When the Rev. Sarah Brockmann steps onto the altar for 10 a.m. Sunday worship service at Trinity Episcopal Church, she speaks and signs her greeting as she welcomes both hearing and hearing-impaired communicants.
And the church’s new rector continues to use as much sign language as she is able during worship, even for the hymns that accompany the Scriptures that day.
The small Rockland church has attracted the hearing-impaired from several area communities since it started offering a sign-interpreted Sunday service more than a decade ago, prompted by the persistence of a now-deceased member who originally pursued grants to cover the cost.
“When the Rev. Sarah Brockmann steps onto the altar…”
Now that’s taking Romans 12:1 a bit too literally.
The Ofuokwu family worshipped with our congregation at Emmanuel Braintree and got me involved in introductory sign language courses over in Rockland. Emmanuel’s gifted wife Peggy signed our Braintree services for her son Emaka and all comers even after I accepted a call to mission work in Zimbabwe. I am glad to hear that they have benefitted from this dedicated ministry in the Rockland parish. I know their whole family would be a blessing to the parish that has taken on this really positive outreach. God bless and expand this signing of the Gospel.