According to the North American Mission Board, 1.3 million people in the United States are profoundly deaf.
Factor in the estimate that between 70 and 98 percent of deaf people in the nation are lost, and it is no wonder that Alabama Baptist churches are working to reach the deaf population.
Ministries to the deaf can be found in at least 59 Baptist churches in the state. In addition, there are two churches specifically for the deaf, one in Talladega and one in Birmingham.
Reaching deaf people is not easy. “We have tried about everything you can try,” said Patty Roper, minister of outreach, inreach and special ministries at First Baptist Church, Montgomery, in Montgomery Baptist Association. “Outside activities, banquets, visiting — visiting in the homes is about the most effective thing.”
First, Montgomery, has the oldest outreach program to the deaf in the state, according to Roper. “When they started deaf work in Alabama, they started it here,” she said. “We had the first deaf deacon in the Southern Baptist Convention.”
What seems to work best is when deaf members reach out to deaf prospects, Roper said. On a recent Sunday, one such visit paid off. Two deaf church members paid a visit to someone in the community as part of an evangelism training course.
“We do on-the-job training after the class is over,” she said. “Two of the deaf men went out and visited a man as part of the class and brought him back to the church for the Sunday-night service. He made a profession of faith and joined the church that night.”
Cherybe Thornton, hearing member of The Deaf Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, in Birmingham Baptist Association, agreed that the deaf reaching the deaf is effective.
“We use a lot of different vehicles to reach out but the biggest is friendship,” said Thornton, whose parents are deaf.
When the deaf church first began, it met in another location before accepting the invitation to use a building owned by The Church at Brook Hills. The deaf congregation now numbers 70 to 75 each week.
According to Thornton, there are two formats deaf ministries can follow. One is interpreted ministry, where someone interprets the songs and preaching. With this approach, both aspects of the service are voiced for the hearing members of the congregation and then interpreted by a specially trained sign-language interpreter. This is the pattern followed by most hearing churches that offer a deaf ministry.
Although different sign-language systems are available, the one used in Alabama churches is American Sign Language, which is considered a true language with its own system of grammar and sentence structure.
The other approach to deaf worship is totally different, Thornton said. “These services are led totally by the deaf and the hearing get interpretation,” she said. “The primary intent is to reach and teach deaf people in their own language and culture.”
Some churches, such as First, Montgomery, offer a combination of the two approaches. “We have a separate Sunday School class for deaf adults and one for children. Some of the children choose to go to a regular class,” Roper said. “Our deaf members participate in (corporate) worship … three Sundays a month. Once a month, we have a separate worship.”
Both approaches are also used at First Baptist Church, Andalusia, in Covington Baptist Association, where Cromwell Josey, president of the Alabama Baptist Conference for the Deaf, is a member. “We have had an interpreted ministry for 21 years,” he said. “We have started deaf worship services on the first, third and fifth Sundays and interpreted worship on the second and fourth Sundays.”
Josey, who is hearing impaired, also described a new approach to Bible study. “We just started having Bible studies by watching a DVD of a preacher who uses sign language on Wednesday nights,” he said. “We are trying to be creative in the ways that we minister to one another.”
One of the newest ministries in the state is Wall Highway Baptist Church, Madison, in Madison Baptist Association, with a fledgling interpreted ministry. Terry Frakes interprets the sermons.
Although the church had no deaf members and few prospects, Frakes and others felt there was a need for a ministry. “The pastor put out a letter through the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind and advertised it on the board in front of the church,” she said. The church still has no deaf members but has had some visitors.
Josey affirmed the church’s approach, adding another outreach suggestion. “Once the deaf ministry has started, have a sign-language class in the church, which would show how much the hearing care,” he said.
Josey also encouraged developing leadership among deaf members. “When the deaf take up leadership roles, we see other deaf people wanting to be a part.”
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