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The spirit through sign - The Californian / North County Times -
The congregation joins together in song but Roy Hensley's fingers, arms and body language, not the combined voices, carry the message.
Hensley, a certified sign language interpreter, uses sign language to share a path to salvation with a growing number of deaf and hearing-impairing people who attend weekly services at Wildomar's Faith Baptist Church.
Most of the deaf members of the church live nearby but a growing number are visitors who travel to Wildomar from cities scattered throughout San Diego and Riverside counties, an area with a large deaf community.
On one recent Sunday, there were 52 deaf or hearing-impaired worshipers at the service. Eleven were visitors.
"It was our biggest day in three years," Hensley said.
Many churches offer translation services for deaf members but there's a difference with the approach at Faith Baptist, Hensley said.
Faith Baptist doesn't just offer translation services for members who happen to be deaf. The church actively seeks out members of the deaf community and brings them into the church's community of faith.
This approach, Hensley said, has helped the church develop what he called "the fastest-growing deaf work in Southern California among any church and the biggest of any Independent Baptist Church."
The ministry was started in 2004 by Hensley, a 46-year-old San Marcos resident, with full support from the 25-year-old church's founding pastor, Bruce Goddard.
On Sundays and Wednesday nights, Hensley interprets the church service and hymns for about 30 hearing-impaired members who attend each week. Since the ministry's inception, the church has hosted more than 200 deaf visitors, he said.
"It's the best Christian church, better than the others," said Rosalind Riggins, 40, of Lake Elsinore.
Riggins, speaking in sign language translated by church member Richard Bates, said it's the best because the preacher, Goddard, speaks the truth.
"I know it's real. I know it's true," Riggins said.
Bates, 22, is one of the hearing members of the church who have become active in the church's deaf ministry, called "A.C.T.S." - Alive in Christ Thru Sign."
Working with Hensley and the patient deaf members of the church, Bates has become increasingly more comfortable with sign language. He hopes to be able to fill in for Hensley in the future and translate a service.
Bates is also a member of a sign language choir that is scheduled to perform for the deaf and hearing-impaired members of the church in coming weeks.
Another choir member, 21-year-old Wildomar resident, C.J. Baxter, said the ministry at Faith Baptist goes beyond sitting next to a deaf person in a pew or performing a song for them.
"We develop relationships," Baxter said. "They're our friends."
Baxter and her sisters - Heather Baxter, 22, and Rachel Peterson, 23 - recently moved from Riverside to be closer to the church, which counts more than 2,000 members.
The sisters and Caine Peterson, 23, Rachel's husband, are all members of the choir. Other members include Quail Valley resident Bates and 32-year-old Wildomar resident April Carpenter.
Because sign language is often more visual and symbolic than written English, Carpenter said a line from a song familiar to a churchgoer is presented differently to a deaf person through sign language.
For instance, a line from the hymn "Watchman" reads, "The morning then it is night, heed now the warning."
When the church's deaf ministry choir performs the song it is broken down into four signs:
"Morning -- lights out - fade - pay attention."
Hensley introduced the members of the choir to the deaf ministry by inviting them out to lunch after church.
Meeting the deaf or hard of hearing and sharing a meal with them helped the choir members invariably "fell in love," they said.
"You come for the free lunch and fall in love with the people," Rachel Peterson said.
Bates said it's easy to develop a deep connection with a deaf person because learning how to communicate involves a very personal level of give and take.
"You have to focus to find out what they're saying. And they are generally very patient with you when they see you're trying," he said.
Noel Placentia, speaking in sign language with Hensley translating, said he has been coming to Faith Baptist for a year and a half.
"I love the deaf group here and the hearing workers," said Placentia, a 24-year-old Escondido resident. "I never had an interpreter in church before and now I understand. Now many deaf come to church every week and I love church now. (The) interpreter is very clear and other hearing people are learning sign too and I help them. I am very happy now."
The congregation joins together in song but Roy Hensley's fingers, arms and body language, not the combined voices, carry the message.
Hensley, a certified sign language interpreter, uses sign language to share a path to salvation with a growing number of deaf and hearing-impairing people who attend weekly services at Wildomar's Faith Baptist Church.
Most of the deaf members of the church live nearby but a growing number are visitors who travel to Wildomar from cities scattered throughout San Diego and Riverside counties, an area with a large deaf community.
On one recent Sunday, there were 52 deaf or hearing-impaired worshipers at the service. Eleven were visitors.
"It was our biggest day in three years," Hensley said.
Many churches offer translation services for deaf members but there's a difference with the approach at Faith Baptist, Hensley said.
Faith Baptist doesn't just offer translation services for members who happen to be deaf. The church actively seeks out members of the deaf community and brings them into the church's community of faith.
This approach, Hensley said, has helped the church develop what he called "the fastest-growing deaf work in Southern California among any church and the biggest of any Independent Baptist Church."
The ministry was started in 2004 by Hensley, a 46-year-old San Marcos resident, with full support from the 25-year-old church's founding pastor, Bruce Goddard.
On Sundays and Wednesday nights, Hensley interprets the church service and hymns for about 30 hearing-impaired members who attend each week. Since the ministry's inception, the church has hosted more than 200 deaf visitors, he said.
"It's the best Christian church, better than the others," said Rosalind Riggins, 40, of Lake Elsinore.
Riggins, speaking in sign language translated by church member Richard Bates, said it's the best because the preacher, Goddard, speaks the truth.
"I know it's real. I know it's true," Riggins said.
Bates, 22, is one of the hearing members of the church who have become active in the church's deaf ministry, called "A.C.T.S." - Alive in Christ Thru Sign."
Working with Hensley and the patient deaf members of the church, Bates has become increasingly more comfortable with sign language. He hopes to be able to fill in for Hensley in the future and translate a service.
Bates is also a member of a sign language choir that is scheduled to perform for the deaf and hearing-impaired members of the church in coming weeks.
Another choir member, 21-year-old Wildomar resident, C.J. Baxter, said the ministry at Faith Baptist goes beyond sitting next to a deaf person in a pew or performing a song for them.
"We develop relationships," Baxter said. "They're our friends."
Baxter and her sisters - Heather Baxter, 22, and Rachel Peterson, 23 - recently moved from Riverside to be closer to the church, which counts more than 2,000 members.
The sisters and Caine Peterson, 23, Rachel's husband, are all members of the choir. Other members include Quail Valley resident Bates and 32-year-old Wildomar resident April Carpenter.
Because sign language is often more visual and symbolic than written English, Carpenter said a line from a song familiar to a churchgoer is presented differently to a deaf person through sign language.
For instance, a line from the hymn "Watchman" reads, "The morning then it is night, heed now the warning."
When the church's deaf ministry choir performs the song it is broken down into four signs:
"Morning -- lights out - fade - pay attention."
Hensley introduced the members of the choir to the deaf ministry by inviting them out to lunch after church.
Meeting the deaf or hard of hearing and sharing a meal with them helped the choir members invariably "fell in love," they said.
"You come for the free lunch and fall in love with the people," Rachel Peterson said.
Bates said it's easy to develop a deep connection with a deaf person because learning how to communicate involves a very personal level of give and take.
"You have to focus to find out what they're saying. And they are generally very patient with you when they see you're trying," he said.
Noel Placentia, speaking in sign language with Hensley translating, said he has been coming to Faith Baptist for a year and a half.
"I love the deaf group here and the hearing workers," said Placentia, a 24-year-old Escondido resident. "I never had an interpreter in church before and now I understand. Now many deaf come to church every week and I love church now. (The) interpreter is very clear and other hearing people are learning sign too and I help them. I am very happy now."