Bristol Deaf Christian Link

Winterbourne Service

On 29 June 2003 in partnership with Bristol Deaf Church, and Winterbourne Parish Church, we held a service for Deaf people at Winterbourne Parish Church. It was a successful event that was well attended by both Deaf and hearing people. Derek Boardman, a Deaf lay reader from Weston Super Mare gave a very encouraging sermon. Members of Bristol Deaf Church and Bristol Deaf Christian Link signed various parts of the service. In addition we managed to raise £50 for the National Deaf Children’s Society.

The thinking for this service began in the early part of 2003. One of our members, who is a Deaf lay reader in the Church of England, had a vision of holding a service in BSL at her parish church, so that members of her church could experience worship in a similar way to Deaf people. Since her licensing as a Reader in the Church of England, she has prayed every day that the Lord would show her a way of bringing her Deaf friends to her church.

Within most deaf Christian communities, there are people who come from different religious traditions and all are accepted equally. In the Church of England as a whole, deaf members often feel neglected and marginlised by their Christian brothers and sisters. Thankfully, this barrier of marginlisation has being broken by the activities of Deaf and hearing people worshipping and praying together as one community.

Hallelujah, may the name of the Lord be praised.