The Mag - WMU

Grace McGraw:
Literacy Missionary
by Libby Quigg
A literacy missionary meets the needs of
English-speaking adults who do not read
and/or write. Grace McGraw tutors schoolage
children with their schoolwork. A
literacy missionary teaches conversational
English to people who do not speak
English.
More than a decade ago, Grace was
a respected public school teacher. She
had her dream job
with wonderful
students and an ideal
environment. She
taught mathematics
for 29 years to
seventh-graders.
Grace always felt
she had a special gift
for teaching others.
Then God called
Grace to become
a missionary. She
had never imagined
that all those years
of teaching in
public schools were
preparing her for
literacy missions.
She left the public
schools to work in East Birmingham and
now West Birmingham neighborhoods in
Alabama.
In Birmingham, neighborhoods are
defined by income level. The east, west,
and north areas are mostly below the
poverty level. In these areas, literacy
and education levels are very low. Most
people in these areas do not have high
school diplomas. They struggle to get
jobs without a diploma so they remain in
poverty. These are high crime areas.
When Grace began her ministry in
Birmingham, she surveyed the people who
lived and worked in the neighborhoods.
She tried to find out what their needs
were and what she could do to make the
community better. The primary concern
was helping the young people learn skills
that would give them more opportunities
for education or employment. The
older generations in
the neighborhood
attend church
and demonstrate
their strong faith.
However, the younger
generations are not
following in this
legacy. Most do not
attend church or
understand what it
means to have faith in
God.
So Grace uses her
teaching gifts to help
teenagers, adults, and
children. While every
day is full of surprises,
Grace has a teaching
schedule she follows.
On Mondays, Grace teaches senior adults
in a Baptist retirement home. She teaches
them to read, increases their vocabulary,
and demonstrates word pronunciation.
On Wednesdays, Grace tutors middle
school students at a nearby Christian
school. She also trains other volunteers
who tutor in the school. The tutoring
program allows her to give individual
attention to each student. She hopes she
(cont. on p. 25)
Did You Know?
• One in five adults in the United States does not read well
enough to read the Bible.
• A lack of reading skills is the primary cause of dropouts
among school-age youth.
• Did you know that 500,000 immigrants move to the United
States each year? Many do not speak English and have
difficulty understanding our culture.
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