The Deaf Bible Society announced that Deaf Christians can now access a new app to make God’s word more accessible to them.
The Deaf Bible app and Deaf Church Where? website can now work together to let Christians with hearing impairment be engaged in church. The app is a free and user-friendly access to the Bible translated in different sign languages while the website allows Christians to search for Deaf-friendly churches, reports Mission Network News.
We’re really hoping that the two apps will work in tandem and encourage more Deaf people to be involved and engaged with our products. —Scott DeLoach, Deaf Bible Society’s Director of Technology
“(Deaf) People in general don’t oftentimes go to church. Maybe because they don’t know where the church is; or, they think [the church is] not going to have an interpreted service,” said Deaf Bible Society’s Director of Technology, Scott DeLoach.
With the integration of the Deaf Bible app and the Deaf Church Where? website, believers have options to study a sign language Bible and find a local church family.
According to Silent Blessings Deaf Ministries, about 4% of Christians around the world are profoundly deaf. This does not include the number of Christians who have lost their ability to hear later in life. Most of them are discouraged to go to church because of their inability to participate in worship.
A Christian woman said, “I was very active in the church, taught Sunday School for many years and served on the boards of various women’s groups. But then I started to lose my hearing and stopped understanding what was going on. I became very depressed and isolated. I don’t go to church any more.”
Many improvements were done with the Deaf Bible app, DeLoach said. Users can access Bible translations and videos quicker than the previous version.
DeLoach added that, “We’re really hoping that the two apps will work in tandem and encourage more Deaf people to be involved and engaged with our products.”
