Our purpose is to be disciples and equip disciples.
Throughout the year, we share the Good News with non-believers and teach Bible studies with those who attend TGP Deaf. Whether in our studies or our lunch fellowships, we aim to share in being imitators of Christ, being firmly rooted in God’s Word, and loving God and others.
This last year, we equipped all our disciples to better understand and share the Gospel through ASL and Scripture. With visual tools, like Evangecube, and steps to explain salvation, we have increasingly equipped our participants to share the Gospel with the Deaf.
Scripturally Rooted.
Relationally Committed.
Sacrificially Minded.
Missionally Driven.
TGP Deaf is always growing as a team in both interpreting Gatherings live and ministering week to week in relationships and studies.
We have seen growth in how we are Relationally Committed, particularly increasing in appreciation for one another through the love of Christ, as a church family, and being more closely knit to the Deaf community. Our accountability to one another in each of these has increased over the past year as many of our Deaf have shown more leadership in many areas (from driving the van to hosting Bible Study classes, maintaining the Deaf Chapel or increasing engagement in church gatherings, accessibility, media, and events). Each one knows their limits while sharing the load together, asking for advice, and seeking wisdom through prayers together. Our co-leaders continue to meet regularly to see what the Deaf ministry needs are to continue growth independently and without any issues.
Next year, we want to strengthen our value of being Scripturally Rooted and Sacrifically Minded. We would like to expand our teaching of the Bible, and we would like to renew our faith by serving others, helping everyone grow spiritually and helping make the Deaf Community a better place to be together.
Life Change:
the result of being disciples and equipping disciples together
Since February of 2024, we began transitioning how we interpret gatherings to a technique called "feed" interpreting. This means having a hearing interpreter partner with a Deaf interpreter. In this, the hearing interpreter “feeds” ASL interpretations to the Deaf interpreter(s) all while the live church gathering is performing songs, announcements, and the message.
While more complicated, it has been successful in having everyone contribute in fuller ways and having both sides of our hearing and non-hearing church contribute to provide better accessibility for the Deaf during the church service and online media. Similarly, our increased partnership has been a great blessing as our interpreters blend with the hearing worship team on Tuesday evenings to practice together. All in all, we feel we are becoming one big church family, uniting people of both worlds.
Meanwhile, our YouTube feed specifically for the Deaf (used since the end of October 2024) has improved our outreach and has benefitted from an improved PIP (picture-in-picture). We are able to engaged with the Deaf Community all over the world.
What does engagement look like?
We have had a handful of new participants join in TGP Deaf through this fall launch, and our online channels have allowed us to increase engagement digitally.
Our team are incredible servants who allow us to serve and reach these people in person and online. We have an average of fifteen regular Deaf members and attendees along with eight hearing interpreters and four Deaf interpreters in each of our weekly church gatherings.
Want to get involved? We are praying to bring more new Deaf and hearing interpreters for 2025!