Deaf Ministry: Making New Connections

Deaf Ministry: Making New Connections

By Rev. Leo Yates, Jr.

WHAT? WHO’S MISSING FROM OUR PEWS? The Jones and the Smith families are here. It's the Deaf and hard of hearing people that are missing.  

When we, as concerned viewers seeking inclusion take a careful look around the sanctuary, we’ll likely realize that Deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and Deafblind people are the ones missing. We try to be faithful to the mission of The United Methodist Church (UMC), which is to make disciples for transformation of the world; however, this has been a challenge for many of our churches, as many of us have been losing members. Thinking strategically, we need to be thinking outside the box in order to turn this trend around. Reaching out to new populations that will bring new vitality and focus to the faith community is needed. And we don’t have to go far: many churches may have a Deaf community on their doorsteps and not even realize it. According to an older National Council of Churches report (1997), approximately 10% of Deaf people go to church, while obviously many more feel the church doors are partially or completely closed to them.  

Deaf ministry is an umbrella term for being in ministry with or being inclusive of Deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and Deafblind people and their families. Some of us likely realize that Deaf people have their own culture that is made up of values, beliefs, similar experiences, and a shared sign language that takes part within a Deaf community. When one sees a capital “D” in the word Deaf, it indicates the cultural aspect of the word deaf. Historically, the church has been an extended community for Deaf people, in particular, in the mid to late-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. The church is where Deaf people would gather for social gatherings, worship, and for missional reasons. Though this community has lost numbers, it is still occurring in some areas of The United Methodist Church, such as Pasadena, Maryland, Dallas, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana.

When one considers reaching out to the Deaf community, it's necessary to identify what your church's motives are. For example, having a paternalistic motive is unhealthy and is usually a red flag that will drive away Deaf and hard of hearing people. An all-too-common example of this is not seeing Deaf people as equals, but as a group of outsiders to be converted and ministered to. On the other hand, a genuine desire to be inclusive with an equal opportunity to be a part of the life of the church, an opportunity that would reach beyond coming to worship on Sundays, is a far more desirable reason to reach out.

A Wesleyan approach to community building is to do what John Wesley, the father of the Methodist movement, did—go to the people. This would include learning about Deaf culture by attending Deaf events in the community, learning the (sign) language, and realizing that not all Deaf people are the same. Remember, it's about building genuine, loving relationships, not saving souls (the Lord does this). Mark 7:31-37 describes Jesus healing a Deaf man. In this story, Jesus uses the word, “Ephphatha” that is, “Be opened” (v. 34). Who is to say that Jesus wasn’t actually speaking to the deaf man’s community and telling them (and us) to “Be opened” to this man and include him in their community. For our congregations, perhaps 1 or 2 deaf or hard of hearing people is who we'll have as well. And, that's okay.

The General Board of General Ministries (GBGM) has a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministry committee that offers ministry ideas, grants, and consultation to churches. Also, the United Methodist Congress of the Deaf has jurisdictional leaders who can also offer suggestions and possible resources.

In the book, Deaf Ministry: Ministry Models for Expanding the Kingdom of God (2015), the author recommends using a multicultural framework when growing one's congregation that honors each other's culture within the same faith community (Zuniga, Nagada, & Sevig, 2002). Suggestions include:

1. Sustained communication: explore and develop empathetic connections, and find strength and value in each other's perspectives. Each language group must have equal access to communication (e.g., having interpreters, assisted listening devices, and/or captioning).

2. Consciousness raising: encourage individuals to recognize, question, and broaden cultural understanding from various cultural groups (e.g., sharing cultural norms without oppressing the other cultural group).

3. Bridging of differences: build connections across differences and have a commitment to social justice. It's about building understanding and collaborative ties (e.g., having different cultural expressions within worship).

4. Social justice perspective: maintain a social justice perspective that fosters conversations between various social groups, including periodic reflection (e.g., have a social justice committee that connects to the annual conference board of church and society).

5. Faith: include God in interactions; this would include incorporating moments of grace that assist the church's relationship with God to be the primary focus, not the only focus, but the primary focus (read John 15:17).

There are a number of recommendations for how to begin a Deaf ministry.

1. Prayer: ask God for guidance on what type of Deaf ministry your church should do. Deaf ministry is more expansive than worship on Sundays.

2. Enlist leadership support: having the pastor's support will often help get ministries off the ground.

3. Gather a team: a team is the heart of a successful ministry.

4. Begin small: begin with the people and resources God has provided. Perhaps some fundraising is needed in order to pay a sign language interpreter or to hire a Deaf person to teach a sign language class. 

5. Educate the team and congregation: hold a study about Deaf ministry that may include the book Deaf Ministry: Make a Joyful Silence or invite a Deaf person(s) to teach your team sign language (be willing to pay the person for their time).

6. Include Deaf people into the church: include them in leading worship (e.g. leading the congregation in the Lord's Prayer).

7. Adjust as the ministry grows: re-evaluate the ministry periodically and adjust it where it needs to be adjusted.

Perhaps your church already has a Deaf ministry. Wonderful! Perhaps you're looking for ways to expand it. Suggestions for this include:

1. Include your Deaf ministry on your church's website.

2. Offer a sign language class so several or many people can be familiar with basic conversational phrases (Deaf and hard of hearing people want to talk to more than just the interpreter).

3. Teach the church greeters and/or ushers basic sign phrases (e.g. Welcome, good morning, happy you're here, and bathroom).

4. Work closely with a nearby college ASL program and offer silent dinners at your church.

5. Invite a Deaf choir or a signing choir to perform during worship.

6. Do an outreach ministry by extending your church's hospitality to the community (e.g. bring meals to a habilitative day program in the area or adopt a group home with people with disabilities).

7. Connect to your state or local government Deaf agency. Some have newsletters or email announcements.

8. Subscribe to other Deaf ministries' newsletters so you can be included in any news and stay informed of any locally-held events.

9. Revamp the church's newsletter to include Deaf-related articles (e.g. an article about hearing screenings).

10. Do an outreach to the Alexander Graham Bell Association chapter, or a similar group, in your state that might include providing baked goods and drinks at their chapter meetings. There are MANY hard of hearing and late-deafened people (those who lost their hearing later in life) in everyone's community. Not all hard of hearing people and late-deafened people are a part of the Deaf community. But, that's okay! Some use sign language, while others do not.

There are many more possibilities than just these ideas; what's important is to begin with prayer and see what vision God has for your faith community. Deaf ministry is about rethinking what the church can offer and how it can connect to Deaf and hard of hearing people in your community.

Reference

Zuniga, X., Nagaa, B.R.,& Sevig, T.D. (2002). Intergroup dialogues: An educational model for cultivating engagement across differences. Equity and Excellence in Education, 7-17.

About the writer: Rev. Leo Yates, Jr. is a provisional deacon serving in the Baltimore Washington Conference. He serves on the United Methodist Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries.

News and notes from AMD, 2/3/17

"The Universal Benefits of Disability Culture" from the Longmore Institute. PDF.
https://longmoreinstitute.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/disability_culture_thespecialedge_fall-winter2017.pdf

Stigma, mental health in first responders
https://www.firerescue1.com/fire-chief/articles/188263018-Why-firefighter-mental-healths-top-enemy-is-stigma/

Venus, Mars, and hearing loss
https://katherinebouton.com/2017/01/27/venus-mars-and-hearing-loss/

Think Inclusive: Disabled and loved by God
http://www.thinkinclusive.us/disabled-and-loved-by-god-in-an-ableist-world/

UM Disability blog: Walking on Water
http://umdisability.blogspot.com/2017/01/walking-on-water-jonathan-campbell.html

UM Disability blog: (followup) conversation with representative's office
http://umdisability.blogspot.com/2017/02/reflections-on-conversation-beth-dehoff.html

R-word day tool kit
http://www.r-word.org/r-word-resources.aspx

AAIDD opens nominations for Henri Nouwen Award:
http://www.aaiddreligion.org/conference/henri-nouwen-award/about-award

Advocacy: Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education Act
https://www.change.org/p/united-states-congress-remove-barriers-to-classroom-equality-ensure-accessibility-of-instructional-materials

--

Click here for a list of events of interest to people in disability ministry.

This newsletter is generally issued weekly by the
United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities,
a caucus of the United Methodist Church.

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Reflections on a conversation -- Beth DeHoff

In a previous post, Beth DeHoff shared a letter she sent to her representative about health care and insurance. Today, she writes about the meeting which came about from that letter. 

(A reminder: the UMC identifies health care as a basic human right and advocates for universal coverage.)

I was describing the devastating effects that blanket repeal of the ACA and block granting Medicaid would have on my family and son to my congressman's staff member today. We carry insurance on our son. Medicaid is only secondary. But it allows for us not to be bankrupted by co-pays, deductibles and uncovered expenses as we nearly were before Kyle got his waiver. Likewise, without the ACA, Kyle hits his lifetime max quickly and loses insurance, and can't find other insurance due to significant pre-existing conditions. A block grant of Medicaid cuts funding; if he loses his Medicaid waiver, he loses his nursing care after school and one of us, his parents, loses our job to care for him.

I told this staff member all this and told him most families of children of any age with disabilities depend on these programs to function, to work, and to not depend on welfare, but that most of us simply cannot afford to lose these supports and stay afloat. He said there are probably some families in that position. I said no, not some, most. I said unless you happen to have a lot of money going into your life with your child with disabilities, you cannot make it without supports. Cutting these programs threatens kids' lives and families' livelihood.

My congressman's staff member said my congressman, Todd Rokita, is primarily concerned with controlling the federal deficit and needs to see how health care can address these needs while saving money or remaining budget neutral. The thing is, all these folks with health care needs without insurance will have desperate families, showing up at ERs without insurance or the means to pay. Health care costs will rise. Premiums will rise. Programs like food stamps and WIC will see more clients, more demand.

I can make the fiscal arguments. I can remain open to better solutions. I can not care what they call it or who takes credit for it if they can figure out a truly "better way." I sincerely hope Rep. Rokita and his colleagues can be open to the additional information I'll send, and truly work for a solution that doesn't tear down but preserves and even builds up public health. If so, I'm happy to help and report their good work. 

What I cannot do is morally justify seeking debt reduction through cuts on health care and coverage, especially not on the backs of children, youth and adults with disabilities, on the backs of senior citizens in long-term care, or on the backs of pregnant women in poverty. Maybe it's easier because these people largely lack a voice. But that's wrong, plain and simple. And no matter the obstacles, I will not give up helping to give my son and others a voice, and to remind my elected officials of the real lives from which they often are so far removed, and the real consequences of their decisions on their most vulnerable constituents.


Beth DeHoff, MPH, works as a family support coordinator in Indianapolis. She is a member of First United Methodist Church in Mooresvile, IN, and co-leader of the Indiana Conference Disability Ministries committee. She has been a member of the UM Disability Ministries Committee and Speedway UMC Special Needs Ministry. Her son Kyle has Down syndrome, autism and is a leukemia survivor.
Reprinted from Broken and Chosen with permission of the author. 

Walking on Water -- Jonathan Campbell

I wanted to share what I spoke about on Sunday (1/29/17) in worship. I was preaching about Peter walking on water and the problem of fear. Below is a portion of my sermon:

A couple of weeks ago, my wife came up to me and said, “I have something to tell you, but I don’t know how exactly.” I braced for impact. She went on to tell me that she recently noticed a lot more people making fun of me in public. I would like to say I was surprised, but as a person with a lifelong disability, I was not. 

I have, over time, come to realize that the individuals who mock others with disabilities do so out of fear. 

They’re afraid because people with disabilities are a reminder of their own mortality. They’re afraid of their own perceived weakness. They’re afraid about how their job, their relationship, and their lives are going wrong. They project that fear on others, often people with disabilities, because it makes them feel better about themselves. However, fear never makes us stronger or better. 

 I know a lot about fear. During elementary school I was severely bullied. I wish I could tell you I always dealt well with the fear and frustration, but I didn’t. For most of my youth I built a wall around myself to keep from being hurt. During the summer before I began middle school I had a growth spurt. When I went to middle school that year I was twenty pounds heavier and over six feet tall. When the first person tried to bully me I turned to violence in retaliation. But, neither of those “solutions” solved the problem. These “solutions” didn’t bridge the wide chasm of misunderstanding between me and my bullies.

We can easily lose ourselves in fear. Countries can also lose themselves in fear. Terrorism is scary, and as a country we must deal with that real problem. But, judging people solely by their religion, race, or national origin won’t make us safe. Like Peter, our actions based in fear, will only exacerbate the problem. 

I doubt I will ever get to have a conversation with those who made fun of me behind my back. If I could, this is what I would like to say to them. I’m more then my disabilities and when you look at me, or any person who is different than you, through the lens of fear you don’t see our humanity. I’m just the guy with the spastic arm and weird limp. You don’t see me as a husband to a beautiful and loving wife or the father of three wonderful boys. You don’t see me as a pastor with two master’s degrees. You don’t see a long suffering Eagles’ fan. You don’t see me! I would like to let them know that the disabilities they made fun of where the things that made me a stronger and a better person. I would tell them about a man named Jacob and how he met God and walked away with a limp. I would talk to them personally, and tell them that their weaknesses are the very things that can make them stronger. 

So, what do we do about our fears? We learn from Jesus. Jesus reached out and rescued Peter when he was gripped by fear. He then reminded Peter that he need not doubt himself or live in fear. We can help each other find the strength not to be controlled by our fear. Unfortunately, sometimes it feels like my default position in life when trouble hits is fear. What can we do to help one another? When you see that I’m facing a situation that is making me fearful you can remind me that fear won’t solve the problem, and I’ll do the same for you.

Jesus calls us to reach out and offer our hand to rescue those living in fear. I hope you will join me in contacting your local and national leaders to remind them we shouldn’t make decisions out of fear and judging people by their race, religion, or national origin won’t keep us safe. We must remember the powerful and true words of 1 John, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.” Through the grace of God may we help each other, our neighbors, and our leaders step out in love and not fear.

Jonathan Campbell is pastor of Old First UMC in West Long Branch, NJ. This is not an official statement; only the General Conference can speak for the UMC.

News and notes from AMD, 1/27/17

Following and inclusion
http://www.disabilityandfaith.org/the-unhidden-word-guest-post/

Disability and Faith Forum
http://www.disabilityandfaith.org/?wysija-page=1&controller=email&action=view&email_id=101&wysijap=subscriptions&user_id=58

Judith Heumann, disability advocate TedX talk on You Tube
https://youtu.be/ABFpTRlJUuc

Please don't offer to pray for me
https://stephenkuusisto.com/2016/01/26/please-dont-offer-to-pray-for-me/

Disability history book review
https://networks.h-net.org/node/4189/reviews/163669/black-metzler-fools-and-idiots-intellectual-disability-middle-ages

Deaf History book reviewed
https://networks.h-net.org/node/4189/reviews/163453/atherton-greenwald-and-murray-our-own-hands-essays-deaf-history-1780

Advocacy: open letter to ABA on the ADA
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdGCeu9knUilZcW2k7H_IMyYnRP1P2YQWvM-QlwVV-fRu_61w/viewform 

Click here for a list of events of interest to people in disability ministry.

This newsletter is generally issued weekly by the
United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities,
a caucus of the United Methodist Church.

Click here to join this e-mail list.
Visit us on the web or Facebook. 

News and notes from AMD, 1/20/17

Fact Sheet: ACA and disability
http://www.advocacymonitor.com/fact-sheet-the-affordable-care-act-and-the-disability-community/

Anabaptist Disabilities Network on health care
http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=fc4d1d6b69c4ca3b7c360527d&id=c9e7d4a1e2&e=3be94e61ff

UMCD offers Sarah Wilke our congratulations and our thanks. Sarah was responsible for ensuring there was an ASL presence at the World Federation  of Methodists in Houston. This captured the attention of many people, and led to discussions about ASL expansion at General Conference.
http://www.scarrittbennett.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Wilke-news-release-SBC-SEW.pdf

The Feast at Highland Park UMC
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/highland-park/2017/01/12/highland-park-united-methodist-church-focuses-special-members-weekly-feast-service

Language and portrayals
https://blog.samhsa.gov/2017/01/09/the-power-of-language-and-portrayals/#.WIC-tvkrLIU
     

Click here for a list of events of interest to people in disability ministry.

This newsletter is generally issued weekly by the
United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities,
a caucus of the United Methodist Church.

Click here to join this e-mail list.
Visit us on the web or Facebook.

News and notes from AMD, 1/13/17

 January newsletter from DHM
http://www.umcdhm.org/news/index.html

Curb cuts and public benefit
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_curb_cut_effect

Thoughts about charity: are "saviors" inherently discriminatory?
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/38989-saviors-believe-that-they-are-better-than-the-people-they-are-saving

Advocacy: the importance of Medicaid
https://withoutacrystalball.com/2017/01/06/the-real-fear-of-losing-medicaid-one-mothers-perspective/

UM Disability blog: Heath care
http://umdisability.blogspot.com/2017/01/health-care-and-invitation-beth-dehoff.html

CripPastor blog
https://crippastor.wordpress.com/2017/01/12/health-and-the-real-me/

Advocacy: Health care alerts from The Arc
http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=b516ab2850dff6a42eff1a9e7&id=407f6e92aa&e=61b0cca606

Notice to AMD members: 

The members of the UMAMD committee on nominations wishes to extend to The Rev. Dr. Robert Walker, our sincere gratitude for the hours of skillful time and dedication he gave to the Association of Ministers With Disabilities, both serving as editor of the book Speaking Out, and serving as chair of the association's social action committee. As such, Bob spent many hours helping the committee to revise and distribute petitions for the 2016 general conference. We are pleased to let you know that, upon Robert Walker's resignation as chair of the social action committee, due to age and personal concerns, The Rev. Evy McDonald, a retired elder, has agreed to serve as the chair of the social action committee.

If you have any objection or prefer to submit another name for consideration, please contact one or both of the Association co-chairs, Rev. Russel Ewell or Rev. Janine Delaunay. If no comments are received by January 25, 2017, Evy shall be elected by acclamation.

The nominating committee is considering that all the officers who were elected at our last meeting in Dallas in 2015 are willing to remain in the offices to which they were elected. If not, PLEASE contact, The Rev. Nancy Webb, chair of the nominating committee, at 1-410-444-7222 or njwebb@verizon.net

Annual dues of $25 are due to Greg Edwards, treasurer, United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities,

1955 Chevy Chase Lane, Beaumont TX 77706, during the month of January 2017.

Click here for a list of events of interest to people in disability ministry.

This newsletter is generally issued weekly by the
United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities,
a caucus of the United Methodist Church.

Click here to join this e-mail list.
Visit us on the web or Facebook.