Katie O'Malley, Mission Network News

What are the obstacles for gospel ministry to the Deaf?

Rob Myers with DOOR International shares three misconceptions or challenges that make Deaf-led churches rare today.

"Some of it has to do with the lens that we use to view the Deaf community. Many times when we talk about Deaf ministry, people put on the viewpoint of special needs ministry," Myers says.

Instead, Deaf communities should be viewed as minority languages, people groups with their own distinct cultures.

Government leaders in Afghanistan codified another set of morality laws last week. They claim they will prevent vice and promote virtue according to Islamic teaching. One rule bans women from speaking in public places. 

One city in Türkiye has just one operating church building. Now, that building may be facing closure.

Last month, the three congregations that meet in this historic building received an eviction notice from a government official. The notice said the building was structurally unsafe and the congregations would have to move out before August 24. 

In today’s increasingly digital age, there’s still nothing like having a Bible you can hold in your hands. It’s not as easy to miss or dismiss as digital resources are. 

Bibles for China serves to bring God’s Word into the hands of Chinese believers through every legal means possible. They have witnessed that when God’s Word is read, understood and accepted, it brings people to the brink of a life-transforming relationship with Jesus. 

You might not realize just how few resources there are for Deaf people, both for the gospel and in general. Many of us live in media-saturated cultures — can’t Deaf people with smartphones easily access captioned videos, books and other written resources? 

But there’s much more to it than that.

Persecution of Christians in Nigeria has been on the rise for more than fourteen years.  The lack of accountability from the international community hasn’t helped, but it’s a trend that does not have to continue.

“When you have the frequency and the amount of stories coming out of Nigeria, people become numb to it. But these are our brothers and sisters in Christ,” says Greg Musselman with Voice of the Martyrs Canada.

A third of the world’s 8 billion people have never heard the gospel of Jesus. It’s a staggering fact and one that is behind Jesus Film Project’s upcoming creation of a fully animated JESUS film.

Legacy meets a new world

“Our vision and passion is to give every person in the world the opportunity to hear Jesus say, ‘I love you’ in their heart language,” says Holly Newell with Jesus Film Project.

Situated on the southern coast of China, Hong Kong is neither a city nor a country, per se. Instead, it is a special administrative region of China, and it has been so since July 1, 1997. 

Hong Kong is also a stop along the way to bring the Bible deeper into Asia. 

Handheld audio players from MegaVoice can be huge spiritual encouragement to kids, especially if they don’t enjoy reading as much yet.  

Audio Bibles can also bless kids with a variety of special needs. In early May, MegaVoice connected with parents and churches who have special needs children. The event, Make ‘m Smile, comes from the foundation Nathaniel’s Hope; it connects these families to local resources available to them. 

An exciting gospel video project will soon be reaching the Buddhist world with the hope of Christ! It comes from TWR Motion, a division of Trans World Radio that tells God’s story through animated videos.