A church I visited last month in India whose members are all blind

Dear Friends,

The small Indian congregation in the photos above consists entirely of blind believers. They not only face the challenge of their common disability and the cultural prejudices that accompany it. They are also persecuted by their Hindu neighbors…to the degree that it is no longer safe for them to attend church in their original location. So they now meet in their pastor’s small bedroom, and the crowd overflows into the hallway. I joined them last month when I was in New Delhi, India.

This group of 17 blind believers is so hungry for the word of God that many travel from miles around to hear the word. The only time they have an opportunity to be encouraged by the word of God is on Sundays. Braille Bibles cost hundreds of dollars and take up as much as five feet of shelf space, so it is unlikely that any of them will ever own their own braille Bible. But we have a good solution to their problem.

Through our Christians with Disabilities Fund, we’re hoping to provide Hindi-language “Proclaimers,” which are solar-powered, digital audio Bibles. We’ve provided Proclaimers for blind communities in Africa and the recipients were truly blessed to finally have access to the word of God. Each audio Bible costs $100 and can play the entire New Testament over 1,000 times before wearing out.

The congregation of 17

In Christ,

CJ McDaniel
Director, Christians with Disabilities Fund