Deaf Church

Yesterday I had a pretty good time at Sacramento Bible Church for the Deaf in Carmichael, CA.  It was my second visit, and I had sheepishly put off going for a few weeks.  Waking up before my alarm clock went off, I couldn't find an excuse to keep me from going this time!  As I parked my car and walked toward the church, I felt butterflies in my stomach that accompanied the realization that I really hadn't signed since school got out (shame on me!).  I walked in, was handed a program (with two word search puzzles inside, YES!), greeted kindly by everyone I passed, and sat down in the second row on the right side of the room. 

Quickly I remembered how welcoming everyone is at the church and that the Deaf people there are so patient with us ASL students.  Also, I was relieved to find that my signing skills were still intact!  Receptive skills, however, needed a little brushing up on...

One of the pastors, Wormy, introduced himself to me as another man sat down in my row...who I recognized!  I reminded Jesse that I had met him a few months ago at Deaf Bingo/Friday Night Live and he remembered me too.  We chatted before the service started, and for a few minutes after before I left to meet a friend.

This link is to a video from the church's page, and it gives a little taste of what Deaf church is like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljaP1g195DM&feature=player_embedded

I like attending Deaf church because it is a great opportunity to interact with Deaf people, especially ones who are happy you showed up and willing to converse with you.  It's an educational experience in two ways: 1) I get to experience Deaf culture first-hand (duh) and 2) I am exposed to new signs, like vocabulary about the Bible and spiritual things.  They don't teach us those things in ASL class, but I'll likely be talking about them now and again so I'd like to know how.  There's a third one, which is that I get to practice my ASL conversational skills and receptive skills - HUGE!

I plan to visit Sacramento Bible Church for the Deaf again in a few weeks.  The service is at 10:45am, and anyone interested in joining me is welcome!