By David Winfrey

Garden Grove—Reading a book – something many people take for granted – changed how Monta Jo Erikson views the world of literacy missions.

A pastor’s daughter, Erikson had always had an interest in missions. But she said she began reconsidering God’s call to missions for her life after reading “Making the Word Known.” That book, by literacy missions leader Lillian Isaacs, describes the needs and mission opportunities provided through literacy training.

“I thought, ‘Oh, I could do that when I retire,’” said Erikson, a former elementary school teacher. But as she watched more internationals come to Orange County, she decided to get involved sooner.

 “We have the largest Vietnamese population in the nation,” she noted. Many new residents needed English as a Second Language courses. “I thought this is something I can do.”

Her involvement resulted in being named to a local leadership and training role. In 1993 she was named CSBC state literacy coordinator. A Mission Service Corps volunteer, Erikson doesn’t receive a salary for her work, but CSBC pays for her teaching materials and related expenses.

Today, Erikson seeks to raise the awareness of the need for literacy missions as she urges churches and California Baptists to become involved.

“Literacy missions” is the term used to describe three related ministries: teaching adults to read and write, tutoring children to improve their literacy skills, and teaching internationals English as a Second Language.

Many more literacy ministries are needed, she said. “We have such a need,” she said, noting the following statistics:

• According to the U.S. Census, 42 percent of California’s population (14 million) speaks a language other than English at home.
• The National Center for Education Statistics found in 2007 that 38 percent of California’s 8th graders tested below basic skill levels for reading.
• The NCES estimated in 2003 that 6 million California adults lack basic reading skills.

But many ministries are declining, Erikson noted. “Some of our ministries have closed down, our volunteers are getting older and some of them are stopping.”

She can name only one adult literacy ministry in the state, a program in Kern County.

Tutoring ministries have grown recently, she said. “There’s more awareness on cutting back on teachers, and more dropouts,” she noted, saying, “More churches are beginning to look at this as an outreach.”

English as a Second Language (or ESL) is the most common literacy ministry, she said.

“Here in Orange County right now, we have a very large ESL ministry with about 35-40 attendees over the past year. Fifteen have made professions of faith.”

Erikson said she spends a lot of time assuring prospective volunteers that “they can do this.”

“They see it as a need, but many people are afraid,” she said. “They feel they have to be a professional teacher,” which is not the case.

Armed with training materials from the North American Mission Board, Erikson teaches volunteers that literacy missions can be as simple as one-to-one conversation with an international student who is eager to improve his or her pronunciation.

“A ministry does not need to be a full-blown after-school care thing,” she said. “It can be one volunteer, one student.”

Erikson requested prayer that more people would learn how they can get involved in literacy missions, and “have a desire to assist their neighbor with their physical as well as spiritual need.”

Because California Southern Baptists pray for and give to the California Mission Offering Erikson is ministering through literacy missions to demonstrate “Love With Action.”

To view a short video of Monta Jo, click here.