The first Sunday in July will mark one year since Meadow Brook Baptist Church in Birmingham officially launched a Deaf ministry, an effort to unify hearing and deaf believers in worship and outreach.
The ministry kicked off July 3, 2022, when members of Birmingham Community Deaf Church joined Meadow Brook with the goal of establishing a Deaf ministry. The distinction between Deaf ministry and Deaf church was intentional.
“There was a vision from the Lord to start a Deaf ministry at a hearing church for quite some time,” explained Cromwell Josey, former pastor of BCDC and current Deaf ministry leader at MBBC. “I had been praying and seeking His will and guidance. In November 2021, the Lord had shown me a church with the possibility of a Deaf ministry or a Deaf church there.”
Meanwhile, MBBC had started American Sign Language classes. Pastor Chris Jones’ wife, Ashley, had begun learning ASL at Southeastern Bible College and had fallen in love with the language. Knowing the need for Deaf ministry in Alabama, she started the classes in Birmingham to “raise awareness and equip church members to begin to engage the Deaf.”
Vision for the lost
After hearing about MBBC and its heart for the Deaf community, Josey contacted Jones and shared his vision. The two men emailed frequently and met several times, praying for God’s guidance and discussing practical issues related to reaching this largely unchurched group in Alabama.
Initially Josey’s vision was to partner with a hearing church but have a separate church for the Deaf. Jones’ idea was to add a Deaf ministry. They prayed about the possibilities, and with time, Jones said, “it became apparent that beginning a new Deaf ministry was the right way to go.”
With a broad vision in place, Jones and Josey continued to strategize and think through potential challenges.
“We wanted God to lead, and [we wanted to] honor His timing,” Jones said. “We discussed various scenarios — separate worship, joint worship, facility use, budget, etc. — and considered the pros and cons of each. In addition, we each sought counsel from leadership teams within our churches as well as guidance from outside mentors.”
Seeking the Lord
Josey had additional concerns due to differing opinions within the congregation of BCDC.
“When I first shared the vision with the Deaf church where I was pastor, some were for it, and some were not. Then there was a delay with more discussions and more prayers as we sought the Lord’s guidance,” Cromwell remembered.
“The more I listened to the members of the Deaf church … it became clear that the Lord was speaking to me alone about starting a Deaf ministry, not bringing the whole Deaf church to MBBC.”
Those discussions led to the kickoff last July, and both leaders say the year has been a productive one ministry-wise.
“The members there are so sweet to the deaf [members],” Josey said. “Not everyone can communicate to the deaf in sign language. But the most important part is that they show their kindness to the deaf with their smiles and using their hands to wave at them. Some would stop by our Sunday School class and say ‘hi’ to us which means a lot to the deaf. It will take some time to get to know the members there, but it will be worth the time.”
Jones said he loves “seeing our deaf members sign hymns of praise in unison during worship.”
Challenges
Both ministers also recognize the challenges of the past year.
For his part, Jones said he still wants to learn more about the way deaf believers came to faith — how they “heard” the gospel, who taught and discipled them.
That information, he said, “would have shed more light on the need.”
For Josey, defining the vision was the big issue. It took time to discern that the Lord was telling him to start a Deaf ministry instead of partnering a Deaf church with a hearing church.
“I have had the experience working with the Deaf ministry at a hearing church for 25 years … [and] I have had the experience of being a pastor to a Deaf church for more than eight years,” Josey said.
Both are valuable, he added, and his desire is to be obedient to God’s call to reach the lost and unchurched in the Deaf community, in His timing and plans. Jones agreed.
‘Start with prayer’
“Trust the Lord’s timing,” he said. “Beginning this ministry took about nine months from my first conversation with Cromwell. At times the process felt long, but this happened in the Lord’s time.”
“If others are considering beginning a new ministry, start with prayer,” Jones urged. “Seek the Lord before ever making plans. If it potentially involves another leader, spend time together seeking the Lord. If He is leading it, the way will open in His time.”
In Alabama, there are about 3,200 Southern Baptist churches and 28,000 people who are deaf. Currently, only approximately 200 deaf people are involved with the 37 churches that have communication access for the Deaf.
For more information on Deaf ministry in Alabama, contact state missionary Kristy Kennedy at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.
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