SYME is an immersion ESL evangelism and discipleship ministry tar- geting youth in their late teens and early twenties. The home base of SYME is Karuizawa, Japan, a resort center attracting millions of Japanese visitors each year.Most SYME students live in the ministry's dormitory building located on the WOLJ property in Karuizawa. Classes are held in WOLJ facilities, also located on the property. A smaller number of students commute to class each day from their apartments or homes in the community.SYME's ESL curriculum centers on training students to understand and share the Gospel Story-arc and its applications to life and ministry. The daily schedule of classes includes Bible class, Conversation class, Writing/Reading/and Pronunciation class (WRAP), and Evangelism/Ministry Training class. The material for each class amplifies weekly themes taught during daily Chapel time. The same themes are also featured in daily Quiet Time, Family Time, and Sunday worship.SYME students are assigned opportunities to apply what they are learning through various roles they are asked to play in daily chapel time, weekend church ministry assignments, local outreach events, including the use of storytelling, drama, and other forms of evangelism and ministry-training in both English and Japanese. Student life at SYME also includes a variety of cultural and recreational activities.The SYME staff consists of WOL missionaries, interns, and volunteers, all trained in the Gospel Story-arc and in the skills needed to do the ministry. SYME teachers and staff leverage up-to-date technology and teaching methods. Some SYME staff, along with others who are serving elsewhere with WOLJ, utilize their training to produce ESL and other evangelism, discipleship, and leadership materials.The SYME calendar runs from April through the end of November each year in Karuizawa (breaks included). An additional SYME Winter session, including home-stays, is offered in the US each February. One or two-week SYME camps are also offered in a variety of locations around Japan as both outreach and as promotion for the ministry. SYME graduates living in these areas often participate as volunteer staff.On Sundays in Karuizawa, while SYME is in regular session, a church service open to the local community is held each Sunday morning on the property of WOLJ. The church service is organized by SYME and conducted in both English and Japanese, with the aim of recruiting a like-minded staff of church-planters to develop and serve a congregation year round in the same fashion.Graduates of SYME are encouraged to further their formal Bible education in English at one of the WOLBI campuses, with special consideration being given to WOLBI Jeju. Good relationships are cultivated with all SYME alumni through a variety of means, and communication platforms, including alumni retreats, special events, and social media.
Social Link - Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/company/syme-japan
Keywords: education administration programs