Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
Danville Register Bee | Church's ministry will target deaf worshippers
Dayspring Baptist Church has been preparing for this day for months.
Some members of the congregation have been taking lessons in sign language and all have been watching their Sunday services interpreted in sign language, even though there has yet to be a deaf person in attendance at those services.
But Sunday, the Danville church will bring its efforts to fruition with Deaf Friends’ Day, an event featuring two services, fellowship and a kick-off meeting designed to bring together the church and those the congregation hopes to reach with its latest ministry.
The ministry has its roots with the church’s pastor, Tim Smith, who recognized his potential audience.
“It burdened my heart,” Smith said, to think that deaf children raised in non-Christian homes might never hear the word of God. “And I thought, one day, I’d like to have a deaf ministry.”
So when he got a call from former Dayspring parishioner Lee Ricketts, who had done his own work with the deaf and was looking to start a deaf ministry at his childhood church, Smith said he was thrilled to take on the challenge.
Before undergoing the project, the church did research to see if other area churches were offering such services and was only able to find one that provided services specifically aimed at hearing impaired parishioners.
The limited offering convinced Ricketts, who had been attending school in Tennessee, to return home. He and his wife, Nicole, arrived in June to begin working toward Sunday’s kick off of the fundamentalist Baptist church’s latest ministry.
The biggest challenge has been to prepare the church by making members more comfortable with the services through regularly offering sign language interpretation.
The move has sparked an interest in sign language, especially in the church’s younger members.
That’s thrilling for both Smith and Ricketts, who don’t foresee their hearing and deaf congregations splitting apart, but rather joined and sharing the gospel together as one united parish.
“We want to get the hearing involved in deaf Christian work,” Ricketts said. “And we can use all the help we can get.”
Deaf Friends’ Day kicks off with a 10 a.m. meeting Sunday for the deaf and those who work with the deaf, to address what the church will provide. It will be followed by an 11 a.m. morning service with sign language interpretation, followed by lunch and an opportunity for fellowship. The day will end with a 6 p.m. service for the deaf, with voice interpretation for the hearing members of the congregation.
The services are not just aimed at the deaf, Smith said, adding that hearing impaired seniors might also appreciate the bilingual services.
“Those who once loved church and relished church can benefit,” the pastor added.
The day’s events are free and open to anyone in the community.
For more information on Dayspring Baptist Church, 27 Morris Ave., Danville, call (434) 793-0542 or visit Dayspring Baptist Church.
Dayspring Baptist Church has been preparing for this day for months.
Some members of the congregation have been taking lessons in sign language and all have been watching their Sunday services interpreted in sign language, even though there has yet to be a deaf person in attendance at those services.
But Sunday, the Danville church will bring its efforts to fruition with Deaf Friends’ Day, an event featuring two services, fellowship and a kick-off meeting designed to bring together the church and those the congregation hopes to reach with its latest ministry.
The ministry has its roots with the church’s pastor, Tim Smith, who recognized his potential audience.
“It burdened my heart,” Smith said, to think that deaf children raised in non-Christian homes might never hear the word of God. “And I thought, one day, I’d like to have a deaf ministry.”
So when he got a call from former Dayspring parishioner Lee Ricketts, who had done his own work with the deaf and was looking to start a deaf ministry at his childhood church, Smith said he was thrilled to take on the challenge.
Before undergoing the project, the church did research to see if other area churches were offering such services and was only able to find one that provided services specifically aimed at hearing impaired parishioners.
The limited offering convinced Ricketts, who had been attending school in Tennessee, to return home. He and his wife, Nicole, arrived in June to begin working toward Sunday’s kick off of the fundamentalist Baptist church’s latest ministry.
The biggest challenge has been to prepare the church by making members more comfortable with the services through regularly offering sign language interpretation.
The move has sparked an interest in sign language, especially in the church’s younger members.
That’s thrilling for both Smith and Ricketts, who don’t foresee their hearing and deaf congregations splitting apart, but rather joined and sharing the gospel together as one united parish.
“We want to get the hearing involved in deaf Christian work,” Ricketts said. “And we can use all the help we can get.”
Deaf Friends’ Day kicks off with a 10 a.m. meeting Sunday for the deaf and those who work with the deaf, to address what the church will provide. It will be followed by an 11 a.m. morning service with sign language interpretation, followed by lunch and an opportunity for fellowship. The day will end with a 6 p.m. service for the deaf, with voice interpretation for the hearing members of the congregation.
The services are not just aimed at the deaf, Smith said, adding that hearing impaired seniors might also appreciate the bilingual services.
“Those who once loved church and relished church can benefit,” the pastor added.
The day’s events are free and open to anyone in the community.
For more information on Dayspring Baptist Church, 27 Morris Ave., Danville, call (434) 793-0542 or visit Dayspring Baptist Church.