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Jul 10, 2023

Church for deaf seeking donations, assistance for move to NK

Pastor Seth Sobral, left, and his wife, co-pastor Gloria Sobral, right, prepare

Pastor Seth Sobral, left, and his wife, co-pastor Gloria Sobral, right, prepare a sign for their new church, Alpha & Omega Deaf Church, in North Kingstown with the help of deacon John Confreda Tuesday morning.

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — Before it can open its doors, a new church in North Kingstown will need some help with its final push over the finish line.

Alpha & Omega Deaf Church, a small Christian church that originated in Providence, purchased a building at 7291 Post Road in North Kingstown after selling its initial site at 13 Vanderwater St. It is a congregation for the deaf, made up of 20-35 members. The congregation hopes that the new church can help its community grow, with better handicap accessibility.

"Right now, we’re basically renting the building (in North Providence)," Gloria Sobral, the pastor's wife said. "While we’re renovating (in North Kingstown). Everything should be finished before the permit is (closed)."

Alpha & Omega is looking for donations and has started three Go-Fund-Me pages, one for a playground, one for kitchen renovations and a third for new chairs and flooring.

The playground area would be utilized by the students following classes. So far, $100 has been raised for the playground project, through one donation. The goal is to hit $2,000.

In September, Alpha & Omega created a Go-Fund-Me for its new chairs and flooring funds — specifically for the chapel and fellowship room. It garnered $365 through five donations.

Renovations have been going on for about a year and a half now, Sobral said, as they have been performed by only two people, she added.

"We’ve been around for about 20 years or so," Sobral said of the church. "My husband has been a preacher for quite some time now."

Alpha & Omega is looking to move on from its original building, due to it lacking accessibility for the handicap, Sobral said.

Sobral said, renovations have been done slowly —which includes the altar, flooring, paint jobs, and electrical. According to Sobral, the church's funds has since run out.

"The church cannot open until everything is done, then the permit will close and pass the final inspection," Sobral said.

Although renovations are close to being completed, there are still needs looking to be met. This includes yard clean-up, flowers for the front of the church, paving for the parking lot, and picnic tables, Sobral said.

"The kitchen has been finished … and the office is finished," Sobral said. "We need basically a pavement for parking."

Alpha & Omega conducts its services through American Sign Language. It holds services each Sunday and Bible studies on Wednesday evenings. Its Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AlphaOmegaDeafChurch/) livestreams each service.

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The fate of a proposed $1.5 million cut in the South Kingstown school budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year will be decided by voters Tuesday in a special referendum. Earlier this month, SK Superintendent Mark Prince said that, if the cut is approved, the district would have no choice but to eliminate all fall sports for the high school and middle school.The move was met with an outcry on social media by those who oppose the referendum but, in a letter to the editor in this week's Independent Newspaper, local resident Roland Benjamin echoed the sentiment of many proponents for the reduction that the threat is "hollow at best.""If there is truly a willingness and/or obligation to cut the $150,000 sports budget, why proceed with a $6 million athletic facilities overhaul?," Benjamin asked. "It is not the first time a district used these types of threats to activate voters."Do you believe the SK school district will eliminate fall sports if voters approve a $1.5 million budget cut? Why or why not? Let us know in this week's poll question below.

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