At Stephen's request I had to blog something...so something that I could just copy and paste...here is a story I wrote for English. I got a B+ on it. It is about LBDC.
Hope you enjoy! :-) Joni
Flying Hands
Ba-da-da-dum! The music is so loud, if I get too close to the speakers I feel as if I am at a rock concert. I place my hands on the pew for a moment, just so I can feel the vibrations, before quickly raising them to sign once again. Every other person in the room is signing too. They may not be signing with the words, but they are signing with the beat. Why are they not singing with the words? Because almost everybody in the room is Deaf; they are using sign language to worship God. This is a normal Sunday morning at my deaf church back home in Louisville, Ky.
I walk in through the side doors at church, a hearing church (Deer Park Baptist Church) that let’s us rent from them, when I see some of the older people sitting on the benches waiting for the doors to the chapel to open. “Hello!” they sign, sometimes all at once. Mary Ellen Schaffer, an older woman whom I call grandma, always asks, “Have you been good to your mother?” I always reply, “Never!” Then she looks at me with a disappointed expression; at that moment I always admit that I am merely jesting. Before I leave church, Mary Ellen always reminds me to “Behave!”
When Brother Tim Bender, our pastor opens the doors almost everyone goes in, sometimes there are a few stragglers. But not this Sunday, everybody has gone in, yet they all are talking a whole lot. Sometimes church does not start on time, because of all the little conversations occurring. Most the time they talk about the weekend, what happened during the past week, sometimes I can catch the older ones talking about a friend who is sick, or possibly dead.
When the church bulletin is finally handed out to everyone, someone goes up on the stage to start with announcements and welcome any visitors. The most common visitors besides Deaf people would be American Sign Language students from the University of Louisville. They are required to go to a certain amount of Deaf-lead events and our church happens to be one of the events that are on their approved list. Furthermore, depending on their skill level my church gladly provides a voice interpreter for any and all visitors.
After announcements, my Associate Pastor Stephen Newell signs the pastoral prayer, where people can give either of our pastors’ prayer cards, filled with any prayers or concerns they have for that week. Then whoever is willing for that particular week; will lead all the worships songs that Sunday.
Worship is my favorite part of church. We have a projector that shows these worship videos on a screen, and because almost everybody is Deaf they put the music up so high, so people can feel the vibrations. But also because of this fact, I tend to sit in the back. Just because I am fluent in sign language does not mean that I desire to be deaf!
We have an offering like any other church, but sadly it is usually a small amount. That is because most of our members are living on social security or disability. Then we have special music, which is never interpreted. My mother and Ms. Lorie never interpret the special music, because they want the visitors to experience something similar how to Deaf people experience life. It is usually very silent and calm during special music, until the end when everybody raises theirs hands, fingers spread wide, gesticulating wildly in a “Deaf applause.”
Brother Tim normally preaches for about thirty to forty-five minutes. Sometimes when he is out of town, Stephen preaches in his stead. Because he is younger, Stephen usually preaches a lot shorter then Brother Tim. There is one last song, and a time of invitation, and then we are done with the service; almost every Sunday after church, we all head out somewhere to eat and fellowship. This is the norm for Sunday at my church, Louisville Baptist Deaf Church.
