Starting from the Taipei Deaflympics
Taking care of the spiritual needs of deaf people
From September 5 to 15, 2009, the Taipei Deaflympics1 was held, which immediately brought Taiwan into the focus of international attention. Due to the intense media coverage, Taiwan gained a greater understanding and recognition of Deaf culture.
This is the largest international sports event held in Taiwan after the Kaohsiung World Games this year. 4,000 athletes (including 5,500 team members) from 81 countries around the world came to participate in the event. . After three years of planning, more than 9,700 volunteers from schools, social welfare groups, companies or individual volunteers were called upon to serve as sign language, foreign language interpreters, or provide various assistance in professional fields. 2
▲The entire Olympic event is supported by a large number of volunteers. I hope that in the future, all churches will also mobilize their evangelical care for the deaf! (Picture source: Taipei Ming Chuan University website http://www.week.mcu.edu.tw/738/speek.htm)
All mobilization
Indeed, without the need to expand diplomacy and the government's vigorous promotion, Taiwanese society as a whole, especially the prosperous city of Taipei, would not be able to have such a deep understanding of the needs of deaf people. Whether it is the Ministry of Education mobilizing host schools to actively learn sign language; passenger transport operators train hundreds of drivers to learn basic greetings in sign language and prepare paper and pens for emergencies; tourist hotel operators also recruit service staff who understand sign language, and even hotel rooms Equipment, such as doorbells, are equipped with flashing devices to facilitate the entry of deaf players.
Of course, the TV media's propaganda campaign also made the people of Taiwan jump for joy with the entire Olympic Games. At the opening and closing ceremonies, not only big-name stars in the entertainment industry were invited to promote deaf culture (such as the theme song "Audible Dreams" composed and sung by Zhang Huimei), but many exhibitions and performances were also held for deaf art. At the competition site, in order to facilitate communication for deaf people, a large number of video phones were used for the first time and a communication center was set up. Volunteer interpreters could even "talk" to ordinary hearing people.
In order to protect the safety of these international athletes, the "5 Nos and 3 OKs" campaign was also carried out3 on traffic, in an attempt to improve Taipei people's bad habit of driving fast, hard, and accurately without caring about pedestrians. The government has even set up a text message alarm system for them. In case of danger, the police station is on standby to receive distress signals from deaf people via text messages in Chinese and English.
With the arrival of Tingao, the whole of Taipei seems to be acting as a goodwill and friendship group for deaf people. However, some people cannot help but question whether this wave of enthusiasm will gradually disappear with the closing of the Olympic Games, or will it truly stay in people's hearts and become a cultural driving force, making the entire Taiwanese society pay more attention to and be considerate of disadvantaged groups?
Christian participation
On the other hand, what role did the church play in this major event? What impact does Ting’ao have on the evangelistic activities of Taiwan’s churches?
In fact, throughout the entire Olympic Games planning process, there were many Christians in professional fields who were in the middle of the planning process, such as Brother Sheng Zhiren, CEO of the Olympic Games Organizing Committee and a member of Nangang Enci Church, the opening host Black (Chen Jianzhou), and There are many key players in social welfare groups who quietly do good deeds without anyone noticing.
The evangelical action at the Olympics was led by Pastor David Benette, chairman of Silent World Ministries International (SWMI), who flew across the ocean with a team of 24 people. Invite churches such as the Kingdom Community Academy Evangelistic Association, Presbyterian Church Fraternity Sign Language Church, and Shuanghe Baptist Church to cooperate4. Compared with the overall mobilization of Taiwanese society, the participation and sensitivity of Taiwanese churches in this matter is relatively low. Have the churches truly seen the desire and need of the deaf people for the gospel?
In fact, large-scale sports events such as the Olympic Games are a good opportunity to spread the gospel! At the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, many churches and missionary agencies were stationed at the venue, and appointed deaf pastors to be present to pay attention to the spiritual needs of deaf people. In the 1980s, when they learned that their country had won the right to host the Olympic Games, Korean Christians prayed together and asked God to unite them to pray and plan for this rare "World Mission Conference." Christian leaders also put aside their sectarian differences and gathered to discuss evangelical strategies.
▲Taiwanese people dance enthusiastically to the Olympic events! (Image source: Deaflympics official website)
Breaking the "Spiritual Hearing Barrier"
Currently, the only churches in Taiwan that have deaf ministry are Taipei Fraternity Sign Language Church, Taipei Heping East Road Ling Liang Church, Taipei True Light Church, Taichung Sien Church, Tainan Methodist Church, etc. This is a gospel field that needs to be cultivated. 5 The following is a starting point, hoping that all churches will respond, pray more and connect with the Lord, and explore a long-term, effective and evangelical action strategy that can mobilize everyone:
‧Actively train pastoral talents to learn sign language and understand deaf culture and their daily needs.
‧Hold the Disadvantaged Publicity Week every year to educate and enhance general members’ understanding of the deaf. For example: design lesson plans to guide children to experience the pain of being unable to hear, learn sign language poetry, and how to make friends with deaf children appropriately.
‧Organize cross-church gospel ministry for deaf people and share experiences and difficulties in pastoring deaf people.
‧Continuously develop and formulate a set of systematic new faith and edification courses that better meet the needs of deaf people. 6
The Olympic Games will eventually pass, but the real needs of deaf people cannot continue to be ignored. Most of the sign language training sessions held by TingAo are made up of Tzu Chi staff. When will churches be able to get rid of “spiritual hearing barriers” through the power of the Lord? Having heard the cry of deaf people’s lives, I am more obedient to God’s call, giving deaf culture a real source of living water—the great joy of being saved by God!
Note
1. The official website of the 2009 Taipei Deaflympics http://www.2009deaflympics.org
2. "9,000 Tingao volunteers show their enthusiasm with skillful hands", "China Times", special report by Zeng Wenqi.
3. 5 is not 3 OK means no honking, no overtaking, no speeding, no illegal parking, no impatientness, and zero accidents, zero accidents and zero casualties.
4. "Listen to the Olympic Carnival SWMI coming to Taiwan to preach the gospel", "Kingdom Renaissance News", reported by Tu Huimei in Taipei.
5. "Voices from Twenty-one Million Deaf People", written by Liu Binyuan.
6.〈聽障信徒教導：實施模式探討與建議〉，歐陽志剛http://www.chinesetheology.com/AY/Impaired%20HearingTraining.htm