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Hands of Praise reaches out to deaf community | ShreveportTimes | The Times
Wendi Coker, of Benton, said when she was a little girl she wanted to either be a preacher or a Solid Gold dancer when she grew up.
"My mother will tell you I'm both," said Coker, leader of Hands of Praise Deaf Ministry.
"I'm not a preacher but I'm an evangelist and lead the Hands of Praise team — and we dance," Coker said. "Because sign language is such an expressive, moving language, you have to move."
Coker, who has been interpreting for more than 20 years, fought her calling at first, changing churches in order to avoid being called on to interpret for the deaf.
"It's like every church I went to, they knew I knew sign language," she said. "At that point in my life, I had gotten really burnt out with interpreting. I was tired."
So she stopped interpreting and went into law enforcement, forgoing the many years of training she had in American Sign Language.
But at the time, she didn't know God had a plan for her.
"Have you ever run from God? Coker asked. "It doesn't work."
Coker and her family ended up at Belle Park Baptist Church in Haughton.
"It's way out in the middle of nowhere," Coker laughed. "I thought I was safe there. I thought, no deaf person is going to find me here."
But she was wrong. Coker had been at Belle Park for about three months when a woman in the church came up to her and said she had heard Coker knew sign language.
It was during a business meeting after talking with that woman when Coker said she raised her hand and proposed that a deaf ministry be started at the church. She was met with opposition when someone told her the deaf ministry wouldn't be successful because there already was a deaf church up the road.
"But I said God put it on my heart to start a deaf ministry here," she said.
When Coker started the deaf ministry eight years ago there weren't any deaf people at Belle Park.
"But we started anyway and the first couple came and then the second couple and we now have about 20 to 25," Coker said, adding that Kelton (Kelly) Buckelew, of Haughton, is one of her strongest leaders.
"The deaf community really looks up to Kelly," she said. "He's an awesome teacher and supporter and they respect him."
Buckelew has been with Hands of Praise Ministry for seven years. He grew up in a Christian home and went to church with his parents. But it wasn't a church for the deaf and Buckelew was the only deaf person there.
"I would sit there and ask my mom what they were saying and she would say she would tell me later," Buckelew said through sign language. "I feel I wasted 12 years of my life in the hearing church because I didn't know what was going on."
At the suggestion of someone at the church he was attending, Buckelew began attending First Baptist Deaf Mission in Shreveport when he was 12 years old. And at the time, he didn't know sign language.
"I was very oral because that's how my parents raised me," he said.
But little by little, Buckelew began learning sign language. And when he met his wife, Michelle, she forced him to learn it.
"When I would talk, she would tell me to sign, don't talk."
Buckelew attended First Baptist for 24 years and one day during a meeting he was asked what he wanted to pray for in the community. He said he would like there to be a deaf mission close to Haughton.
Buckelew and his wife left First Baptist and started attending Belle Park, where he became Sunday school teacher for the deaf.
"I came alone and there were two or three deaf there at the time," he said. "I came again with my family and we fell in love with Belle Park. I thought, this is the Haughton mission I prayed for."
Coker said the group has gone on several mission trips where they have led revivals, taught workshops and ministered to youth groups.
"The ministry is whatever God calls us to do," she said. "We go out and evangelize. Deaf is not a handicap, not knowing Jesus is."
Coker said, "We go out into the deaf community and minister because they are in a silent world. Somebody has to tell them who Jesus is."
About a year ago, Coker started the Deaf Cafe at New Zion Baptist Church in Bossier City.
"They weren't coming here (Belle Park) because we are too far out," she said. "But New Zion has allowed us to use part of their church once a month for this social occasion."
About 75 to 100 deaf people come to the Deaf Cafe, which is arranged much like a small cafe with round tables for attendees to get together and socialize.
"We serve coffee, food and cake, and we don't hit them with the Bible when they first come in," Coker said. "It's a real comfortable environment where we fellowship and do a devotion."
As the ministry continues to grow, Coker said the community has begged them to come closer.
"We really started praying and asking God what's next," she said. "We only had a little money in the bank but when God tells me something I'm like, OK."
They found a new home at 521 Barksdale Blvd., in Bossier City.
"It needs work but we're hoping to be in the building by the first week in December," she said.
But Coker is asking people to continue to worship at their home churches on Sunday mornings.
"Our group will still go to Belle Park but on Sunday nights we're encouraging the deaf to come here," she said.
On Wednesdays the group will have Bible study and Coker is considering having the Deaf Cafe every other Saturday instead of once a month.
Buckelew said, "That way we can come here without bothering other churches because here it will be set up and ready every time," adding that the new location is the perfect place for the deaf.
"It's in the center of town and we can get together and hang around together," he said.
Coker said, "From doing this ministry for eight years, I know the deaf together are strong. The more deaf we can get together the stronger they are for God. Here, they can become unified."
Wendi Coker, of Benton, said when she was a little girl she wanted to either be a preacher or a Solid Gold dancer when she grew up.
"My mother will tell you I'm both," said Coker, leader of Hands of Praise Deaf Ministry.
"I'm not a preacher but I'm an evangelist and lead the Hands of Praise team — and we dance," Coker said. "Because sign language is such an expressive, moving language, you have to move."
Coker, who has been interpreting for more than 20 years, fought her calling at first, changing churches in order to avoid being called on to interpret for the deaf.
"It's like every church I went to, they knew I knew sign language," she said. "At that point in my life, I had gotten really burnt out with interpreting. I was tired."
So she stopped interpreting and went into law enforcement, forgoing the many years of training she had in American Sign Language.
But at the time, she didn't know God had a plan for her.
"Have you ever run from God? Coker asked. "It doesn't work."
Coker and her family ended up at Belle Park Baptist Church in Haughton.
"It's way out in the middle of nowhere," Coker laughed. "I thought I was safe there. I thought, no deaf person is going to find me here."
But she was wrong. Coker had been at Belle Park for about three months when a woman in the church came up to her and said she had heard Coker knew sign language.
It was during a business meeting after talking with that woman when Coker said she raised her hand and proposed that a deaf ministry be started at the church. She was met with opposition when someone told her the deaf ministry wouldn't be successful because there already was a deaf church up the road.
"But I said God put it on my heart to start a deaf ministry here," she said.
When Coker started the deaf ministry eight years ago there weren't any deaf people at Belle Park.
"But we started anyway and the first couple came and then the second couple and we now have about 20 to 25," Coker said, adding that Kelton (Kelly) Buckelew, of Haughton, is one of her strongest leaders.
"The deaf community really looks up to Kelly," she said. "He's an awesome teacher and supporter and they respect him."
Buckelew has been with Hands of Praise Ministry for seven years. He grew up in a Christian home and went to church with his parents. But it wasn't a church for the deaf and Buckelew was the only deaf person there.
"I would sit there and ask my mom what they were saying and she would say she would tell me later," Buckelew said through sign language. "I feel I wasted 12 years of my life in the hearing church because I didn't know what was going on."
At the suggestion of someone at the church he was attending, Buckelew began attending First Baptist Deaf Mission in Shreveport when he was 12 years old. And at the time, he didn't know sign language.
"I was very oral because that's how my parents raised me," he said.
But little by little, Buckelew began learning sign language. And when he met his wife, Michelle, she forced him to learn it.
"When I would talk, she would tell me to sign, don't talk."
Buckelew attended First Baptist for 24 years and one day during a meeting he was asked what he wanted to pray for in the community. He said he would like there to be a deaf mission close to Haughton.
Buckelew and his wife left First Baptist and started attending Belle Park, where he became Sunday school teacher for the deaf.
"I came alone and there were two or three deaf there at the time," he said. "I came again with my family and we fell in love with Belle Park. I thought, this is the Haughton mission I prayed for."
Coker said the group has gone on several mission trips where they have led revivals, taught workshops and ministered to youth groups.
"The ministry is whatever God calls us to do," she said. "We go out and evangelize. Deaf is not a handicap, not knowing Jesus is."
Coker said, "We go out into the deaf community and minister because they are in a silent world. Somebody has to tell them who Jesus is."
About a year ago, Coker started the Deaf Cafe at New Zion Baptist Church in Bossier City.
"They weren't coming here (Belle Park) because we are too far out," she said. "But New Zion has allowed us to use part of their church once a month for this social occasion."
About 75 to 100 deaf people come to the Deaf Cafe, which is arranged much like a small cafe with round tables for attendees to get together and socialize.
"We serve coffee, food and cake, and we don't hit them with the Bible when they first come in," Coker said. "It's a real comfortable environment where we fellowship and do a devotion."
As the ministry continues to grow, Coker said the community has begged them to come closer.
"We really started praying and asking God what's next," she said. "We only had a little money in the bank but when God tells me something I'm like, OK."
They found a new home at 521 Barksdale Blvd., in Bossier City.
"It needs work but we're hoping to be in the building by the first week in December," she said.
But Coker is asking people to continue to worship at their home churches on Sunday mornings.
"Our group will still go to Belle Park but on Sunday nights we're encouraging the deaf to come here," she said.
On Wednesdays the group will have Bible study and Coker is considering having the Deaf Cafe every other Saturday instead of once a month.
Buckelew said, "That way we can come here without bothering other churches because here it will be set up and ready every time," adding that the new location is the perfect place for the deaf.
"It's in the center of town and we can get together and hang around together," he said.
Coker said, "From doing this ministry for eight years, I know the deaf together are strong. The more deaf we can get together the stronger they are for God. Here, they can become unified."