From our Mailbag:
“576 Deaf people die each day…570 without knowing the Lord Jesus Christ.” – D.P., Illinois
Dear D.P.,
Thank you for sharing your insights with us. These truly are staggering statistics, and the reason for our existence as a ministry.
With the advancement of Cochlear Implants and Mainstream schooling, the situation for deaf children is even worse. Though a deaf adult seeking information about God can find signed resources online such as Deaf Missions, DOOR’s Chronological Bible Translation, and the Deaf Bible App, deaf children have neither that level of awareness nor that luxury of research. With fewer than 5% of churches having any form of deaf ministry, the deaf children sprinkled among hearing congregations are almost completely without biblical instruction that they can understand to build a foundation of faith.
Thankfully, parents and advocates of deaf children now have resources available. There’s Dr. Wonder’s Workshop (DWW), now in post-production of its fifth and final season; a new VBS curriculum that, with a few more adjustments, should be publisher ready within the next two years; and plans toward an interactive online Bible curriculum for four young age groups. And that’s just what Silent Blessings is directly involved in! Deaf Missions has released a video app that provides not only DWW content but other videos that have been developed for deaf children such as Big Bible Stories.
You’re also right in that Deaf ministry must necessarily consider hearing involvement. It may be preparing a congregation to welcome and serve deaf visitors. It could be providing Sunday School teachers and youth leaders with the resources and training to include deaf students in the life of the church their parents attend. Even standalone Deaf churches have found that they want more for their hearing children, and no wonder, because they know the isolating experience of being the “unusual” ones in their early faith environments.
Thank you again for sharing your heart. May you continue to find opportunities to advocate for Deaf ministry.
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Please prayerfully consider what you can contribute to the development of child-friendly faith resources in American Sign Language, with voices and captions so that their hearing siblings and parents can enjoy and/or approve the material.
Perhaps you can volunteer your signing skills or voice, maybe give financial resources, perhaps share the word with your network of friends, and certainly, above all, pray for us and other deaf ministries.