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St. Cloud Times | Local News
The word of God is not only heard at Messiah Lutheran Church, it's seen.
The Sartell church has taken the unusual step of hiring a sign language interpreter for its Sunday school and Sunday service to accommodate a St. Cloud family with a daughter who is deaf.
"It is one of the moments where the opportunity was presented to us to minister to this family, and we went ahead with it," said the Rev. Vince Bain, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church.
Lana Brott attends the church with her 10-year-old stepdaughter, Michaela Voigt. Voigt was born deaf and had difficulty understanding church without the aid of a sign language interpreter.
"She had no clue why we celebrated Christmas. She thought Christmas was just about Santa Claus. Then it was explained to her that it was the day Jesus Christ was born," Brott said.
Helping hands
The 32-year-old mother of four approached Bain in September and asked for assistance in interpreting the religious material for her daughter, though Brott knew some sign language.
"That we were looking for an interpreter was posted on a Web site bulletin board for sign language interpreters," Bain said.
There are 70-90 people who attend Sunday services at Messiah Lutheran Church, but Voigt is the only one who is deaf, according to Bain. The interpreter is only present when Voigt is in attendance.
"I was very overwhelmed, very happy they were able to do this for us because interpreters aren't inexpensive, and there was no way we could afford one even though I wanted one," Brott said.
Bain declined to comment on the cost of hiring an interpreter for Voigt other than to say the congregation has agreed to cover the cost.
Nicole Bunting of St. Cloud, and Tommy and Anne Rhodes, a husband and wife from Sauk Rapids, are the sign language interpreters at Messiah Lutheran Church.
"The English way of saying grace is 'Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest. Let this food to us be blessed. Amen,' " Brott said. "And when we sign it, it becomes 'Lord visit. Bread. Wine. Holy. Amen.' The ASL (American Sign Language) is a very blunt, to-the-point language."
The Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on disability, does not apply to religious entities such as churches, so churches aren't required to have sign language interpreters.
More than 9 percent of Minnesota's population in 2001 — the latest figures available — have some degree of hearing loss, according to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services of St. Cloud, which is part of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
Brott and Bain said having a paid sign language interpreter on a biweekly basis for church services was virtually unheard of in the St. Cloud area.
"Michaela still has a lot of questions about religion, but that's where the interpreter comes in," Brott said.
The word of God is not only heard at Messiah Lutheran Church, it's seen.
The Sartell church has taken the unusual step of hiring a sign language interpreter for its Sunday school and Sunday service to accommodate a St. Cloud family with a daughter who is deaf.
"It is one of the moments where the opportunity was presented to us to minister to this family, and we went ahead with it," said the Rev. Vince Bain, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church.
Lana Brott attends the church with her 10-year-old stepdaughter, Michaela Voigt. Voigt was born deaf and had difficulty understanding church without the aid of a sign language interpreter.
"She had no clue why we celebrated Christmas. She thought Christmas was just about Santa Claus. Then it was explained to her that it was the day Jesus Christ was born," Brott said.
Helping hands
The 32-year-old mother of four approached Bain in September and asked for assistance in interpreting the religious material for her daughter, though Brott knew some sign language.
"That we were looking for an interpreter was posted on a Web site bulletin board for sign language interpreters," Bain said.
There are 70-90 people who attend Sunday services at Messiah Lutheran Church, but Voigt is the only one who is deaf, according to Bain. The interpreter is only present when Voigt is in attendance.
"I was very overwhelmed, very happy they were able to do this for us because interpreters aren't inexpensive, and there was no way we could afford one even though I wanted one," Brott said.
Bain declined to comment on the cost of hiring an interpreter for Voigt other than to say the congregation has agreed to cover the cost.
Nicole Bunting of St. Cloud, and Tommy and Anne Rhodes, a husband and wife from Sauk Rapids, are the sign language interpreters at Messiah Lutheran Church.
"The English way of saying grace is 'Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest. Let this food to us be blessed. Amen,' " Brott said. "And when we sign it, it becomes 'Lord visit. Bread. Wine. Holy. Amen.' The ASL (American Sign Language) is a very blunt, to-the-point language."
The Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on disability, does not apply to religious entities such as churches, so churches aren't required to have sign language interpreters.
More than 9 percent of Minnesota's population in 2001 — the latest figures available — have some degree of hearing loss, according to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services of St. Cloud, which is part of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
Brott and Bain said having a paid sign language interpreter on a biweekly basis for church services was virtually unheard of in the St. Cloud area.
"Michaela still has a lot of questions about religion, but that's where the interpreter comes in," Brott said.