In order to facilitate the spiritual inclusion and moral well-being of Christians with Disabilities ( CWDs) in church. The board of ECWA Goodnews deemed it appropriately necessary to establish the Fellowship of Special Brethren (FSB) within the church to give Christians with disabilities a sense of belongings for optimum spiritual development.
This, INN learnt, was done by the church through a weekend programme titled ” Ability in Disability to Occupy” initiated by ECWA Goodnews Gombe to fully accommodate CWDs in its scheme.
Speaking as a guest speaker during the programme, Rev. Anyway K. Gambo Ph D, who hailed from ECWA Seminary Kagoro, Kaduna state revealed how he was motivated to learn sign language with which he used to preach to the Deaf Christians for several years.
He noted, ” one day I attended a church service in Ibadan, I was surprised to see someone making some kind of gestures in communication while standing ”
“I wanted to know what he was doing, so I asked around and was told he was a sign language interpreter for the Deaf worshippers who attended the church service”
” I couldn’t contain my curiosity, so I approached the interpreter after the church session to teach me sign language and thanks God here I am today”
He added, “I therefore encourage you to endeavour to learn sign language not only for the purpose of preaching the Deaf but also to eradicate the lingering communication gap existing between the Deaf brethren and the larger society”
INN reports that the renowned man of God has been with the Deaf Christians for over 27 years and was widely noted for his fluency in sign language.
While fielding questions, shortly after the event, the chairman of Gombe State Deaf Christian Association, Mr. Daniel Yusuf Lebeleng, said he was very appreciative to the church hierarchy for coming up with such a worthwhile initiative that is targeted at adding value to the spiritual life of CWDs not only in Gombe state but the country at large.
He noted “what’s good news is the board of the church has promised to see to the growth of special brethren spiritually”.
INN reports that the Fellowship of Special Brethren inaugurated by the church was the first of its kind in the entire northern parts of the country. It was gathered that similar thing was established in certain churches in the southern part of Nigeria along with Deaf Christians Brethren already in existence in Jos, Kaduna among others.