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http://www.wbir.com/life/programming/local/liveatfive/story.aspx?storyid=51360
Before Sunday morning church service, there is nothing like fellowship with friends, shaking hands, and sharing a good laugh.
"They spend six days of their life out in a world that's primarily hearing, and then they come to a place like this, it's their place," Deaf Congregation Pastor Jerry Seale says. "It's their community, it's their congregation."
First Baptist Church Deaf Congregation is one of the oldest churches for the hearing impaired in the country. It is also the only one in Knoxville.
"This church was started by two brothers, James and John Moses," Seale says. "In 1868, four black deaf women were working in some offices in downtown Knoxville on a Sunday morning, and after they finished working, they presented themselves to the First Baptist Church and said they wanted to attend church here."
The church first provided interpreters. The FBC Deaf Congregation sprang from there. It is now home to 230 members like Sher and Jimmy Smith.
"We met socially through some mutual friends," Sher says.
Sher's husband Jimmy can't hear, but she and their four children can hear fine. So, when it came to choosing a church, the family spent several years at traditional churches.
"We had interpreters, and some people in the church could communicate, but didn't," Sher says. "He (Jimmy) felt isolated and didn't fit in with the church, so we stopped going to church."
Then, Jimmy learned about the FBC Deaf Congregation one day and decided to attend. Sher and the kids soon followed.
"We wanted to come to church as a family," Sher says.
Jimmy says Deaf Congregation has helped him grow as a Christian.
"Our pastor is fluent in ASL. He understands my language, and I can meet him any time," he says. "I can ask him what something means if I have questions about God or Jesus. I can analyze things, have deeper conversations with him, and all the deaf congregation here, I can ask anyone. It's terrific."
In fact, the entire worship service is in American Sign Language. Sitting on the front row in the sanctuary is a translator for those who can hear. Not only does the pastor sign, the Sunday school teachers and deacons in the congregation do as well.
"The level of participation that deaf people have in this congregation is 100 percent," Seale says. "They are the leaders of this congregation, they are the implementers in this congregation."
For FBC Deaf Congregation, a language of silence has helped them hear the voice of God.
Deaf Congregation meets Sunday mornings at 11:00 and Wednesday nights at 6:00 p.m., at First Baptist Church in Knoxville.
Before Sunday morning church service, there is nothing like fellowship with friends, shaking hands, and sharing a good laugh.
"They spend six days of their life out in a world that's primarily hearing, and then they come to a place like this, it's their place," Deaf Congregation Pastor Jerry Seale says. "It's their community, it's their congregation."
First Baptist Church Deaf Congregation is one of the oldest churches for the hearing impaired in the country. It is also the only one in Knoxville.
"This church was started by two brothers, James and John Moses," Seale says. "In 1868, four black deaf women were working in some offices in downtown Knoxville on a Sunday morning, and after they finished working, they presented themselves to the First Baptist Church and said they wanted to attend church here."
The church first provided interpreters. The FBC Deaf Congregation sprang from there. It is now home to 230 members like Sher and Jimmy Smith.
"We met socially through some mutual friends," Sher says.
Sher's husband Jimmy can't hear, but she and their four children can hear fine. So, when it came to choosing a church, the family spent several years at traditional churches.
"We had interpreters, and some people in the church could communicate, but didn't," Sher says. "He (Jimmy) felt isolated and didn't fit in with the church, so we stopped going to church."
Then, Jimmy learned about the FBC Deaf Congregation one day and decided to attend. Sher and the kids soon followed.
"We wanted to come to church as a family," Sher says.
Jimmy says Deaf Congregation has helped him grow as a Christian.
"Our pastor is fluent in ASL. He understands my language, and I can meet him any time," he says. "I can ask him what something means if I have questions about God or Jesus. I can analyze things, have deeper conversations with him, and all the deaf congregation here, I can ask anyone. It's terrific."
In fact, the entire worship service is in American Sign Language. Sitting on the front row in the sanctuary is a translator for those who can hear. Not only does the pastor sign, the Sunday school teachers and deacons in the congregation do as well.
"The level of participation that deaf people have in this congregation is 100 percent," Seale says. "They are the leaders of this congregation, they are the implementers in this congregation."
For FBC Deaf Congregation, a language of silence has helped them hear the voice of God.
Deaf Congregation meets Sunday mornings at 11:00 and Wednesday nights at 6:00 p.m., at First Baptist Church in Knoxville.
