A Place to Belong: Signs of Grace Deaf Church

Joe Dixon has been called to a vast mission field. But he’s not updating his passport and packing his bags.

Instead, he’s targeting the estimated 25,000 folks in the Cleveland region who are deaf or hard of hearing.

“I view the deaf and hard of hearing just like any other country overseas—except they are right in our backyard,” says Dixon. “There are less than 100 of these people who are plugged into a church somewhere in the city.”

Dixon, who was born deaf and can read lips and speak, aims to remedy that. He is the founding pastor of Signs of Grace Deaf Church, which launched on Easter Sunday, 2015, with about 20 members. The congregation is a partner of Grace Church, a Christian and Missionary Alliance megachurch in the suburb of Middleburg Heights, Ohio.

Estimates for the deaf population in the United States vary. Approximately 15 percent of American adults age 18 and over report some trouble hearing, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. People who were born deaf or became deaf early in life—as opposed to those who lose their hearing later—are more likely to identify as part of a distinct cultural-linguistic group. The deaf, as they prefer to be called, have their own customs and thought patterns as well as language. They also view themselves not as handicapped but as part of a minority group.

Even so, why a separate deaf church rather than sign language interpretation at the main worship service?

One reason is that things get lost in translation.

Signs of Grace member Raquel Marton, who is proficient in American Sign Language (ASL), notes English is not a deaf person’s first language. “As an interpreter myself for the past 10 years, even the best interpretations cannot match direct communication. Lack of communication is one of the reasons that the deaf are such an unreached population,” says Marton.

The hearing are welcome at Signs of Grace, but creating a church focused on deaf culture also opens the door to leadership opportunities that are limited in hearing settings unless someone can interpret.

Dixon, a Columbia, Tenn., native whose wife, Amanda, and two children can hear, says a goal is to disciple church members “to reach other deaf for the first time for Christ.” Only 2 percent of the deaf community worldwide has heard the gospel, according to DeafMissions.org.

The church hosts weekly Bible studies online in ASL and regular community events throughout the year, drawing in the unchurched.

“A pastor who’s like us can understand our needs,” says regular attendee Pam Schillace. “It’s a pure joy to see what was weak [in understanding] is now strong, growing with new understanding and desire for God.”

Anita K. Palmer
Anita K. Palmer

Anita K. Palmer is an Outreach magazine contributing editor.

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