching ESL, or if you are interested in multi-cultural ministries, please contact the pastor. The class is free on Sundays from 2-4 PM. Child care is available.

If you know of someone that would benefit from the ESL Class, or if you would like to offer assistance, contact pastor Manzueta on prmanzueta@gmail.com or call on 236-0077.