Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) members from the Local Congregation of King William’s Town, Ecclesiastical District of Southern Africa attended a Sign Language (SL) seminar at their house of worship on August 16, 2026.

They wanted to be able to communicate with their Deaf fellowmen especially about their faith and hope for salvation.

“Learning basic Sign Language equips our brethren with the knowledge to effectively communicate and connect with our Deaf brothers and sisters,” remarked resource person Jamie Olaviaga, SL interpreter with the Christian Society for the Differently-abled.

Olaviaga discussed the Deaf Culture, Fingerspelling, and Parameters of SL, which are handshape, palm orientation, movement, location, and facial expression.

The brethren learned basic signs for greetings and vocabularies on family and the Church.

“It’s very important to learn sign language especially for us, Church members, because this gives us a chance to communicate with the Deaf and we will be able to … share with them the teachings we receive in the Church,” said Sinethemba Ketani, Buklod member.

“Learning SL requires a lot of patience, care, and willingness to know how to communicate with deaf people,” observed Lournelyn Mae Bigornia, KADIWA member. “It’s a way to connect with the Deaf and this also reminds me that the Almighty God calls people into the Church without discrimination.” — With assistance from Zyrous Embang