In 2019, a new door opened for ministry.
Rev. Karen Eickhoff shared in the anniversary book that something had stirred in her heart as she thought about refugees, many of whom were misunderstood and mistreated because of language barriers. She had been a schoolteacher and reading specialist and had long hoped those gifts might one day be used in mission work.
That opportunity came through English as a Second Language.
ESL is described in the anniversary book as more than language. For people rebuilding life in a new country, it can help with schools, jobs, hospitals, stores, and everyday social situations. It is a bridge to community and a doorway to dignity.
Rev. Eickhoff connected with Kim Wyatt from Welcome House, a CBF missionary, after meeting her group during Trinity’s Fourth of July Fellowship at North Hills Park. She asked what teaching English as a second language involved, attended training sessions at the Raleigh Baptist Association office, and began observing ESL classes.
Soon after, Kim invited her to help teach at the Smithdale apartments, which house many refugee families.
She said yes.
That “yes” became part of Trinity’s missions story.
The anniversary book describes teaching someone to read, helping them understand American greetings, or walking them through a job application as practical ways to share the love of Christ. Every alphabet lesson and every conversation about nouns and verbs could become a door to something deeper.
That is what makes ESL such a meaningful ministry. It meets a practical need, but it also creates relationship. It honors the dignity of people learning to navigate a new language and a new place. It offers help without making people feel like projects. It builds trust through patience, presence, and care.
At its heart, ESL is a ministry of welcome.
It reminds us that mission does not always begin with a plane ticket or a faraway place. Sometimes it begins with a neighbor, a classroom, a conversation, and the willingness to say yes when God opens a door.
Read More in 70 Years at Trinity
This story was drawn from 70 Years at Trinity: February 5, 1956 – May 3, 2026, prepared in celebration of the seventieth anniversary of Trinity Baptist Church.
For more about Trinity’s English as a Second Language ministry, Welcome House, Kim Wyatt, Smithdale apartments, and Rev. Karen Eickhoff’s reflection, see pages 105–106 of the anniversary book.
