Lovers Lane Sign Choir performs at 2012 General Conference, Tampa, Florida

May 2012
By Rev. Thomas Hudspeth, D.Min.
Consultant to the United Methodist Committee on
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries

On Wednesday, May 2nd, twelve members of the Lovers Lane Sign Choir performed for delegates, guests and observers at the 2012 General Conference of the United Methodist church. This choir, from Dallas, Texas, is inter- generational and represents a variety of disabilities and cultural backgrounds.  Led by Melinda Powell, the choir has a child, young adults, and senior citizens. Two of the choir members were born and raised in Ecuador, whose first language is Spanish. There are choir members with cognitive disabilities and those with blindness, hearing loss or physical disabilities. There are choir members whose first language is American Sign Language (ASL) and do not see their deafness as a disability, but as a part of a cultural identity whose language is ASL. At least one person from the age decades starting at age 11 to age 77 are represented.

The choir performed a lunch time concert at the food court, the pre-plenary music session and the evening worship service — all within the Tampa Convention Center. Numerous people from among the 988 delegates around the world expressed appreciation for the choir's inspiring presence and sign interpretation of sacred music, which was recorded by the Lovers Lane United Methodist Sanctuary Choir.

When the choir signed Psalm 114, unaccompanied by spoken word, a great hush fell across the 3,000 or so delegates and guests who had come for worship. It was a moment that introduced the global United Methodist Church to the world of the Deaf, of whom 98% are unchurched around the world.

During this quadrennial meeting of the United Methodist Church, delegates renewed the United Methodist Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries, and adopted a resolution that calls on all United Methodist Churches to make accessible their churches. One petition that encouraged churches to provide American Sign Language interpretation was amended to include indigenous sign languages. A delegate from the Ivory Coast and a French language interpreter expressed appreciation for inclusion of sign languages other than ASL. "We are a connectional church", said the Ivory Coast delegate, "not just an American church."

During the 10 day conference, a team of four American Sign Language interpreters provided interpretation for all plenary sessions, worship sessions, and legislative committee sessions (where requested). A deaf delegate from the Michigan annual conference asked for interpreter services. Observers and guests from Texas, Maryland, and Florida were among those who benefitted from being able to see interpreters on closed circuit monitors and on the conference floor.

At the opening worship service on Tuesday, April 24, Bishop Peggy Johnson of the Eastern Pennsylvania and Peninsula-Delaware Conference signed the opening hymn as she processed into the worship space with the other bishops of the United Methodist Church.

On the morning of Tuesday, May 1st, Rev. Tom Hudspeth, consultant for the United Methodist Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries signed a devotional from the Upper Room Devotional book. Voiced interpreted, this devotional was another visual gift from the Deaf culture to the Church. Several delegates commented how the story of Jesus walking on the water came alive, and seeing the humor and pathos in the frightened disciples (Mark 6:48-51).

Yet the highlight for many delegates was seeing the Lovers Lane Sign Choir and of the inclusive gift that Deaf ministry offers to hearing and deaf people alike.

The choir's performance begins at the 28:40 mark and continue to 44:50. At 45:10 there is a "Thank You" to the Sign Choir.  Then, at 56:17, is the Psalm 114 reading in sign language.

The first photo below is from General Conference; the one beneath it is from a Good Friday worship service at Lovers Lane.