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Deaf pioneers graduate at Chester

11 March 2008

A pioneering partnership between the Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England and the University of Chester came to fruition on Saturday 8 March when the first cohort of Deaf students were presented with their certificates by the University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Mrs Dorothy Marris.  The five successful students come from across the UK, from as far apart as Jersey and Cumbria.

The Church Colleges Certificate in Christian Ministry - taught and assessed in British Sign Language (BSL) - is the first of its kind in the United Kingdom.  All the teaching was delivered in BSL by ‘Signs of God’, an organization which specializes in promoting the use of BSL in Christian settings.

The Chairman of the Committee for Ministry Of and Among Deaf and Disabled People, the Rt Revd Jack Nicholls, Bishop of Sheffield, said: “This is a huge step forward in helping to equip students for ministry in their local church among Deaf people.  The way we have been able to work with the University of Chester in breaking this new ground has been enormously encouraging, and we're looking forward to developing the partnership.”

The course is a one-year distance learning programme taught at residential weekends and home based, on-line learning with local tutor support.  It involves modules in:

•         Using the Bible

•         Theology

•         Liturgy and worship

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