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My name is Joe Cepeda. I am a Deaf disciple and in June 1999, I founded the Deaf Ministry International Church of Christ (DMICOC) and dmicoc.org<\/a>, a website to connect and encourage Deaf Ministries worldwide. I have been married to Chante for five years and have four beautiful daughters. We are part of the Mission Point Christian Church<\/a> in San Antonio, Texas. I am writing to express my spiritual vision and unity of growing the Deaf Ministry within our churches. I have had profound nerve hearing loss since the age of five. I was baptized on November 21, 1996, repenting of blaming my deafness on God and gaining a strong heart of perseverance to see God in heaven one day. The next year, God gave me a special gift to lead in the Deaf ministry, because I realized my life can be a great example in reaching out to the Deaf community. I am very blessed to be fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) with over 25 years of Deaf community experience since college. Deaf disciples have an incredible opportunity to not only reach out to their local Deaf communities, but to be advocates in our churches in explaining the needs of Deaf Ministry. I believe a Deaf disciple should have strong outreach skills and the desire to train new Deaf disciples. Those unfamiliar with Deaf Ministry should contact large Deaf Ministries in different cities and spend quality time with them for spiritual and ministry training, in order to build these ministries in their local churches. In the United States, a great way to offer Deaf Ministry support is to learn basic American Sign Language (ASL) signs and phrases. There are four effective ways of learning ASL for beginners: attend a monthly Deaf community event in your local area, develop a good friendship with a Deaf person and communicate in ASL without using your voice, sit with the Deaf Ministry to watch interpreter(s) during worship services, and download the free Deaf Bible app to watch daily Deaf devotionals and learn religious signs. <\/p>\n There is more to learn and share regarding the rich language and culture of Deaf people. I pray as a church we will have this community on our hearts in outreach. Please feel free to contact me at jcdmicoc@gmail.com<\/a> for more information or advice about the Deaf Ministry. You can also find us on Facebook<\/a>. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My name is Joe Cepeda. I am a Deaf disciple and in June 1999, I founded the Deaf Ministry International…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":3916,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[71],"tags":[],"post_folder":[151],"class_list":["post-3915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/dmicoc.jpg?fit=836%2C750&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"dtadmin","author_link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/author\/dtadmin\/"},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phsvEw-119","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2458,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/good-news-from-the-deaf-ministry-that-spans-two-continents\/","url_meta":{"origin":3915,"position":0},"title":"Good News from the Deaf Ministry on Two Continents","author":"dtadmin","date":"March 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"After an Internet search for a Deaf ministry, Janvier Nkurikiye, studied the Bible virtually across two continents and was baptized.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/virtual_study_janvier.jpg?fit=1104%2C621&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/virtual_study_janvier.jpg?fit=1104%2C621&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/virtual_study_janvier.jpg?fit=1104%2C621&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/virtual_study_janvier.jpg?fit=1104%2C621&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/virtual_study_janvier.jpg?fit=1104%2C621&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2144,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/ivory-coast-church-appoints-two-evangelists\/","url_meta":{"origin":3915,"position":1},"title":"Ivory Coast Church Appoints Two Evangelists","author":"dtadmin","date":"January 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ivory Coast church appoints two evangelists.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/appointing.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/appointing.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/appointing.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/appointing.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/appointing.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3091,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/good-news-from-the-deaf-ministry-in-abidjan\/","url_meta":{"origin":3915,"position":2},"title":"Good News from the Deaf Ministry in Abidjan","author":"dtadmin","date":"April 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The deaf ministry of Abidjan church is so grateful to share some encouraging news with disciples around the world. A team was sent from the US to Abidjan last year to teach the deaf ministry methodology of bible translation in Ivorian Sign Language.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/abidjan_deaf_ministry_news_1.jpg?fit=576%2C401&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/abidjan_deaf_ministry_news_1.jpg?fit=576%2C401&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/abidjan_deaf_ministry_news_1.jpg?fit=576%2C401&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1934,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/portland-church-seeks-ministry-staff\/","url_meta":{"origin":3915,"position":3},"title":"Portland Church Seeks Ministry Staff","author":"dtadmin","date":"June 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Join us in Portland, Oregon! We are seeking disciples to accept ministry positions with responsibilities in campus ministry, Spanish ministry, deaf ministry and unhoused ministry (GOTO truck).","rel":"","context":"In "Ministry Search"","block_context":{"text":"Ministry Search","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/ministry-search\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/boyds_portland_or.jpg?fit=418%2C314&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5335,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/harvard-disciple-and-father-featured-at-harvard-commencement\/","url_meta":{"origin":3915,"position":4},"title":"Harvard Disciple and Father Featured at Harvard Commencement","author":"dtadmin","date":"June 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"On Thursday May 24th, Lauren Nicholson, a disciple in the Boston Church of Christ campus ministry, received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University. Like thousands of other college students celebrating commencement, it was a day of celebration with family, friends, and a sense of triumph at the completion of an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Campus"","block_context":{"text":"Campus","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/campus-ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/ian-lauren-nicholson.jpg?fit=960%2C960&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/ian-lauren-nicholson.jpg?fit=960%2C960&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/ian-lauren-nicholson.jpg?fit=960%2C960&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/ian-lauren-nicholson.jpg?fit=960%2C960&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30550,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/johannesburg-church-seeks-family-ministry-couple\/","url_meta":{"origin":3915,"position":5},"title":"Johannesburg Church Seeks Family Ministry Couple","author":"Sunday Awolowo","date":"June 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"We are a diverse fellowship in the beautiful North West region of Johannesburg, with families at every stage: young couples, parents with children of all ages, teens, and multi-generational households.","rel":"","context":"In "Ministry Search"","block_context":{"text":"Ministry Search","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/ministry-search\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Joburg-Church-of-Christ.jpg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Joburg-Church-of-Christ.jpg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Joburg-Church-of-Christ.jpg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Joburg-Church-of-Christ.jpg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Joburg-Church-of-Christ.jpg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/dmicoc.jpg?fit=836%2C750&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3915"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=3915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Cepeda.jpg?resize=720%2C510&ssl=1\")
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