Hundreds of deaf people receive Bibles at Las Vegas expo

Suzette Gutierrez Cachila Wednesday, July 20, 2016

An organization that focuses on reaching deaf persons with the gospel distributed Bibles and shared the gospel to hundreds of deaf during an expo held in Las Vegas, Nevada earlier this month.

The Deaf Nation World Expo is an event where deaf persons gather to meet for purposes of business, getting and sharing resources, and connecting with other deaf persons. About 30,000 people registered for the expo.

A Deaf, Hard-Of-Hearing or Speech-Impaired person at her workplace, communicating with a hearing person via a Video Interpreter (a Sign Language interpreter, shown on-screen), using a webcam and a videotelecommunications program on her computer. | Wikimedia Commons

Deaf Bible Society, registered as one of the exhibitors for the event, went to the expo to promote the Deaf Bible app.

"Deaf Bible Society uses the Deaf Nation expos as an opportunity to promote the Deaf Bible app and the deaf bible website," JR Bucklew said, according to Mission Network News. "Those are engagement platforms that we use in partnership with sign language Bible translators to distribute sign language Bible content and engage people."

Bucklew explained that many deaf persons do not have a positive experience with church. He said many of them have recounted stories of their bad experiences in church.

Bucklew said the conflict stems from the "hearing world" not being able to understand the deaf, and the deaf not knowing how a "hearing church" works.

"So that just leaves them with a bad taste in their mouth for church, for religion, for God and the Bible," Bucklew said.

He said Deaf Bible Society is able to reach out to deaf persons who have a negative perspective of the church. Through the Bible apps the organization provides, deaf persons are able to access the word of God even in their own language.

Sometimes, the organization's staff also helps the deaf undestand the Bible more and have a deeper understanding of its teachings.

He emphasized how important it is to reach the deaf for Christ, especially since many churches today have no idea about the needs of this particular group of people.

The Deaf Bible app features 20 of the more than 400 unique sign languages being used around the world. This enables it to reach about 20 million deaf persons.

The Mexican sign language, added to the app in May, is the latest addition to the Deaf Bible app.