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TASK FORCE ON DEAF MINISTRY
REPORT TO THE 126th CONVENTION
DIOCESE OF NEWARK
JANUARY 28 - 29, 2000
The Task Force on Deaf Ministry was appointed by Bishop Spong in April, 1998. The goal of the Task Force was to
ascertain: (1) the form and extent of deaf ministry the Diocese of Newark, and (2) the needs of the churches in
the diocese to respond to and include deaf and hard of hearing persons in the life of the church.
Approximately 10% of the population have some hearing loss. The hard of hearing population is increasing due to
increasing numbers of persons over 65 and longer life expectancy. We will use the word deaf to denote
individuals who define themselves as deaf, identify themselves with the Deaf community and usually use sign language
to communicate. We will use the term late deafened to denote individuals who have lost their hearing
later in life, usually well into adulthood. We will use hard of hearing to denote individuals who
still possess usable hearing in the speech range; these persons usually have been hearing most of their lives and
do not use sign language to communicate.
The problems for the Task Force were obvious: in order to address the needs of people with varying degrees of hearing
loss, we needed to take into account the fact that neither providing interpreters for events nor installing assitive
listening devices (ALDs) will provide access to church worship and events for this diverse population. This means
that we need to understand the nature of the hearing loss and the person(s) in order to minister effectively to
this population.
To this end, our work began with identifying the kinds of people with hearing loss who are presently attending
churches in this Diocese. Members of the Task Force surveyed by telephone every congregation in the Diocese. Results
of that survey were presented in our interim report to the 1999 Diocesan Convention. It was apparent from the survey
that many congregations were trying to include people with hearing loss into the life of the church, but that for
the most part they were at a loss when it came to locating resources to do so.
Our work continued with a study of the various ways other dioceses and denominations did the work of deaf ministry.
The models covered a wide range of ministry formats including deployment of a "Deaf Missioner" (usually
on a diocesan level) to conduct worship services for deaf persons and minister to their pastoral needs; a centralized
clearinghouse of information, including interpreter lists, educational materials, and other resources for ministering
to people with hearing loss; and a nationwide organization of clergy and lay leaders who work with congregations
of deaf people. Since we are also addressing problems associated with age-related hearing loss, we have begun to
explore resources for this population: assistive listening devices, sound systems, and modifications for worship
which will enhance hearing for the entire congregation.
As a result of our interim report, our goals for the past year were:
1. continued exploration of the various styles of deaf ministry in an effort to develop recommendations for how
the Diocese of Newark should implement ministry to deaf and hard of hearing persons
2. assembling of resources for congregations to address the needs of deaf and hard of hearing members
3. devise strategies for congregations to become aware of hearing impairment and offer solutions which congregations
can implement to better include persons with hearing loss
4. educate congregations and clergy about the benefits of including deaf and hard of hearing persons in the life
of the church as a way of enhancing the whole church; often we are so consumed with what we need to do to help
the "outsiders" that we do not think that they too have gifts to offer the church
We have met our first two goals and have addressed the other two in our proposed resolution. First, we believe
a centralized Deaf Ministry is the best method of addressing the needs the deaf / late deafened / hard of hearing
persons in our diocese. To that end, we are recommending that there be established a permanent Commission on Deaf
Ministry to continue the work of the Task Force and address our second two goals. Secondly, we have developed a
resource booklet for use by our congregations. This booklet, "Resources for Deaf Ministry," is one of
the results of our eighteen months' work. In addition to the print version, this directory is available online
at the website of the Task Force on Deaf Ministry which can be accessed through the Diocese of Newark Web Page
(http://www.dioceseofnewark.org) beginning January, 2000.
We therefore present the following resolution:
Whereas: the survey of the Task Force on Deaf Ministry has established that there is a need in the Diocese of Newark
for an organized ministry to the Deaf / Late Deafened / and Hard of Hearing; and
Whereas: the Task Force on Deaf Ministry has established that there are a number of resources available for this
ministry;
Be it resolved that the Diocese of Newark establish a Deaf Ministry Commission to reach out to Hard of Hearing,
Late Deafened and Deaf people. The mission of the Deaf Ministry Commission will be to enable this community to
fully participate in the sacraments and the life of the church.
Respectfully submitted,
The Rev. Dr. Cathy L. Deats, co-chair Ms. Sheila Shuford, co-chair
The Rev. Charles Arlin
Ms. Amy Beasley
Mr. David Biesel
Ms. Diane Biesel
Ms. Elisabeth Chiminec (1999) The Rev. Fain
Webb (1999)
Mr. William Schappa
Ms. Mary Sunden
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