“Deaf people are the same as hearing people, just our ears don’t work,” says Pastor Jeff Eccles, pastor of Peace Deaf Church in Eagan, Minnesota.*
It’s a simple yet profound statement, but don’t let it detract from the beautiful, unique ministry that has unfolded over the last 20 years.
Peace Deaf Church (PDC) was founded in 2011 after years of a successful Bible study for people who are Deaf, led by Jeff’s wife, Lynn. Peace [Reformed] Church, the host site for the Bible study and where Jeff and Lynn have been long-time members, had also incorporated sign-language interpretation in worship services for years prior to the official formation of PDC.
Read more about Jeff and Lynn Eccles’ journey to leadership at Peace Deaf Church.
Pictured above: Lynn and Jeff Eccles
Now, Peace Deaf Church continues to grow and thrive, both as a ministry that goes hand-in-hand with Peace’s hearing congregation and as one that extends well beyond the church’s walls in Minnesota.
“The Reformed tradition encourages local people to discern God’s will together,” says Rev. Dr. Brett Vander Berg, pastor of Peace Church’s hearing congregation. “PDC discerned that this is what PDC needs to look like, how they should operate, and what ministries they need to do. There are some differences [from the hearing congregation] in the way some things happen, but the deaf members are leading the PDC ministry. I get to celebrate that—to celebrate the differences while embracing the ways that we are the same.”
Two congregations, yet one church
Officially, Peace Deaf Church is part of Peace Church. It’s that way on paper, and it’s being lived out, too, even with separate Deaf and hearing congregations.
“We are one church,” says Vander Berg. “We try to do things as much as we can together, like special services for Christmas, Easter, and in the summer. We do Bible studies together, consistory meetings, congregational meetings—everyone is invited, and we have an interpreter or two (for longer events).”
“We’re thankful we’re welcome and allowed here,” says Julie Morse, a member of PDC.* “Other places have closed doors to the Deaf after a while. Peace Church is accommodating. God orchestrated it and worked it all out. He gave us this blessing.”
“We feel like we’re fully included,” adds Eccles. “We really work well together with the hearing church.”
It’s like the one body with many different parts, as the apostle Paul describes in 1 Corinthians.
“It’s a multicultural congregation, not just because we have deaf members, but Laotian members as well,” says Vander Berg. “PDC is one of the clearest ways that we have a multicultural experience every week.
“All of us at Peace Church experience blessings by having members who are deaf participate at every level of Peace Church,” he adds.
The importance of outreach
The blessings do not end with those received by the people at Peace Church. Peace Deaf Church live-streams their services, with a recording that is available for later viewing.
“People from everywhere are watching,” says Eccles. “It’s amazing to me. I never thought we’d reach Germany, Colombia, or England. We’re reaching out to the world, even if we don’t exactly know who.”
“There aren’t many Deaf Christians at all, especially in America,” says Morse. “That’s part of why we reach out through social media. Now, word is spreading to other countries [about our ministry] and we have friends in Colombia!”
“Only 2 percent of deaf people in the world know Jesus,” adds Eccles. “That’s why outreach is so important. We continue to serve God and do what he’s asked us to do. It’s his ministry.”
Closer to home, PDC recently offered a unique outreach and Deaf celebration event: a community showing of Jesus: A Deaf Missions Film. The movie is entirely in American Sign Language (ASL); the director, actors, and everyone involved in creating the movie are Deaf.
“It’s the first film that Jeff and Julie have seen in their native language,” says Vander Berg. “It’s a full immersion of signs.”
The church expected—and received—a good turnout. Following the film, attendees were invited to attend Peace Deaf Church, to attend Bible study, or to be baptized. Members of the hearing congregation also attended to encourage and celebrate this milestone.
Pictured above: Members of Peace Deaf Church raise their hands in praise and celebration during an outdoor baptism service in 2021.
Learning with and from each other
As is typical when facing language and culture barriers, there have been significant lessons along the way. For Vander Berg and other hearing people, the learning is constant.
“I didn’t grow up knowing any deaf people,” he says. “It’s all new for me—and sometimes a bit scary. But you can overcome a lot of fear by trusting in the love and good will of other people, the love of Jesus, and the love of the church.
Related: Communicating with people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing
“I’m going to get things wrong as a hearing person,” he adds. “There’s some culture shock and embarrassment, but you can’t take anything too seriously. Don’t assume meanness or cruelty. I want to assume love and trust.”
In his first few years at Peace Church, Vander Berg has indeed received love and earned trust—and laughed a lot along the way. So much so that his name sign—given by members of PDC—reflects that. But first, the Deaf congregation had to get to know him. After about a year, they revealed his name sign to him.
“Brett smiles a lot, so he’s a B on the side of the mouth,” says Morse. “Brett is motivated to learn signs and learn about our Deaf culture. He’s trying hard to learn a new sign every week to be part of our lives.”
That mutuality and investment is key to breaking barriers and building relationships.
“You have to earn respect for one another,” says Eccles.
“One thing I appreciate and love so much about our deaf friends is that fellowship means more to them than 30 minutes of coffee and donuts after the worship service,” says Vander Berg. “They will sit and tell stories for hours. They always seem to have time for each other, to connect.
“And the physicality of sign language invites such readiness to be touched by another,” he adds. “They engage each other in more physical ways. People talk about the epidemic of loneliness; I see some of the cure from our deaf members.”
Starting a deaf ministry
“If deaf people want to set up a church or ministry, the best way is to start up a Bible study class first,” says Eccles. “If it’s growing and more people are joining, that’s when the church ministry starts. When we first had our Bible study, there were a lot of people. Our church started with a Bible study. Take small baby steps like getting into a church Bible study first.”
“And don’t say they can’t do it,” adds Morse. “Allow deaf people to establish the Bible study and then services. We’ll make mistakes, too, but allow us and empower us to do it.”
When thinking about making church and worship more accessible to deaf people, it’s also important to think about and prepare the physical space accordingly.
“We have a unique worship space, with a lot of intentional choices made in the design,” says Eccles.
During COVID, Peace Deaf Church received a generous gift to make its space more friendly for deaf people. Eccles and others brought a 3D design proposal before the consistory. The governing board responded: “The room is yours. Do what you need to do.”
After four months of steady work, the changes were completed.
“It’s very deaf-friendly. There’s a pulpit in the middle so that I can see people on my left and right and in the back,” says Eccles. “There’s a black background behind the pulpit so that it’s easier for people to see the signs. And there’s a ramp up to the front so it’s accessible to folks in wheelchairs. There’s space in the back for tactile signing if deaf-blind people come.”
When the PDC congregation was able to meet and worship in person again, Eccles says the excitement was palpable.
“Everyone was so excited,” he says. “They walked in and were amazed. It was absolutely priceless!”
Pictured above: Behind-the-scenes interpretation and tech support during a Peace Deaf Church service.
Continuing to connect
Even with separate worshiping spaces and times, the church’s life is richest when the congregations connect. And those opportunities for connection happen regularly at Peace—like classes in which hearing members can learn some basic ASL signs.
“We have all levels of ASL in the church, though the majority of our members don’t know any,” says Vander Berg, who received a beginner’s ASL book from PDC as a gift last year.
As hearing people put in effort to learn and understand, the gap diminishes and bridges are built.
“The classes are a good way to get to know each other and connect,” says Morse.
Each connection point is important, but worship as one church is the most meaningful, says Vander Berg.
“I cherish joint services as some of the most beautiful. Songs are sung; Lynn signs. On Easter, Jeff and I alternated doing the communion liturgy. And Jeff shared the resurrection story in sign language.
“After the service, I was talking to a little girl [who is hearing] and she said her favorite part of the service was having the Scripture signed. I had to agree,” shares Vander Berg. “Sign language is such an expression-filled language. You would have a sense of what was happening even if you didn’t know the resurrection story. It was so engaging and beautiful.”
*Jeff Eccles’ and Julie Morse’s responses were signed in ASL and interpreted.
Want help making your church more inclusive and accessible?
Check out Everybody Belongs, Serving Together, our full guide to inclusive ministry. Or contact RCA Disability Concerns at equip@rca.org for more tips, tools, and support.
Becky Getz is a writer and editor for the Reformed Church in America's communication team. You can contact Becky at bgetz@rca.org.
