Deaf Initiative

Only 2% of the at least 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:

• $70 per day rents a training facility for short-term ministry to the Deaf
• $400 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:

• Pray for wisdom in focusing our ministry efforts among the Deaf amid challenges in access and shifting opportunities.
• Ask God to raise up Persian believers to learn Persian Sign Language so that they can minister to the Deaf from their culture.
• Praise God that a Persian Deaf church is meeting regularly. Ask the Lord to encourage those who have professed faith in Christ to continue to assemble for worship and fellowship. Pray for the unbelievers who attend, that God would draw them to Himself.   

*Statistics from Deaf Bible Society