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About the Committee

In 1992, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church established the National Committee on Deaf Minsitries as a mission initiative (renewed at the 1996 and 2000 General Conferences.)

As its mission expanded to include all people with hearing loss, the committee broadened its name to reflect the diversity of the population it represents, and it is now known as the United Methodist Committee on Ministries with Deaf, Late-Deafened, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind People, or either the Committee or UMCom. On this site the Committee will be used most often.

Ten members make up the Committee as follows: two people who are Deaf, two late-deafened, two hard of hearing, one deaf-blind person, as well as one deaf institutional ministry professional, and two clergy with experience in ministry with people who are Deaf, late-deafened, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind.

ScriptureReading "For Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ... Now you are the body of Christ, and individually members of it."
- 1 Corinthians 12:12,27

The Committee strives to be inclusive with regard to gender, ethnicity, jurisdiction, and different sign language and hearing abilities. See Power Point Presentation for more information.

Committee
Contact
Information
 Members of the Committee Rev. Dr. Tom Hudspeth, President,
South Central Jurisdiction,
Hard of Hearing,
Clergy active in Deaf Ministry Rev. Joo Hai Kang,
Northeast Jurisdiction,
Deaf Michelle Martin,
South Central Jurisdiction,
Late-Deafened Jeffrey Roberts,
Western Jurisdiction,
Deaf Candis Shannon, Vice-President,
Western Jurisdiction,
Late-deafened Rev. Kirk VanGilder,
Northeast Jurisdiction,
Deaf Professional Rev. Dr. Robert Walker,
Western Jurisdiction,
Deaf-Blind Rev. Tizzy von Trapp Walker,
South East Jurisdiction,
Late-deafened Rev. Elke Sharma,
North Central Jurisdiction,
Hard-of-Hearing
Clergy active in Deaf Ministry Patricia Magyar,
Board of Global Ministries Staff Representative,
Health and Welfare Division,
Ex Officio, Without Vote,
Hearing Dr. Rick Gentzler,
Board of Discipleship Staff Representative,
Ex Officio, Without Vote,
Hard of Hearing Rev. Wineva Hankamer,
Coordinator/Consultant,
Ex Officio, Without Vote,
Hard of Hearing
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