At Agape Deaf Church, the congregation and its hearing impaired members find community.
By EBONY WINDOM
Published April 10, 2004
LAND O'LAKES - The Rev. Robert Morgan preaches with his hands, providing a rare dose of fellowship and comraderie for his hearing impaired parishioners.
On Sunday mornings, two dozen people meet for worship. A handful are deaf and hearing impaired. They gather at a small sanctuary tucked inside Lake Padgett Mobile Home Village.
It's Agape Deaf Church: A place where folks go to hear the word of God and find fellowship.
"I minister to people who normally don't get ministered to," said Morgan who's hearing impaired. "When I preach, I preach with my hands and my voice. I feel it's total communication. If you go through an interpreter, you cannot always get the exact meaning. Here, you get exactly what the Holy Spirit has laid on (my) heart."
The atmosphere is casual. No pews here. It's actually the park's multipurpose room where residents come for potluck dinners, pool games and movies. Long tables frame the small room. Serene scenes in pastel colors decorate walls.
But, on Sunday mornings it's converted to a sanctuary. A black lectern positioned at the front of the room, is where Morgan rests his Bible during worship. Members gather at the nearby lake for baptisms. On Sunday, they'll meet there at 7 a.m. for an Easter sunrise service.
Everyone is welcome here.
"Agape means God's unconditional love for (everyone)," Morgan said.
There's a mixture of both the hearing and hearing impaired.
For Jane Snook, Agape is just a quick walk from her home inside the retirement community.
Although, she's not hearing impaired, Snook, 86, said she enjoys services here.
"I get a lot out of it," said Snook, who owns the park.
Morgan does more than just read from the Bible, Snook said.
He uses his voice, hands and facial expressions to minister. He sings with his hands, using sign language to interpret the hymns. He speaks and signs sermons using stories from the Bible.
"You have to be an actor," said Morgan, who wears a hearing aid in each ear. "Sign language is actually talking in pictures, making pictures with your hands."
Last week, Agape celebrated a milestone. April Fool's Day marked the church's third year. Not bad for a church no one expected to last two months, Morgan says. It began on a whim after some of his neighbors at Lake Padgett approached him with the idea. Agape Deaf Church, which has no denomination, began with only 13 people. It has grown. One Sunday, last fall attendance swelled to 51. But, for Morgan, it's not about the number of people in the congregation. It's about making a difference, he says.
"God says as long as two or three are here, God is in the center," Morgan said. "I'm here because God put me here."
Morgan carves out time to visit nursing homes and he also ministers to the sick.
He admits, technology has made it easier for hearing impaired people, like him. Some deaf members have never heard music or a telephone ringing.
Morgan relies on his cell phone's text messaging feature and e-mails to stay in touch with deaf and hearing impaired members. They use closed-captioning during movie night.
"My hands may be the only Jesus they'll ever hear," Morgan said.
