Te ministry began when
ELCJHL Bishop Munib Younan noticed that churches in Palestine were ignoring the deaf. “Our church believes in holistic ministry and that we must serve all of God’s children,” he said. “Tough they may be few, it is so important not to ignore this segment of society.” Younan, who is also president
Worshipers attend a deaf ministry service of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. DANAE HUDSON/ELCJHL
Signs of faith in the Holy Land
Deaf ministry opens up Scripture By Anne Basye F
or the first time in years, Johnny Bannoura is excited about going to church. Participating in worship is difficult for Bannoura and his four sib-
lings, all deaf since birth. Trained to read lips, he can have trouble following worship leaders who chant in Greek or Latin, speak quickly or stand far away. Now every Friday night in Bethlehem, Bannoura attends a deaf ministry
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). (A second group meets Mondays in Ramallah.) During the service he might help lead the prayers, or sign or sing along
with a hymn. And there’s always a Bible story that is acted out, told and signed by Fursan Ayed Zu’mot, a vicar and ministry leader. Zu’mot, Ban- noura and other worshipers discuss the story’s message and how they can live accordingly. “Communication is 90 percent nonverbal,” Zu’mot said. “Watching body
language, deaf people can understand a movie. So I use my whole body to tell a Bible story.”
40
www.thelutheran.org
of the Lutheran World Federa- tion, learned that a deaf pastor had been ordained in Finland. So he approached the Finnish Evangeli- cal Lutheran Mission in Jerusalem, which then recruited that pastor, Janne Rissanen, to start the ELCJHL ministry in 2011.
Personal visits To find deaf Christians in largely Muslim cities, Rissanen visited deaf clubs around the West Bank and the Ephphetha School for the Deaf in Bethlehem. Te first participants accepted his invitation, in part, because “I share the same life expe- rience with them and I am able to take care of the soul of their starting points,” he said. Today about 30 deaf people from
diverse backgrounds—Orthodox, Latin Catholic, Maronite Catholic and Lutheran—share an eagerness to know more about Christ. “I want to learn the Bible and
I want to learn about Jesus,” Ban- noura said. “Around the world, deaf people receive the proper treatment for Christian education, but here we do not have this. Now it is getting better.” Mariana Mrabie, a Lutheran col-
lege student who attends the Ramal- lah ministry with her brother Majdi, said, “I understand everything that’s taught, all the stories about Jesus.” She’s grateful that “all of the deaf can gather together and worship God together.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52