Deaf Ministry
The Deaf Ministry Challenge
There are more than 3 million deaf and 28 million hard-of-hearing people in the United States. In Kansas, there are approximately 9,100 profoundly deaf and 108,000 hard-of-hearing people. About 95 percent of deaf people are not churched, which makes this population a vast mission field. Some experts say American Sign Language has become the fourth-most-common language in the United States.
KansaSEED (Support, Encourage, Expand Deaf Ministry) is dedicated to planting the seed of God’s Word in the deaf community.
Program Goals:
- Training deaf leaders to evangelize
- Reaching out to members of the deaf community and their families, striving to meet their needs through involvement in conferences and clubs
- Raising awareness of the unique needs of the deaf, particularly the barriers to participating in corporate worship and Christian education
- Training qualified interpreters
- Calling a pastor to serve as missionary to the deaf in Kansas
For more information about KansaSEED, including worship services and contact names of pastors, download the brochure.
Another helpful resource: Lutheran Deaf Mission Society (LDMS) Website
For additional questions, contact:
- Rev. Paul Tessaro (St. Paul, Clay Center), 785-632-5301, revpt@juno.com
- Sara Hale, kiasmom09@yahoo.com
- Rev. David Kahle (Redeemer, Olathe), 913-764-2359, pastorkahle@redeemerolathe.org
Missions Staff
Janet Powell
Administrative Assistant
janet@kslcms.org
785-357-4441, ext. 2001