The Deaf Ministries Team announces “with a great deal of excitement” that the long-awaited launch of the new internet Hope Channel Deaf is a reality. It is a historical mark in the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s ministry to have a channel “with”, “for” and “by” the Deaf.
Featured in this Internet channel are programs captioned or signed in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French and German. There are four categories of programs: Nature, Family, Bible, and Health. The channel can be found at: www.hopechanneldeaf.org
“Many have worked hard to make this day possible”, so Larry Evans, Global Deaf Ministries Director.
“The financial grant from Versacare, the past and present moral and technical support of Hope Channel (including the EUD Media Center, Stimme der Hoffnung), the Deaf members themselves, the Division Deaf/Special Needs Ministry leaders (Corrado Cozzi for the Inter-European Region), and scores of others who have pressed forward to reach out to this marginalized and unreached people group”, continued Director Evans.
“It is clearly the providence of God that has opened so many doors to make this announcement possible.”
“A special thanks goes to Amanda Colgan”, so the Deaf Ministries Leader. “Amanda is deaf. She has worked diligently as an adviser and has provided much needed technical support.”
Amanda, and other Deaf members, will serve as overseers of the new Hope Channel Deaf making sure that the content is especially geared towards the interests and needs of the Deaf. She will continue as the web content manager of the ADMI, Adventist Deaf Ministries International website (www.AdventistDeaf.org).
Amanda and Pastor Jeff Jordan, the Honorary Assistant for Deaf Ministries, represent and symbolize the much-needed gifts that exist among the Deaf to reach out to the vast global Deaf population. Only 2 to 4% of this group are Christian.
“ Thank you for your continued support of this ministry”, concluded Director Evans.
About the Deaf Ministries
Larry Evans began creating an official identity for the Adventist Deaf soon after accepting the role of coordinator for Deaf Ministries in 2010. Regional Deaf ministry coordinators have since been put in place in each of the church’s 13 world divisions, and an international Web site was developed that offers resources for both the Deaf and the hearing who want to help the Deaf.
The GC has also hired a Web content manager, Amanda Colgan, who is deaf and lives and works from her home in the Hyannis, Massachusetts, area of the United States.
The culturally Deaf (around 70 million worldwide) have their own worldview and unique characteristics, including humor and language as well as 400 different sign languages—and they don’t usually live together in grouped populations.
Within the Adventist Church in the EUD territory, there are now at least 4 official organizations for the deaf, Signes d’esperance in France, Gehörlosengemeinschaft in Germany, Ministerio de Sordos en España, M.S.E, and Raise and Walk in Romania. All of the organizations use their own local sign language.
