Signs of Life Fellowship celebrates one year

On January 9, Signs of Life Fellowship (SLF) celebrated it’s one year “birthday” of meeting for worship at the Shenandoah Valley Club of the Deaf.

SLF is a joint outreach ministry of Virginia Mennonite Missions, Springdale Mennonite Church and Community Fellowship Church in Staunton. Four families from the two churches who had been functioning as a Deaf Sunday School class at Community Fellowship felt led to move Sunday morning services more fully into the Deaf community by meeting in a Deaf-owned space. Worship, prayer, teaching and discussion are conducted in American Sign Language and are fully accessible to the signing Deaf community.

After worship, the fellowship moved to the home of MaryBeth, Chris, Mynor and Mario Heatwole Moore for a potluck dinner. Clusters of conversation in American Sign Language and English formed over the shared meal as people reconnected after holiday travels and visits. Everyone joined together to sign or voice “Happy Birthday” to SLF and to one of the members who celebrated a birthday this week. We all had a good laugh as Jerry got the requisite number of “ear pulls” for his 58th birthday.

Since the first meeting at the Deaf Club last year, the group has seen more members of the Deaf community and leaders from the Deaf Club become involved. The fellowship is looking forward to growing together. A small group is studying fundamentals of Christian faith. The entire fellowship is planning a retreat in the spring. Several people have expressed interest in baptism.

Please pray for this young group of believers as they take “baby steps” of Christian fellowship. May there come a time that Signs of Life Fellowship gets as many “ear pulls” as Jerry just did!

Signs of Life Fellowship members share a meal.