"Services have been suspended, we are all gathering online, and it's not as family-friendly as the in-person gathering." Song, a teacher at Huoshui Sign Language Church in Yantai, Shandong province, couldn't hide their frustration as the congregation talked about how long the online worship would last.
Since early March, there had been confirmed COVID-19 cases in Yantai, Huoshui Church for the deaf has suspended face-to-face worship in response to the epidemic prevention policy.
As a fully hearing-impaired church, the church has put efforts into shepherding the hearing-impaired believers over the years. Both the elderly and the young believers can find their spiritual home in the church.
In order to ensure church ministries during the epidemic, the church has fully refined the online spiritual arrangements. Every morning, believers gather for a 30-minute online devotional; online praise sessions are also held during the week, where deaf believers sing praise to God together in sign language at their own homes.
As for the content of devotional study, "we use 1 Timothy as a devotional sharing every morning to encourage young deaf believers to follow Timothy as an example; during the week, we encourage middle-aged and elderly brothers and sisters to study the Gospel of John, teaching everyone how to love," Song introduced.
Although the pastoral care has not fallen back, like many believers under the epidemic, the long-term online gathering has also made some hearing-impaired believers gradually lose their enthusiasm for worship. "Not as enthusiastic as in-person gatherings! I don't have a good idea at the moment," Song said. "I can only communicate with them individually online and encourage them to study."
In previous years, Easter was one of the church's highlights. The deaf congregation would use their spiritual gifts to prepare for sign language singing and dancing, dramas, and sign language games. This year, in the face of the epidemic that is still raging across the country, "it depends on the situation, if the situation is serious, it will not be held," Song added.
As many senior pastors in China have said, the two years of the epidemic have also been a test, exposing the shortcomings and problems hidden in the church and believers. Song also has a deep understanding of this. "After the pandemic, I found that the problem is that people are weak in life and spiritually, so we need continuous training and learning to improve our spiritual life."
In addition, Song has been paying attention to the training of deaf pastors. In July last year, he organized more than ten deaf pastors from all over the country to come to Yantai to conduct studying and training on spiritual life improvement. "Everyone's feedback is very good, many pastors are very eager and have applied to me to continue the training, when the epidemic subsides, we plan to hold the training again."
- Translated by Leo Liu
“聚会暂停了，我们都在线上聚会，不如线下聚会那样有亲情味儿了。”聊起不知还要持续多久的线上敬拜，山东烟台活水手语教会的宋老师难掩内心的失落。
3月初开始，烟台当地出现确诊病例，活水教会随即响应防疫政策，暂停了实地敬拜。
作为一家全听障者教会，多年来，活水教会在对听障信徒的牧养方面下了许多功夫，不论是老年信徒还是青年信徒，都能在教会找到属灵的归属。转到线上，他们同样毫不松懈。
为保证疫情期间的牧养，活水教会将线上灵修安排进行了充分细化。每天早晨，会组织信徒进行30分钟的线上灵修；周间还会举行线上赞美会，弟兄姊妹们分别在各自的家中，用手语共同向上帝发出颂赞。
而至于灵修学习的内容，“我们每天早上用提摩太前书作为灵修分享，鼓励青年聋人信徒以提摩太为榜样；至于周间，我们则会鼓励中老年弟兄姊妹学习约翰福音，教大家学习如何爱。”宋老师向笔者介绍道。
尽管教会牧养没有落下，但与不少疫情下的平信徒相仿，长期的线上聚会也让一些听障信徒的敬拜热情渐渐退却。“相比线下聚会，热情不高哟！”宋老师表示，“暂时没有什么好办法，现在只能多与他们单独地视频交流，并鼓励他们学习。”
在往年，复活节是活水教会热闹的时候，弟兄姊妹们会发挥各自的属灵恩赐，预备手语歌舞、圣剧小品以及手语游戏。而今年，面对仍在全国肆虐的疫情，“看情况再进行吧，如果形势严峻，那就不举办。”宋老师说。
正如国内许多资深牧者所言，疫情持续的两年也是一场试炼，隐藏在教会与信徒中的短板与问题都在疫情之下显露无遗。宋老师对此也深有体会，“经过疫情，发现问题在于大家生命的软弱，属灵方面也是弱的，因此需要不断培训学习，提升属灵的生命。”
此外，宋老师一直关注聋人牧者的培训问题，去年7月，宋老师组织了全国各地的十余位聋人牧者来到烟台，就属灵生命的提升进行了学习培训，“大家反映很好，不少牧者十分渴慕，纷纷向我申请希望能够继续培训，等疫情平息，我们计划再次举办培训。”
试炼之中，我们仍存盼望——管窥疫情下的聋人教会
"Services have been suspended, we are all gathering online, and it's not as family-friendly as the in-person gathering." Song, a teacher at Huoshui Sign Language Church in Yantai, Shandong province, couldn't hide their frustration as the congregation talked about how long the online worship would last.
Since early March, there had been confirmed COVID-19 cases in Yantai, Huoshui Church for the deaf has suspended face-to-face worship in response to the epidemic prevention policy.
As a fully hearing-impaired church, the church has put efforts into shepherding the hearing-impaired believers over the years. Both the elderly and the young believers can find their spiritual home in the church.
In order to ensure church ministries during the epidemic, the church has fully refined the online spiritual arrangements. Every morning, believers gather for a 30-minute online devotional; online praise sessions are also held during the week, where deaf believers sing praise to God together in sign language at their own homes.
As for the content of devotional study, "we use 1 Timothy as a devotional sharing every morning to encourage young deaf believers to follow Timothy as an example; during the week, we encourage middle-aged and elderly brothers and sisters to study the Gospel of John, teaching everyone how to love," Song introduced.
Although the pastoral care has not fallen back, like many believers under the epidemic, the long-term online gathering has also made some hearing-impaired believers gradually lose their enthusiasm for worship. "Not as enthusiastic as in-person gatherings! I don't have a good idea at the moment," Song said. "I can only communicate with them individually online and encourage them to study."
In previous years, Easter was one of the church's highlights. The deaf congregation would use their spiritual gifts to prepare for sign language singing and dancing, dramas, and sign language games. This year, in the face of the epidemic that is still raging across the country, "it depends on the situation, if the situation is serious, it will not be held," Song added.
As many senior pastors in China have said, the two years of the epidemic have also been a test, exposing the shortcomings and problems hidden in the church and believers. Song also has a deep understanding of this. "After the pandemic, I found that the problem is that people are weak in life and spiritually, so we need continuous training and learning to improve our spiritual life."
In addition, Song has been paying attention to the training of deaf pastors. In July last year, he organized more than ten deaf pastors from all over the country to come to Yantai to conduct studying and training on spiritual life improvement. "Everyone's feedback is very good, many pastors are very eager and have applied to me to continue the training, when the epidemic subsides, we plan to hold the training again."
- Translated by Leo Liu
Deaf Churches Still Have Hope Under New COVID-19 Surge
