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San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
'God understands us': Inside a Nigerian church where deaf people find faith and community
People interact using sign language during a church service at the Christian Mission for the Deaf in Lagos, Nigeria, Sunday, July 13, 2025. Sunday Alamba/AP Remi Akinremi, a pastor, preaches using sign language during a church service at the Christian Mission for the Deaf in Lagos, Nigeria, Sunday, July 13, 2025. Sunday Alamba/AP A member of the choir uses sign language during a church service at the Christian Mission for the Deaf in Lagos, Nigeria, Sunday, July 13, 2025. Sunday Alamba/AP Imoh Udoka, a pastor, preaches using sign language during a church service at the Christian Mission for the Deaf in Lagos, Nigeria, Sunday, July 13, 2025. Sunday Alamba/AP A woman reads the bible during a church service at the Christian Mission for the Deaf in Lagos, Nigeria, Sunday, July 13, 2025. Sunday Alamba/AP LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — It is like any other church in Nigeria 's megacity of Lagos. A lectern faces rows of plastic chairs. A biblical quote is written on a beam above. There is a music section, with a set of drums. Sash-wearing church wardens move around to enforce order. But it is also different. For hours, the only sounds are exclamations and thunderous bursts of drums, with their vibrations the cues for when to pray, kneel or respond to the preacher's calls for 'Hallelujah.' This is a church for deaf people in Somolu, a mixed-income suburb, where about 50 to 60 people worship weekly. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Imoh Udoka, a father of two children, has attended the church for 36 years. He was 9 years old when he contracted meningitis, losing his hearing as well as access to his faith. Most churches in Nigeria do not have accommodation for deaf people. Then Udoka, now a teacher of sign language, discovered the church via community outreach. 'Here in this church, we have access to worship God in our sign language,' he told The Associated Press. 'God also understands us' Remi Akinrenmi is one of the pastors. Every Sunday, he mounts the pulpit with charismatic energy to preach in sign language. His big frame makes for a commanding presence. On one Sunday, he preached about the sinister consequences of jealousy. On another, he preached the importance of faith. Attendees waved their hands above their heads in response to 'Praise the Lord.' Advertisement Article continues below this ad Most important for Akinrenmi is that members see the church as a community. 'There was no community for us before the deaf church started," he said. 'Now, we see each other and say, 'Oh, you are deaf, too. I am also deaf.' And we are now together and have formed a community.' God understands every language, he said: "With sign language, God also understands us.' Disability advocates say that in the absence of inclusive churches and institutions, churches like this and a handful of affiliates in southern Nigeria are crucial, especially in African societies where the perception of people with disabilities is influenced by traditional beliefs. Some see a disability as a divine punishment. 'An exclusive space like this church offers them an opportunity for a safe space to be able to connect and relate,' said Treasures Uchegbu, founder of Speaking Fingers, a sign language advocacy group in Lagos. 'They can say, 'I am not a deaf person just standing alone, I have other deaf people around.'" Advertisement Article continues below this ad How the church came to be The church organizes evangelism outreach programs to other deaf communities in Lagos. It also runs a teaching unit for sign language, a vital tool for understanding the world better, according to Akinrenmi. Hearing children of church members also attend the classes to better relate to their parents and others, and some hearing students attend church services for immersion learning. The church started in 1956 in colonial Nigeria as the Christian Mission for Deaf Africans. In today's Nigeria, an estimated 10 million people out of the population of 220 million are deaf or have difficulty hearing. There is limited infrastructure in Nigeria for people with disabilities, and laws to improve their welfare and prevent discrimination are barely enforced. Efforts by advocates to push for more inclusive legislation have not materialized. They blame a lack of political will. Oluwakemi Oluwatoke-Ogunjirin, a 49-year-old worker with the Lagos state government, was born deaf. She attended hearing churches with her family but always felt lost. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Depending solely on public infrastructure in other parts of life, she struggles to get by. But at the church, she said, she has found a community where she can feel safe and understood. 'The church goes beyond faith; we have people like ourselves that we can talk to as friends,' Oluwatoke-Ogunjirin said. With the church's help, she has improved her sign language and can communicate widely, breaking the isolation she grew up with. 'The sign language makes life very easy for us," she said. 'It helps us communicate beyond the church.' ___ Advertisement Article continues below this ad For more on Africa and development: The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Earthquake hits New York City and New Jersey late Saturday as residents report buildings shaking
Residents in New York and New Jersey were shaken late Saturday night by a minor earthquake. According to the United States Geological Survey, a magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck at 10:18 p.m., with its epicenter in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, just north of Newark. The quake took place six miles below the ground, and around 13 miles from Midtown Manhattan. As well as New Jersey, tremors have been reported across all five boroughs of the city, according to a USGS map. New York City Emergency Management acknowledged the quake in a post on X. 'A magnitude 3.0 earthquake is reported to have occurred in or near New Jersey. Tremors may have been felt in parts of New York City. NYC Emergency Management is monitoring for impacts and coordinating with agency partners,' the agency wrote. The agency noted that no follow up was needed by residents unless they saw the quake cause damage. 'Be prepared for possible aftershocks. These may follow minutes, hours, or even days after the initial quake. No immediate protective action is needed unless you experienced damage,' the agency said. 'If you felt shaking, check for hazards such as shifted items, falling debris, or cracks.' No injuries or reports of serious damage have come out of either New York or New Jersey at the time of this report. Magnitude 3.0 earthquakes are fairly minor, but it's unusual for New Jersey or New York to have quakes strong for residents to notice. Last year, New Yorkers felt a 4.8 magnitude quake across the city which struck near Lebanon, New Jersey. Many took to social media to express confusion over the event. 'I thought my downstairs neighbor was banging something around lol, didn't even think earthquake,' one X user wrote. Another user wrote that they thought a truck was passing by their building. 'So can we agree that none of us felt an earthquake in nyc,' a third added. Harlem resident Bradford Billingsley wouldn't agree. He told the New York Times his coffee table rattled while he was spending time with a friend. 'We both felt a sudden jolt and looked at each other and said, 'was that an earthquake?'' he said. Mayor Eric Adams reposted the city's Emergency Management post, but didn't offer further comment on the quake. Earlier in the week an 8.8 magnitude quake hit off the eastern coast of Russia, triggering tsunami warnings in California, Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, Canada, and Russia.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
A rare look inside the Edgar Thomson steel plant
U.S. Steel celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Edgar Thomson steel plant in Braddock with an event Saturday that brought steelworkers, their families, and community leaders together to celebrate the plant's history and share hope for its future. Rare access inside the plant was provided to KDKA-TV as part of tours that the families of steelworkers went on. Andrew Carnegie first opened the plant, his first steel mill, in 1875. It helped launch the steelmaking industry in the U.S. and has survived the decline of steelmaking in the Pittsburgh region. Working at the plant, part of the Mon Valley Works, brings a level of pride for steelworkers like Nate Schmidt, who led one of the tours. "[It's] nothing but pride," he said, calling leading the tour very special. "It was really cool. I got to take my wife and my oldest son on a tour." Inside the plant, KDKA-TV saw what looked to most like giant metal buckets, officially a ladle, filled with molten material. "This is just the beginning," Schmidt shared. The building is from the 1970s. It's not the oldest or the newest part of the plant, steelworkers shared. Some parts of the steelmaking process are in structures from the 1930s, and the newest is from the 1990s, they said. Nippon promises that the plant will be modernized. Steelworkers said they are constantly performing maintenance. There are also safety precautions everywhere. Just for our KDKA-TV reporter to go inside, a hard hat, long pants, safety glasses, and a heat-resistant jacket were required. The tour brought KDKA-TV to a steelworker whose job requires him to work in extreme heat, so much so that his shifts are only an hour long. The job is crucial; they identify issues and can immediately halt steel production at that location to prevent a major problem from occurring. The pride that Schmidt felt is shared by other steelworkers like William Moutz. "Not only is it pride for me, because I get to work in the same mill my dad worked in and provides for my family the way my dad did, but it's US Steel," Moutz said. "We make history every day. They're the last two blast furnaces in Pennsylvania, and at one time, there were 72 across the state." Local union leaders spoke ahead of the tours, like Rob Hutchinson, the president of USW Local 1219. "As we celebrate 150 years, let us not honor just what's been built, but what's been endured through industrial revolutions, world wars, global pandemics, the workers of this mill have never wavered," Hutchinson said, saying they won't waver in the future either. He also brought up the recent sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel. "Amid much controversy of what was best for our company, our workers showed up, and they did so without ever losing focus on their daily work," Hutchinson said. "I think if Andrew Carnegie walked into our mill today, I think he would be impressed," Moutz said. The same goes for the future after Nippon makes improvements. Schmidt said bringing his oldest son on the tour was special because he'd always wanted to see the plant. "Now, he finally got to see it, and at the end of the tour, he came up to me and told me that he'd love to one day work here with me," Schmidt said. "Makes me emotional, touches my heart. It's something special."
