In space provided by a local church, members of the Birmingham Community Deaf Church (BCDC) meet regularly to study the Bible, plan their next missions trip and worship together in their heart language, American Sign Language (ASL).
Though many churches throughout the state offer some kind of ministry for deaf congregants, there is something special about deaf-led worship and Bible study, which is why the North American Mission Board (NAMB) has set a goal to establish 100 new deaf congregations by 2022 as part of Send North America, NAMB’s church-planting strategy.
Starting churches
“An important part of our strategy is to be sure we are starting churches where people feel at home,” NAMB President Kevin Ezell wrote in a 2013 blog post. “Sometimes that might be a little different for others than it is for you and me. Again there is no changing or compromising of the gospel message but a recognition that God created all of us uniquely.”
Currently there are four Alabama Baptist deaf churches in the state: Faith Baptist Deaf Mission, Oxford, hosted by First Baptist Church, Oxford; Deaf Church Bethel, Dothan, hosted by Bethel Baptist Church, Dothan; New Deaf Church, Hoover, hosted by Green Valley Baptist Church, Hoover; and BCDC, previously hosted by The Church at Brook Hills but now meeting at Briarwood Presbyterian Church.
Throughout the state Alabama Baptists are looking for ways to increase their ministry to this small but important people group. Ministry to the deaf brings its own special challenges, however.
One of the primary challenges is cultural, according to Stan Albright, pastor of First, Oxford, in Calhoun Baptist Association. The deaf often feel isolated from others even in the faith community, Albright said.
“The deaf are a silent people group, and it’s more than that they cannot hear,” Albright said. “They often feel like outsiders and feel misunderstood, which is why it is so important to help them find identity and hope in Christ.”
Some studies estimate that as many as 98 percent of deaf people have never heard the gospel, making them one of the most unreached people groups in the world, according to Kristy Kennedy, an associate in the office of associational missions and church planting at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) who works with deaf ministries.
Alabama Baptists are expanding outreach efforts to the deaf by partnering with deaf believers in several ways, Kennedy said. Two major events are the annual meeting of the Alabama Baptist Conference of the Deaf (ABCD), held each year in early March at Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center in Talladega, and Camp Shocco for the Deaf, held each year in July.
Specific focus
Camp Shocco is an especially exciting event because it focuses on young people, Kennedy said.
“At Camp Shocco for the Deaf, we seek to encourage and disciple deaf children and youth as they grow in their faith,” she said.
Kennedy also works with Ricky Milford, a former pastor who is now a missionary with the Coosa River Baptist Association serving the state in deaf ministry. Together they assist with a deaf task force consisting of lay people from across the state and are planning a church planting basics conference for the deaf.
Financial support for deaf churches can be another obstacle to effective ministry which is why state and national partnerships are so important, said Albright, who is currently working with NAMB to find a person to lead the deaf congregation in Oxford.
A third challenge is identifying deaf people in the community who might be reached or engaged in service.
“In a lot of communities we don’t even know how many people are deaf,” Albright said.
Estimates on the number of deaf people in America vary widely. According to statistics compiled by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the incidence of babies born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears is small — 2 or 3 babies in every 1,000 births. One in 8 people in the United States age 12 years or older has hearing loss in both ears, though hearing loss does not necessarily mean deafness. In Alabama, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 2.8 percent of people ages 18 to 64 and 10 to 15 percent of children live with some hearing loss.
In terms of deaf ministry the focus is primarily on those who are deaf from birth or a very young age and whose primary language is ASL. As a result, deaf churches, which are defined as a separate entity led and run by the deaf members, tend to be in metropolitan areas like Birmingham or in areas where a large deaf population exists like Oxford, which is near the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind in Talladega.
Most often, as is the case with the four Alabama Baptist deaf churches, a mother church supports or provides a place for the deaf to conduct church and ministry separate from the hearing church, said Jennifer Eggers, assistant secretary of the Alabama Baptist Conference of the Deaf, and a member of First Baptist Church, Fairhope, in Baldwin Baptist Association.
Throughout Alabama, however, many churches have some kind of ministry for the deaf working to meet the needs of specific members of their congregations, Eggers said. The most common type of ministry is an interpreting ministry where the worship service and possibly a Bible study class are interpreted for one or more deaf members. Sometimes a church might have a deaf ministry in which a deaf teacher leads service or a Bible study.
While interpreting ministries fill a need, deaf churches provide a unique opportunity for deaf pastors and teachers to lead, said Carmen Stewart, a leader in the Deaf Church at Bethel Baptist. Deaf churches also provide a more comfortable worship environment for reaching the lost in the deaf community, she said.
“As with any language, one’s depth of understanding (in worship) increases when it is through one’s native language,” Stewart said.
Stewart said one unique characteristic of many deaf churches is the ability of members to ask questions and clarify information received during the preaching.
To enhance the teaching skills of deaf ministry leaders, BCDC holds workshops for Bible study teachers. Church members also mentor new interpreters, said Cherybe Thornton, a member of BCDC and co-founder of Deaf Online University, a faith-based learning community.
Though deaf ministry brings many challenges Kennedy said the opportunities for outreach are growing.
“We know there is still much to be done, but these are exciting days as we see God’s hand at work bringing the deaf to know Him.”
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Employment key focus of ADRS
In Alabama state assistance for the deaf falls under the umbrella of the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS). According to its website, the mission of ADRS is to “enable Alabama’s children and adults with disabilities to achieve their maximum potential.” Employment is the key focus of the ADRS, and the agency offers several programs to help Alabamians who are deaf or hearing impaired.
ADRS professionals can assist the deaf with vocational counseling and guidance as well as job training. The ADRS also may provide hearing aids, other appropriate communication devices or interpreter services to assist a hearing-impaired individual obtain and maintain employment.
Rehabilitation counselors also can help deaf consumers obtain referrals to obtain services from specialized agencies and direct consumers to other resources as needed. Audiology services are available to help consumers use appropriate technology and enhance their overall communication. (TAB)
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