Christ United Methodist Church of the Deaf in Baltimore, Maryland is the only chartered all-deaf church in the United Methodist denomination. The average attendance on a Sunday morning is around 140 people. The congregation is made up of the deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing and people with other disabilities, and a few hearing family and friends mixed in the crowd. The service is led in American Sign Language and also is voice-interpreted. There is no piano, trumpet, or soloist. Instead, the music is led in sign language by either a deaf choir member or the choir director herself, Sandy Saunders. The only instrument is an old bass drum, which is used to announce the beginning of the service and the presence of the choir members as they march down the aisles singing "Come, O Holy Spirit" over and over in Sign Language until they get to their seats. To the hearing congregation, this can be a bit overwhelming, but if they focus on the visual, they can feel the Holy Spirit in a way they never have before. This is the Holy Spirit that reminds us that God can touch everyone no matter what their disabilities are or what language they use.

Ms. Saunders has been hearing impaired since she was 13 years old. She works in the hearing world and lip reads her co-workers as best she can. But her greatest love, and one that brings her much happiness is working with her choir or standing in the pulpit as a lay leader and preaching through her heart, head, and hands.

The Choir members and Ms. Saunders takes their message of music to hearing churches around the area. In 2008, they attended the General Conference in the United Methodist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas. There they presented and signed their message of love. What an Honor!

Thank you, God, for the gift of Ms. Saunders and her choir. Thank you also for other congregations that reach out to help others who experience the Trinity in other ways. We thank you that the Holy Spirit can be felt in ways beyond our understanding.

"Come, O Holy Spirit, Come. Come, O Holy Spirit, come. Thank you, God. Amen."