Unreached, Invisible, Yet All Around
Language is central to connection, and for the Deaf community, that connection is often missing in church life. In this moving and practical article, Bridget Bree shares how learning to sign became a way to remove barriers to Christ and welcome one of the world’s most unreached people groups. With theological insights and real-life experience, this is a vital read for any church seeking to become more inclusive.
BRIDGET BREE: Language is everything. Communication is how we relate to each other. And because God is love, and we are His disciples, every exchange allows us to express that love.
If we don’t speak someone’s language we can show them love through acts of kindness and service, as well as sharing their sorrows and joys. Love, after all, can be expressed without words. However, there is something particularly special about communicating with someone in their heart language. This was what motivated me to become a British Sign Language interpreter and help the Church fulfil its role in serving one of the most underrepresented minorities.
Removing deafness as a barrier to Christ
There was a day about six weeks into my first sign language course when it hit me like a truck: my deaf sign language teacher can’t even go into a pub and ask for a drink without a lot of pointing, gesturing and mistakes, as well as misunderstanding anything said to him by a hearing barman. In fact, every interaction that is normal to us is a barrier and potential struggle for a Deaf person.
Imagine walking into a room and being unable to pick up on a single conversation. Imagine going to school in China, for example, and not understanding a word written in any of the books front of you.
Welcome to the world of some Deaf people.
The organisation Deaf Reaching Deaf for Christ reports:
Of the approximately 70 million Deaf people worldwide, less than 2% know Christ
And less than 10% of the world’s 400+ sign languages have any portions of translated Scripture
Depending on their educational background, the average reading age of a Deaf person ranges from 9 to 11 years. In order to share the Gospel with those in the UK, concepts in the Bible need to be expressed in British Sign Language (BSL). Deaf people rely heavily on visual information and may find the abstract nature of faith difficult to understand.
So when that truck hit me, I wanted to try to remove this barrier if I could. How will they ‘hear’ unless somebody tells them (Romans 10:14, paraphrased)? I made a promise to the Lord that I would learn British Sign Language (BSL), include Deaf people in my church meetings, make friends with them, show God’s love and learn about their life experiences. I started the process later in life and it took me a while to become an interpreter, but the whole process has opened my eyes.
Practical and simple steps
Maybe the reason that we panic when we meet a Deaf person is that we find the communication barrier too great? Ask yourself the question - if I walked into a room full of Deaf people using BSL, who would be ‘disabled’? The Deaf person meets this communication barrier every day, and everything you do to try to communicate will be joyfully accepted! Make sure to maintain eye contact, make sure there is sufficient light, and be prepared for them to start lipreading you.
Have you ever noticed that Jesus did this when he healed a Deaf man in Mark 7:32-35 (NIV)?
After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
Here, we see Jesus lead the Deaf man away from distractions, face him directly, lift his own face to make sure it was well-lit, and speak one word which was easy to lip-read.
As well as following in the Lord’s footsteps, you can also learn to finger-spell using online resources, or learn key signed phrases like ‘Thank you’, ‘How are you?’ or ‘Coffee? Tea?’ You could also consider taking a BSL 1 course at your local college, ensure that your outreach events have a BSL interpreter (try signsofgod.org.uk) or support the BSL Bible translation project (bslbible.org.uk).
In our church meetings, it’s important to remember those who use hearing aids. Here’s some practical tips for sound desk teams: Turn on the ‘Loop’ in the building where you meet (which connects the feed from the microphones directly into the person’s hearing aid), and remind people to use the mic when they’re sharing from the front.
How about starting a sign language group at church and learning to sign some worship songs? (If you decide to do that, make sure it’s from a Deaf person or a hearing person with a higher fluency in BSL (Level 3 or above)).
Amazingly, people seem to find a new depth in their worship through witnessing the visual expression of words and concepts. If I had a pound for every person who has said to me, ‘I love to watch you sign, it's really moving,’ I would be rich! The pictures created in the air seem to speak to us in a way that words alone do not.
Opening doors
Once Deaf people know that BSL interpretation is available, they are more likely to attend events or visit your church. They will spread the word and bring their friends. Once they know that church members are learning some communication tactics, a bit of finger spelling and some Deaf awareness, they will feel comfortable in the environment. And you will have started to reach the third-largest unreached people group in the world.
And remember: the sign for JESUS is the same in every sign language—because He is Lord of all!
Please contact me at bridgetobsl@gmail.com if you would like further advice. I am also happy to make worship song videos in BSL for you to copy if you can’t find anyone qualified to teach you.
by Bridget Bree
Bridget Bree is a registered British Sign Language interpreter who is a member of the Christian Interpreters Network. With her husband, Steve, she is pioneering with Relational Mission in Brussels.
Before training to work with Deaf people she was an actor and drama teacher, and is passionate about creativity of all kinds! She shares the gospel in the Grand Place, Brussels, through the 3:16@28 art gallery (@316_community on Instagram).