StoryOne Deaf Mission
Deaf Reaching Deaf by Signing the Stories of God
Our Purpose
We seek to help the estimated 60 million deaf/hearing-impaired people worldwide who have a hunger for God's word. The best way to reach these people is to clearly communicate the gospel in their own heart language. For the deaf, this heart language is their own distinct sign language.
Did you know that each deaf person influences 10 hearing people in his/her family and community (hearing people who have learned sign language just so they can communicate to their dear loved one)? How many more hearing people might also be profoundly influenced as the deaf learn and pass on “the greatest story ever told?”
Our Challenge
There are 121 distinct sign languages in the world. The plight of the deaf is very different in each country. In some areas, they are protected and respected, but in many countries they are often mistreated and forced into a life disconnected from the hearing world.
Our Solution
When you consider the fact that deaf people use their sign languages to tell each other stories in an artistic and flowing fashion, it only makes sense to use Bible storying as a strategic way to evangelize, disciple and even birth multiplying churches among deaf communities worldwide.
How can StoryRunners touch the hearts and lives of deaf/hearing impaired people throughout the world? What is our plan?
StoryRunners is thrilled to be connected to a group of partners whose vision and passion is to reach out to every deaf community worldwide.
Our primary goal is to assist and facilitate the work of StoryOne in these ways:
- Develop the infrastructure needed for training and equipping deaf missionaries who will sign stories, record on video and distribute evangelism and discipleship story sets for each distinct sign language. This training and equipping has been tested in four countries of Eastern Europe with great results.
- Develop a broader partnership to include processes for these workers to become staff members of an organization and develop tools necessary for deaf missionaries to communicate their ministry and obtain prayer and financial partnership in their work. We’re also searching for ways to partner our storying training centers with vocational training centers where available. Some of these workers have the vision to cross borders with this strategy and become deaf missionaries to other lands.
In addition to ongoing needs of current projects, we currently have project requests for three other people groups. Are you willing to help? Will you commit to one of the following?
As someone has said through signing: “Wow! This can't stop now! This is the first time we've actually learned the Bible in our own language and not just learned what someone is telling us about the Bible!”
Invest in this project by giving online or by mail to:
StoryRunners
100 Lake Hart Drive #1100
Orlando, FL 32832
Article
The Difference Between Learning the Bible and Learning “About” the Bible
Please pray…
- Ask the Lord to raise up Deaf people who are willing to be trained to be Bible storytellers, who will be faithful to train others and who will use Bible storytelling to tell other Deaf people who are waiting to “hear” the gospel.
- Ask that the Deaf population will not be overlooked, rejected or misunderstood and kept from knowing Jesus just because they cannot hear.
- Ask for funding and people resources for this strategy and that churches will welcome the Deaf as part of the Body of Christ.
- Ask that the Deaf will be ministered to in ways that show the love of the Lord.
Serve
Check out the links below to see ways you can serve with StoryRunners.