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Treasure Coast Deaf Church shares word of God with its parishioners » TCPalm.com
Before moving to Port St. Lucie more than two years ago, Lee and Mary Beth Ethridge made sure the city had a church to accommodate their needs.
The couple is deaf. They thought finding a church with a sign language interpreter would be difficult in a small city compared to their previous home, Washington D.C.
But the Ethridges quickly discovered the Treasure Coast Deaf Church, an 8-year-old congregation that meets weekly in a room at First United Methodist Church of Port St. Lucie. It is the only church on the Treasure Coast that is specifically for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, according to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services of the Treasure Coast.
"We were prepared to start our own church if we didn't find one that met the needs of deaf people," said Mary Beth Ethridge, who was born hard-of-hearing and as a child attended a hearing church, but felt left out because she couldn't understand the services.
Ethridge, 60, now is profoundly deaf. She can talk and hear a bit with the help of a cochlear implant, a surgically implanted electronic hearing aid. Lee Ethridge was born deaf and cannot hear or speak.
"For the deaf, going to a deaf church is much different from going to a church that has an interpreter," said Pastor Hugh Curran. He and his wife, Karen, founded the deaf church in 2003 after hosting several Bible studies in their home to unite deaf church members at their previous church.
"These people have led different kinds of lives than hearing people — they have special needs. When a pastor at a hearing church talks about the hardships of a workplace, the majority of deaf people can't even relate because they've never worked," Curran said.
When the church meets every week, Curran preaches the gospel and tailors sermons to the lives of his 20-member congregation. He does so with a certified interpreter at his side. Although he and his wife know some sign language, they don't think they are fluent enough to interpret the entire service.
"Scriptures are difficult for even most people to understand, and it takes a lot of work to interpret everything clearly so I am understood," said Joanna Huffman, the church's interpreter.
The challenge, Huffman said, is interpreting idiomatic expressions because English and American Sign Language are separate languages with their own sayings and phrases.
"There are regional idioms and sayings that can't be interpreted to (the deaf) because it just won't make sense to them," she said.
Aside from weekly services, Treasure Coast Deaf Church also has monthly events, like picnics, game nights and potluck parties in hopes of being a social outlet for about 2,500 deaf people who reside in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties.
The deaf church also is working to modernize the room it uses at First United with technology to help its churchgoers. One plan is to install an audio induction loop system that transmits magnetic energy picked up by hearing aids.
"We want to make it easier to bring the message of God to these people," Curran said. "Just because they can't hear the Word, doesn't mean they can't feel it."
At church each Sunday, the congregation holds blown-up balloons to feel the vibrations of the choir music being played and signed.
Before moving to Port St. Lucie more than two years ago, Lee and Mary Beth Ethridge made sure the city had a church to accommodate their needs.
The couple is deaf. They thought finding a church with a sign language interpreter would be difficult in a small city compared to their previous home, Washington D.C.
But the Ethridges quickly discovered the Treasure Coast Deaf Church, an 8-year-old congregation that meets weekly in a room at First United Methodist Church of Port St. Lucie. It is the only church on the Treasure Coast that is specifically for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, according to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services of the Treasure Coast.
"We were prepared to start our own church if we didn't find one that met the needs of deaf people," said Mary Beth Ethridge, who was born hard-of-hearing and as a child attended a hearing church, but felt left out because she couldn't understand the services.
Ethridge, 60, now is profoundly deaf. She can talk and hear a bit with the help of a cochlear implant, a surgically implanted electronic hearing aid. Lee Ethridge was born deaf and cannot hear or speak.
"For the deaf, going to a deaf church is much different from going to a church that has an interpreter," said Pastor Hugh Curran. He and his wife, Karen, founded the deaf church in 2003 after hosting several Bible studies in their home to unite deaf church members at their previous church.
"These people have led different kinds of lives than hearing people — they have special needs. When a pastor at a hearing church talks about the hardships of a workplace, the majority of deaf people can't even relate because they've never worked," Curran said.
When the church meets every week, Curran preaches the gospel and tailors sermons to the lives of his 20-member congregation. He does so with a certified interpreter at his side. Although he and his wife know some sign language, they don't think they are fluent enough to interpret the entire service.
"Scriptures are difficult for even most people to understand, and it takes a lot of work to interpret everything clearly so I am understood," said Joanna Huffman, the church's interpreter.
The challenge, Huffman said, is interpreting idiomatic expressions because English and American Sign Language are separate languages with their own sayings and phrases.
"There are regional idioms and sayings that can't be interpreted to (the deaf) because it just won't make sense to them," she said.
Aside from weekly services, Treasure Coast Deaf Church also has monthly events, like picnics, game nights and potluck parties in hopes of being a social outlet for about 2,500 deaf people who reside in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties.
The deaf church also is working to modernize the room it uses at First United with technology to help its churchgoers. One plan is to install an audio induction loop system that transmits magnetic energy picked up by hearing aids.
"We want to make it easier to bring the message of God to these people," Curran said. "Just because they can't hear the Word, doesn't mean they can't feel it."
At church each Sunday, the congregation holds blown-up balloons to feel the vibrations of the choir music being played and signed.