Church of the deaf offers denomination ministry legacy
Church of the deaf offers denomination ministry legacy Feb. 16, 2004 A UMNS Report By Mary Cahill* Charles
Waters is one of the oldest surviving members of the old Whatcoat Black
Deaf Mission. He signs his last name in American Sign Language by
placing three fingers for a "W" over his heart. Waters and his fellow
Whatcoat "alumni" have passed down a legacy of heart-felt ministry. Among
their many bequests to the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference is
Christ UMC of the Deaf. What does Christ United Methodist Church of the
Deaf offer today? - 231
members and 30-plus nonmembers who attend regularly. The congregation
is 46 percent white, 52 percent African American, one percent Hispanic
and one percent non-citizens from Africa.
- Worship in American Sign Language for deaf people.
- Encouragement, training and resources to equip members for ministry within the congregation and community.
- A strong discipleship program, with Bible study, church school for all ages, United Methodist Women and United Methodist Men.
- A prison ministry to deaf inmates.
- A visitation ministry to deaf residents at a mental health institution.
- Religious education at deaf schools and deaf immersion/education experiences for hearing seminary students.
- Deaf mission trips to help develop needed programs and relationships in Zimbabwe and Kenya.
- Camps for deaf and deaf/blind youth and adults at West River Outdoor Ministry Center.
- A food bank and a low-income housing project for deaf clients.
- A
Deaf Shalom Zone that provides collaborative, hands-on ministry and
relationships among deaf people in Baltimore and surrounding
communities.
- "Breaking
the Sound Barriers in your Church," a resource to help hearing
congregations provide translation services and other ministries to deaf
communities.
*Mary Cahill is a writer for the UMConnection, the newspaper of the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference.
News media contact: Tim Tanton · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn.
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