For older Christians, deaf school
stopped at sixth grade. (Today deaf schools offer kindergarten through twelſth-grade.) Lip reading and speaking were stressed over sign language. Tose who were taught sign language learned different versions. Rissanen said some in Palestine learned Palestinian sign language, while those schooled in Israel were taught Israeli Sign Language and those in Jordan were taught Jordanian Sign Language, which remains influential in Pales- tine today. Isolated from hearing church
members who can’t communi- cate with them and leſt out of Christian education, most deaf Christians have a sparse biblical foundation and may not know the “whys” behind sacraments like communion. “Te whole point of this ministry
is to guide people to learn the Bible,” Zu’mot said. “Tey are not less than us. Because they are deaf, they should not be lost.” Te ELCJHL deaf ministry,
Zu’mot said, is “like giving them life again while they are not part of that life.”
A welcome outreach Along with weekly worship, Ris- sanen and Zu’mot help deaf confir- mands with their studies, organize day trips, and raise funds for edu- cational materials and occasionally hearing aids to help students like Mrabie with their studies. Home visits are a special priority. Te congregation grows by word
of mouth as new members are located, visited and invited to wor- ship. “People feel there is someone who cares about them, who wants to gather them again under one roof to worship God,” Zu’mot said. To fully gather the community,
Rissanen and Zu’mot hope to teach hearing church members to sign. “Sign language is one of the
most important languages to know because it is the language of God,” Zu’mot said. “God uses signs to talk to us.” As outreach continues, Ban-
noura and others thrive in the new ministry. “I am still not fully knowl- edgeable about everything in the
Global deaf connections ELCA Global Mission staff and leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Deaf
Association (
www.eldadeaf.org) met in Chicago Oct. 24 to explore ways to connect and partner with deaf ministries worldwide, said association Presi- dent Linda Fairbanks. Association members already are active supporters of the deaf ministry of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria. They also have participated in mis- sion trips to Mexico, New Orleans, Haiti, Vietnam and Jamaica. “Amazing connections happen when new partnerships are fostered,” said Sunitha Mortha, director for mission formation, ELCA Global Mission.
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Bible. But over time, I am learning,” he said. “We are all improving our knowledge, thanks be to God.”
Author bio: Basye, a freelance writer living in the Pacific Northwest, is the author of Sustaining Simplicity: A Journal (ELCA, 2007).
Does your congregation need help to build or renovate its facility? The ELCA Mission Builders can help. Our carpenters, contractors and builders work side-by-side with your congregation to help you construct your facility at signifi cant cost savings.
TO LEARN HOW MISSION BUILDERS CAN ASSIST YOUR MINISTRY, CALL
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OR EMAIL BILL GRAVES
msnbuilder1@gmail.com
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