Adventist Sign Language Ministry Builds Bridges With Deaf Community in Colombia

Outreach program at a Medellín school reaches Deaf and hearing students through visual storytelling and sign language.

July 3, 2026 | Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia | Cristin Serrano and IAD News Staff

With the goal of sharing hope and promoting inclusion, the Sign Language Ministry of the Medellín Adventist University Church reached 80 students—including 20 Deaf students—during an artistic outreach program at the Medellín City Council Educational Institution.

The event featured 30 members of the ministry’s Black Light Theater group, one of its primary outreach initiatives. Through visual effects, black light techniques, and sign language performances, the group communicated values, emotions, and messages of hope in an accessible and engaging way. Hearing students also participated, fostering greater awareness, respect, and appreciation for diversity.

The invitation followed a previous visit to the school, where the ministry’s positive reception among students and teachers led to a second presentation. Children, youth, teachers, and staff followed the performances attentively and expressed interest in the Adventist initiative.

According to ministry leaders, Medellín is home to an estimated 12,000 Deaf people with permanent hearing loss, highlighting the need for churches to develop ministries that make worship, fellowship, and the gospel more accessible.

For Lauren Cruz Ladino, director of the Sign Language Ministry at the Medellín Adventist University Church, opportunities like these help build bridges between the church and a community that often faces communication barriers.

Building Bridges Through Inclusion

“We want the church to understand that inclusion is everyone’s responsibility,” Cruz Ladino said. “How wonderful it would be for a Deaf person to come to church and feel welcomed, cared for, and truly part of the family of faith.”

Today, the ministry includes about 60 volunteers serving through Black Light Theater, a sign language choir, interpretation services, Sabbath School, friendship groups, and sign language classes. Together, they work to make church life more accessible while introducing Deaf individuals to the gospel.

One of those benefiting from the ministry is Guillermo, a Deaf church member who regularly attends worship services. Ministry volunteers follow a rotating schedule to provide sign language interpretation each Sabbath, ensuring he can participate fully in the church’s worship and fellowship.

The ministry also coordinates volunteers who provide sign language interpretation during weekly worship services. One regular attendee, Guillermo, who is Deaf, is accompanied each Sabbath by a different volunteer through a rotating schedule organized by ministry members, ensuring he can fully participate in worship and church life.
Professor Litza, who helps coordinate Sabbath School and supports the ministry’s outreach activities, said the experience reinforced the importance of connecting with Deaf individuals in their own language.

“More than an artistic presentation, this experience reminded us that there is both a need for inclusion and a need for God,” she said. “When we make the effort to approach a Deaf person in his or her own language, we are telling that person that they are valuable, that they are part of society, and that they are also part of God’s plan.”

Expanding the Church’s Mission

Pastor Gabriel Moreno, Possibility Ministries director for the North Colombian Union, said initiatives like these help ensure the gospel is accessible to everyone.

“We believe it is very important for the church to carry out activities like these because Deaf people are valuable, and we have the responsibility to make the message of salvation accessible to them,” Moreno said.

Moreno encouraged local churches to learn how to communicate more effectively with Deaf individuals and intentionally create welcoming environments where they can fully participate in church life.

Organizers plan to continue visiting schools and expanding outreach throughout Medellín as part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Possibility Ministries, which promotes inclusion, dignity, and meaningful participation for people of all abilities.

Through its growing Sign Language Ministry, the Medellín Adventist University Church continues working to break down communication barriers and ensure more Deaf individuals feel welcomed into the life of the church, ministry leaders said.