Deaf Initiative
Only 2% of the 70 million Deaf worldwide have been introduced to Jesus.* Many of these least-reached people are separated from the larger Hearing society around them, and as a result have even fewer opportunities to learn of the good news. In some cultures, being deaf is seen as a curse, and members of the Deaf community are neglected by and isolated from those who can hear.
Simply bringing the gospel to these places isn’t enough. Even if a Deaf person lives in a community with many churches, a significant number of Christians and access to printed Scripture, he or she is unlikely to be reached with the gospel. Because Deaf communities have distinct languages, cultures and worldviews, to effectively reach them we need to send followers of Christ who can be accepted in Deaf society and utilize culturally appropriate, proven methods to communicate the gospel in their sign languages.
Christar is seeking to reach the Deaf with the hope of the gospel! We desire to plant churches among the Deaf who are living amid populations of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists for the same reason we serve among Hearing peoples: God has promised there will be people from every nation, tribe, people and language (including sign languages) worshiping around the throne of God. We align ourselves with the promise that salvation in Christ is not just for the Hearing, but for the Deaf as well.
Through the Deaf Initiative, Christar is expanding its church-planting efforts to include reaching the Deaf with the good news. Your gift will help us identify and train new workers to serve among the Deaf and bring the gospel to these often hidden least-reached people.
Reaching the Deaf in the Middle East and Beyond
Christar is implementing a three-pronged strategy to raise awareness of the least-reached Deaf and involve the Church—especially Deaf believers—in bringing the gospel to them in their unique languages and cultures. While these strategies focus on mobilizing workers to serve among the Persian Deaf, they also serve as a foundation for involving the Church in ministry among the Deaf around the world. They include:
- Developing a resource designed to impart a vision among Deaf believers for reaching the least-reached Deaf
- Adding a Deaf mobilizer, who will recruit Deaf believers for ministry in least-reached Deaf communities, to Christar’s mobilization team
- Sending two short-term teams of Deaf believers to minister among the Persian Deaf, giving them a taste of how God can use them to make Him known in this community
Support Christar in this endeavor:
- $50 per day rents a training facility for short-term ministry to the Deaf
- $300 covers the cost of travel for a mobilizer to visit one Deaf church or conference
- $1,600 purchases a round trip flight to the Middle East for one Deaf short-termer
Participate by Praying for the Deaf Initiative:
- Praise the Lord that Through God’s Eyes in American Sign Language has been launched! Pray it will give Deaf believers a vision for reaching the Deaf living amid least-reached communities.
- Thank God that short-term teams sent to serve among the Persian Deaf have laid a strong foundation for long-term ministry among this people group.
- Praise God that Deaf Persian believers were able to create new Persian Sign Language videos on the life of Christ with the help of a short-term team. Pray that many Deaf Persians will view these videos, desire to learn more about Christ and be saved through Him.
- Praise the Lord for the small group of Deaf Persian believers that has formed. Pray that those who have recently professed faith will desire to learn more about the Lord and His Word.
*Statistics from Deaf Bible Society