Natalie Bishop

natalie, jake and the children

Introducing the New English Language Coordinator

Growing up in a pastor's family, Natalie watched and experienced ministry happen in different contexts among people from rural North Carolina, the north side of St. Louis, and in a small town in southern Illinois. While studying at Concordia University Chicago to be a high school chemistry teacher, she had the opportunity to teach English in China for a summer. This experience clearly demonstrated how powerful it is to serve another person by sharing the English language. It also demonstrated how powerfully God will work through small details and relationships.

After teaching junior high for a few years, Natalie enrolled at Wheaton College, where she earned an MA in Intercultural Studies along with a TESOL endorsement (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Sometimes, English is a New American's third or fourth language!) While completing that program, she also worked as an English language facilitator with the International Student Ministry (ISM, Inc). Instead of returning to China, she continued her service among those from China and elsewhere who had come to complete graduate and post-graduate study programs in Chicago-area colleges and universities.

Natalie and her husband, Jake, moved to St. Louis five years ago with two girls, who are now attending St. Louis Language Immersion School (SLLIS; Chinese program). Two younger boys keep their mom busy at home while Jake works as a computer programmer.

Serving with CFNA will give her a new chance to connect New Americans with volunteers who are working to serve God and love their neighbors. She is eager to support English programs that meet the needs of New Americans learning to use English as they navigate a new country, thereby reflecting the love of a God who created and saved each of us for a purpose.