Signs of Faith
Don’t misinterpret the silence at Woodhaven — it’s the sound of
worship
By MOISES MENDOZA
Houston Chronicle
May 4, 2009
For information on Woodhaven Baptist Deaf Church, visit
woodhavendeaf.org
The silence suggested that this was no ordinary church service.
Only a few people opened their mouths to sing on a recent Sunday at
Woodhaven Baptist Deaf Church. Instead, most moved their bodies to the
beat of the strongly reverberating bass. Parishioners nodded as they
used their hands, speaking in sign language, to follow the song.
The west Houston church is tailored entirely to the needs of people
who are deaf or hearing-impaired.
Interpreters aren’t used here. Instead, the preaching and singing
is done in American Sign Language, the church’s first language.
As one of the few churches in Texas serving the deaf community —
and among the state’s largest with more than 200 members —
Woodhaven sees itself as a bridge between the hearing and deaf worlds.
“We are involved in people’s lives and they’re involved in
ours,” said the Rev. Arthur Craig, who heads the church, and is
hearing, adding that he interprets for members at hospitals and
schools.
Subculture of the deaf
In a world built for the hearing, being deaf means being part of a
tight-knit subculture. The deaf community has its own university in
Washington, D.C., and many people take great pride in the culture that
has developed over the decades.
But people who are deaf also face special challenges. They are more
likely to be unemployed. They also face difficulties as basic as
communicating with police or placing orders at restaurants.
Then there are the spiritual problems.
Churches are made for the hearing. Even when there are interpreters,
messages often get lost in translation, said Jan Dermon, who is deaf
and the wife of one of Woodhaven’s clergy. “When you have
something in your own language, it makes things easier somehow,”
Dermon said. “You need to be able to understand what’s being
said.”
Deaf churches have been around since at least the 1800s, when the St.
Ann’s Church for the Deaf was started in New York City. But when
Lillian Beard began interpreting church services for her deaf parents
85 years ago, Houston had no place where the deaf could go to learn
about God. Over the years, Beard began interpreting church services
for others at Houston’s First Baptist Church.
Hundreds of people who are deaf flocked to the church, slowly
creating a congregation of their own.
In the 1980s a long-held dream came true. The church moved into its
location on Long Point Road. It would be called Woodhaven Baptist Deaf
Church.
Though still a part of First Baptist, now the church would stand by
itself.
“I wasn’t so sure about the church setting off on its own,” the
now 100-year-old Beard said recently. “But I put my trust in God.”
Craig would be Woodhaven’s leader.
Coffeehouse, classes
Craig said he felt a calling for deaf ministry decades ago. That
calling led him to Woodhaven, where he has recruited a diverse staff
of leadership, including some hearing and some deaf.
And as the church has evolved, it has become not just a place for
worship, but also a place for all of Houston’s deaf community.
At a newly built resource center there’s help for people applying
for jobs as well as life-skills classes. There’s also a coffeehouse
where people can watch deaf art performances or just relax.
And then there are sign language courses for the hearing community.
During services, a man at the back of the church uses a microphone to
interpret the sign language into spoken English for the hearing.
As Woodhaven’s service ended recently, a church member signed at
the front as the congregation sang “I have decided to follow
Jesus.”
The parishioners stood up, signed along and stomped their feet on the
ground.
Then the service ended, and just like any other church, everyone
caught up on each other’s busy lives and made post-church plans.
Near the service’s end, Traci Thomas of west Houston went up near
the stage to pray with some clergy. She said she has been attending
services at Woodhaven for 13 years.
“Here they understand the deaf, here I belong,” she said through
an interpreter.
Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6406132.html