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Churches offer interpreted services, socials to reach the deaf - The York Daily Record
When it was time to say grace, no one bowed their heads.
Instead, people stopped their conversations and turned to face a woman standing on a chair in the middle of the crowd.
She nodded, made eye contact with those nearby and began to pray, her hands moving in the precise, fluid gestures of American Sign Language.
"We pray you'll be with the deaf and hearing communities, that they can socialize with each other, that they can improve their social skills and their understanding of each other today," said Annie Hardway, turning in small steps on the chair so to address the whole room.
Hardway's welcome opened one of the year's most popular get-togethers for the Deaf Fellowship of Living Word Community Church in York Township. It is one of the few local ministries to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The fellowship sponsors ASL Socials in the church's coffee bar five times a year, drawing between 50 and 150 people. On off months, the socials move to the café at Border's Books and Music in Springettsbury Township, which draw about 25.
"My biggest problem is getting out and socializing," Jenny Gorden, 33, of Harrisburg said through an interpreter. She recently moved to the area to work as a rehabilitation counselor for the deaf.
"It's limited what we can do to get together and see one another in our own language. . . . (It's important), the social act of having access to people of the same mind."
Volunteers Hardway and husband Mark of Springettsbury Township helped seed the fellowship at Living Word in 2001. They interpreted worship services, then started teaching ASL classes to members and others interested in learning to sign.
The events began as a way for the deaf to socialize with one another, but people new to interpreting often attend to practice their skills and make friends.
"Typically, the deaf community likes to get together face to face to chat," Hardway, who
Soon, people were attending from around southcentral Pennsylvania. People from all religious backgrounds are welcome, whether they're church-going or not.
"The main thing is to be able to give back to the deaf community and make sure they have the opportunity to hear the Gospel," Hardway said.
Several people at the November social said they regularly attend one or more churches in the area. Their choices, however, are limited.
Only five or six congregations in York County regularly offer interpreted worship services to the deaf and hard of hearing.
"It's not like a hearing person who can go anywhere you want," William VanWhy said through an interpreter.
"When I first moved here, the closest church with an interpreter was too far away, so I didn't go."
VanWhy, 55, of York Township started attending Living Word after learning about the interpreted services during an ASL Social, he said. Now, he arrives early on Sundays to set up placards that reserve seating for the deaf near the back of the sanctuary.
There, special lighting illuminates the interpreter even if lights go down elsewhere in the room.
At Grace Fellowship in North Codorus Township, volunteer Brenda Klinedinst signs during most worship services, even if she's unsure anyone needs the translation, she said.
"While we don't have any deafs coming right now, it's better to be prepared," she said. "Sometimes the deaf will come and mingle with the crowd just to observe."
For those with hearing loss who don't sign, many area churches offer assistive-listening devices for congregants.
A 2006 state law requires interpreters in Pennsylvania be certified by a national body to ensure deaf consumers receive accurate translations.
The law does not cover worship services or religious education, so volunteers without certification may serve in those capacities without penalty, according to the state Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Director Sharon Behun said the office regularly receives inquiries from deaf people and individual churches searching for interpreters for worship.
"Some interpreters only work in a church setting," Behun said. "They already understand and believe in the particular tenets of the church, which leads to a more accurate translation."
But interpreters often aren't available.
Hardway said the interpreter agency she owns, ASL Services, gets calls from congregations, but it can be difficult to locate professionals who are willing and available.
"That's hard because often the people willing to go and interpret at a church are already involved in interpreting at a church," said Mark Hardway, who's also an interpreter and who works for his wife's company.
In some cases, an interpreter doesn't feel comfortable interpreting for an unfamiliar congregation or denomination because they don't know the correct signs for different parts of the liturgy, for example.
Most people prefer a clergyperson who can sign to an interpreter, but those, also, are scarce. Lancaster County is home to a couple of deaf churches, including a Mennonite congregation, said interpreter Gloria Myers of Ephrata.
"It's a blessing when you find a church where the speaker knows sign language because you get God's message through them -- just like a Spanish-speaking person would prefer hearing from a person in their language, rather than secondhand," said Myers, who interprets at Manor Brethren in Christ Church in Mountville.
For similar reasons, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg decided several years ago to send a priest to learn ASL at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.
The Rev. Thomas J. Rozman studied signing during the last three summers and now signs the 9:30 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Parish of St. Patrick in Harrisburg on Sundays.
"We now have 10 to 12 deaf adults who come to Mass there from as far away as Hanover and Dover," said Ginny Duncan, director of the diocesan Office of Ministry With People with Disabilities.
The parish is also hoping to offer social events and a Bible study for the deaf community. On the first Saturday of the month, Rozman hears confessions in ASL.
"Since this Mass has become a regular thing, it's interesting that many in the congregation are starting to sign things like Alleluia and Amen sometimes," Duncan said.
"I think it's really increasing a lot of awareness. It's also a way of including people who are deaf. Yet they still have the ability to have the relationships with other deaf people. It's the best of both worlds."
ASL interpreted services
The following are among the congregations that offer interpreted services. Note that, under state law, interpreters signing worship services do not have to be certified by a national organization.
-- 9:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Wednesdays at Bible Baptist Church, 4190 Susquehanna Trail North in Conewago Township, 266-0892
-- 10 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Wednesdays at First Assembly of God, 2270 Susquehanna Trail North in Manchester Township, 848-5200
-- 9 a.m. Sundays at Grace Fellowship, 1405 Seven Valleys Road in North Codorus Township, 792-6060
-- 10:45 a.m. Sundays at Living Word Community Church, 2530 Cape Horn Road in York Township, 755-0089
-- 10:30 a.m. Sunday Masses at St. Joseph Church, 2935 Kingston Road in Springettsbury Township, 755-7503
ASL Socials
What: American Sign Language Socials
When: 6 to 9 p.m. on the third Saturday of the month
Where:
-- Odd-numbered months at Living Word Community Church, 2530 Cape Horn Road in York Township (except January)
-- Even-numbered months (and January) at Borders at 3000 Whiteford Road in Springettsbury Township
Details: 755-3212 or daughterofpraze@aol.com
If you go
What: Hearing Loss Expo 2010: Navigating Pennsylvania Programs & Services
When: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday
Where: Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel, 4650 Lindle Road in Harrisburg
When it was time to say grace, no one bowed their heads.
Instead, people stopped their conversations and turned to face a woman standing on a chair in the middle of the crowd.
She nodded, made eye contact with those nearby and began to pray, her hands moving in the precise, fluid gestures of American Sign Language.
"We pray you'll be with the deaf and hearing communities, that they can socialize with each other, that they can improve their social skills and their understanding of each other today," said Annie Hardway, turning in small steps on the chair so to address the whole room.
Hardway's welcome opened one of the year's most popular get-togethers for the Deaf Fellowship of Living Word Community Church in York Township. It is one of the few local ministries to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The fellowship sponsors ASL Socials in the church's coffee bar five times a year, drawing between 50 and 150 people. On off months, the socials move to the café at Border's Books and Music in Springettsbury Township, which draw about 25.
"My biggest problem is getting out and socializing," Jenny Gorden, 33, of Harrisburg said through an interpreter. She recently moved to the area to work as a rehabilitation counselor for the deaf.
"It's limited what we can do to get together and see one another in our own language. . . . (It's important), the social act of having access to people of the same mind."
Volunteers Hardway and husband Mark of Springettsbury Township helped seed the fellowship at Living Word in 2001. They interpreted worship services, then started teaching ASL classes to members and others interested in learning to sign.
The events began as a way for the deaf to socialize with one another, but people new to interpreting often attend to practice their skills and make friends.
"Typically, the deaf community likes to get together face to face to chat," Hardway, who
Soon, people were attending from around southcentral Pennsylvania. People from all religious backgrounds are welcome, whether they're church-going or not.
"The main thing is to be able to give back to the deaf community and make sure they have the opportunity to hear the Gospel," Hardway said.
Several people at the November social said they regularly attend one or more churches in the area. Their choices, however, are limited.
Only five or six congregations in York County regularly offer interpreted worship services to the deaf and hard of hearing.
"It's not like a hearing person who can go anywhere you want," William VanWhy said through an interpreter.
"When I first moved here, the closest church with an interpreter was too far away, so I didn't go."
VanWhy, 55, of York Township started attending Living Word after learning about the interpreted services during an ASL Social, he said. Now, he arrives early on Sundays to set up placards that reserve seating for the deaf near the back of the sanctuary.
There, special lighting illuminates the interpreter even if lights go down elsewhere in the room.
At Grace Fellowship in North Codorus Township, volunteer Brenda Klinedinst signs during most worship services, even if she's unsure anyone needs the translation, she said.
"While we don't have any deafs coming right now, it's better to be prepared," she said. "Sometimes the deaf will come and mingle with the crowd just to observe."
For those with hearing loss who don't sign, many area churches offer assistive-listening devices for congregants.
A 2006 state law requires interpreters in Pennsylvania be certified by a national body to ensure deaf consumers receive accurate translations.
The law does not cover worship services or religious education, so volunteers without certification may serve in those capacities without penalty, according to the state Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Director Sharon Behun said the office regularly receives inquiries from deaf people and individual churches searching for interpreters for worship.
"Some interpreters only work in a church setting," Behun said. "They already understand and believe in the particular tenets of the church, which leads to a more accurate translation."
But interpreters often aren't available.
Hardway said the interpreter agency she owns, ASL Services, gets calls from congregations, but it can be difficult to locate professionals who are willing and available.
"That's hard because often the people willing to go and interpret at a church are already involved in interpreting at a church," said Mark Hardway, who's also an interpreter and who works for his wife's company.
In some cases, an interpreter doesn't feel comfortable interpreting for an unfamiliar congregation or denomination because they don't know the correct signs for different parts of the liturgy, for example.
Most people prefer a clergyperson who can sign to an interpreter, but those, also, are scarce. Lancaster County is home to a couple of deaf churches, including a Mennonite congregation, said interpreter Gloria Myers of Ephrata.
"It's a blessing when you find a church where the speaker knows sign language because you get God's message through them -- just like a Spanish-speaking person would prefer hearing from a person in their language, rather than secondhand," said Myers, who interprets at Manor Brethren in Christ Church in Mountville.
For similar reasons, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg decided several years ago to send a priest to learn ASL at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.
The Rev. Thomas J. Rozman studied signing during the last three summers and now signs the 9:30 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Parish of St. Patrick in Harrisburg on Sundays.
"We now have 10 to 12 deaf adults who come to Mass there from as far away as Hanover and Dover," said Ginny Duncan, director of the diocesan Office of Ministry With People with Disabilities.
The parish is also hoping to offer social events and a Bible study for the deaf community. On the first Saturday of the month, Rozman hears confessions in ASL.
"Since this Mass has become a regular thing, it's interesting that many in the congregation are starting to sign things like Alleluia and Amen sometimes," Duncan said.
"I think it's really increasing a lot of awareness. It's also a way of including people who are deaf. Yet they still have the ability to have the relationships with other deaf people. It's the best of both worlds."
ASL interpreted services
The following are among the congregations that offer interpreted services. Note that, under state law, interpreters signing worship services do not have to be certified by a national organization.
-- 9:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Wednesdays at Bible Baptist Church, 4190 Susquehanna Trail North in Conewago Township, 266-0892
-- 10 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Wednesdays at First Assembly of God, 2270 Susquehanna Trail North in Manchester Township, 848-5200
-- 9 a.m. Sundays at Grace Fellowship, 1405 Seven Valleys Road in North Codorus Township, 792-6060
-- 10:45 a.m. Sundays at Living Word Community Church, 2530 Cape Horn Road in York Township, 755-0089
-- 10:30 a.m. Sunday Masses at St. Joseph Church, 2935 Kingston Road in Springettsbury Township, 755-7503
ASL Socials
What: American Sign Language Socials
When: 6 to 9 p.m. on the third Saturday of the month
Where:
-- Odd-numbered months at Living Word Community Church, 2530 Cape Horn Road in York Township (except January)
-- Even-numbered months (and January) at Borders at 3000 Whiteford Road in Springettsbury Township
Details: 755-3212 or daughterofpraze@aol.com
If you go
What: Hearing Loss Expo 2010: Navigating Pennsylvania Programs & Services
When: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday
Where: Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel, 4650 Lindle Road in Harrisburg