The Task Force on Deaf Ministry was created by The Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong in response to a resolution from the floor of the 1998 Convention of the Diocese of Newark. It was charged with the task of studying deaf ministry in order to advise the 2000 Convention on ministry to the deaf, late-deafened and hard of hearing persons in the diocese.

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 has 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 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.

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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 Diocesan Web Page (dioceseofnewark.org).

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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 Deaf Ministry Commission will enable this community to fully participate in the sacraments and the life of the church.

Members:

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)
Mr. Christopher Neglia (2000)
Mr. William Schappa
Ms. Mary Sunden
The Rev. Fain Webb (1999)

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