Many times I have met Deaf people with NO knowledge of the Bible. They knew nothing. One Deaf girl asked me, “Who Jesus?” She had never heard His name and did not know what He had done for her. So how do you start teaching the Bible when they know nothing about the Bible?
- Start with basic Bible words. Start with explaining words like God, Jesus, Heaven, Hell, and Devil. Some Bible Stories will help teach these signs. You need to teach other words by using pictures. Please remember that we do not know what God looks like. We do not know what Heaven or Hell looks like. But we need to use pictures to give them a beginning place for their understanding.
- Start at the Beginning. I usually teach beginning Deaf students in the following order.
a. Creation – God strong
b. Adam and Eve – Sin begins
c. Cain and Abel – First killing – Punish
d. Noah – God punish sin - Remember when teaching Bible stories to new Deaf:
a. Use many pictures. There are many Bible stories online and others that can be purchased. Be careful when using pictures. They can drop, blow away, or be turned upside down. All these can be distractions. Prepare your pictures before the class to avoid these distractions.
b. Use skits. You need to act out some stories. For example, I act out Jesus calming the storm. The live acting will help make the story clear. You can also ask the Deaf to help in the stories. This will help them remember the story better. (You will need to direct them what to do and say, but this adds to the learning process.)
c. Review, review, review.
More next time!
