Deaf Worship

by Jo
(UK)

I am a Deaf British Sign Language user. I enjoy signing the worship songs but have had some problems with people with hearing abilities, asking why I do not sign the words as they are written in the songs.

In British Sign Language, it takes the meaning of the songs and then translates that into signs. Sometimes this can be very different from the actual words.

Recently I have attended a church which has encouraged my signing and allowed me to lead the signed worship. This in turn has allowed me to give back to the church and feel more included in the body of Christ. I have had numerous people with hearing abilities tell me that through the signing, they have seen and experienced a different form of worship, one that has affected them emotionally and enabled their own worship to become deeper.