Deaf elder and his wife bridge cultural and language barriers.
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
FAIRFAX, Va. — Sunday morning at the Fairfax Church of Christ finds elder Dennis Cesone and his wife, Cindi, in the foyer, greeting and encouraging fellow Christians.
To a visitor, the couple’s friendliness and welcoming smiles are evident immediately.
The fact both were born deaf is not.
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“They are the most shepherding people that I know,” said Robin Gough, who preaches for the 400-member congregation, about 20 miles west of Washington, D.C. “They love people. They want to be present with people. When somebody’s sick, they will go visit them.”
For years, Dennis and Cindi — each of whom learned to speak and read lips as children — have worked to bridge the cultural gap between hearing and deaf Christians.
“My favorite thing is unity,” said Dennis, one of Fairfax’s elders since 2018. “I love to see people come together in unity. I feel like that’s my gift.”
His wife joins him in working to unify fellow believers, whether they communicate verbally or through American Sign Language.
This story appears in the online edition of The Christian Chronicle.
Photo by Bobby Ross Jr.
The Ross News 