Interpreting a Silent Bible

Edmonds, Washington – What would it be like to live in a silent world? Wind would play in the trees, but the rustle of the leaves wouldn’t exist; chatter outside an office door wouldn’t cause a stir; a preacher would live their sermon, but the words wouldn’t be heard. This is how people in our community with hearing loss and impairment live every day.

There are many resources for the deaf and hard of hearing community in the Greater Seattle Area and our own Edmonds School District provides a deaf and hard of hearing program for students preschool age – 21, the only school district in the area to do so. However, there is an absence of faith communities extending a hand to welcome those with hearing loss and impairment. “Only 1 percent of American deaf children will attend church as adults. Less than 7 percent will ever have the gospel presented to them in a way they can understand.” Edmonds United Methodist Church (Edmonds UMC) seeks to bring the life of the Bible and worship to the deaf and hard of hearing community in our midst.

Over twenty years ago, a small assembly of deaf and hard of hearing individuals began attending worship at Edmonds UMC. This cultivated a spirit of inclusion among church members and an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter was designated to sign during worship services. Years passed and fewer deaf people attended worship service except at Christmas and Easter. Wanting to reignite the inclusion of the deaf community, church members researched and proposed a plan for an ASL interpreter worship service each Sunday morning. In 2015, the congregants’ work came to fruition when ASL Interpretation officially became part of each Sunday worship service.

The ASL Interpreted service is offered each Sunday morning at 10:30a.m. If you’d like more information, please contact the church at 425-778-2119 or office@edmondsumc.org.

About Edmonds United Methodist Church
Edmonds United Methodist Church has served the city of Edmonds since the early 20th century. We strive for diversity in our congregation, believing that all people are created in God’s image and loved unconditionally by God. We seek to be an inclusive and multicultural church of different ages, racial backgrounds, classes, genders, and sexual orientations. We seek unity in our common faith in Jesus Christ and our common commitment to grow in Christian discipleship. Worship is held Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. with ASL interpretation at the 10:30 a.m. service. The ministries of Edmonds United Methodist Church include; the Edmonds Food Bank, Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS), Tutoring, educational groups and events, and more. For information, please visit www.edmondsumc.org.

###