Nkwen Baptist Church celebrates 10 Years of Sign Language in Denominational Worship
Nkwen Baptist Church (NBC) has celebrated 10 years of sign-use language in the church. This was during the church service on December 3, 2023, which brought together Christians with hearing impairment, sign language interpreters, the Christians of NBC, and some staff of the Socio-Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SEEPD) Program.
NBC was the first CBC church planted in Bamenda in the early 1940s. It is located in the premises of the Headquarters of the Cameroon Baptist Convention and is considered the mother church of all CBC churches in Bamenda since it was the springboard of all other churches of the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) with an average attendance of 1600 worshipers on Sundays.
The church pastor, Rev Njini Edward during the anniversary services appreciated the sign language interpreters who have been committed to interpreting church activities especially the gospel to Christians with hearing impairment. Tracing the relationship between the CBC Health Services and the sign language services in NBC, the senior pastor said sign language interpretation in the church was birth some years back by Mrs. Gabe Serah. She was transferred from the Inclusive School for the Deaf and Sign Language Center (ISSLC) formally called the Integrated School for the Deaf (ISFD) Mbingo in Belo Sub Division of the Northwest Region to GBHS Bamenda. When she was assigned as a
sign language interpreter in GBHS, she immediately sought admission to NBC where she served in the church as a 3H girl’s instructor. Her presence in the church attracted some of her former pupils and present students who had previously sought where to worship.
In 2013, the first training on sign language interpretation took place at NBC with 20 participants being trained by Mrs. Gabe. After 6 months of training, the participants were able to interpret in church under her mentorship and supervision. The vision kept growing with many people indicating their interest to be trained since there was no church around practicing sign language interpretation, persons with hearing impairment from other churches/denominations started seeking membership in NBC.
The sign language training was also extended to other churches like Christ Memorial Baptist Church Musang, Emmanuel Baptist Church Sisia, Hope Baptist Church, and Menda Baptist Church all located in Bamenda. The Sign Language Coordinator of NBC, Mbuli Emmanuel noted that training members from other churches has been the right step in the right direction given that some of these persons with hearing impairment always cover very long distances to come to NBC. With the training, persons with hearing impairment can worship in the churches that have sign language interpreters around their residences.
Tsiambon Linda Azinwi, one of the beneficiaries of sign language interpretation in NBC explained that she started worshiping in a Catholic church where mass was not signed. Being in the Catholic church, she felt bad every Sunday she attended mass because she did not understand whatever was going on in church. “I felt so sad and frustrated each time I went to church”. Like others, Linda heard of the sign language interpretation during church services at NBC. She left the Catholic Church for 6 years and enrolled in NBC. She testified that her spiritual life has grown now because she now understands the gospel as it is being signed and she feels happy belonging.
Speaking on behalf of the SEEPD program team, Mr. Kenchi Joseph applauded NBC for being a promoter of sign language in denominational worship. He noted that the SEEPD Program is happy to have promoted the sign language initiative in the church, the reason why the Program has been using the church as an example to encourage other churches to emulate.
The celebration was marked by a special Thanksgiving by Christians with hearing impairment and the sign language interpreters to appreciate God for the initiative’s success for 10 years. The celebration coincided with the 31st Edition of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
It is hoped that other denominations will emulate the good practice demonstrated by NBC to meet the spiritual needs of persons with hearing impairment everywhere else in Cameroon.