ZHEJIANG, China – Approximately 27.8 million deaf persons reside in China, with about 1.05 million of these located in Zhejiang Province.
To reach so many who cannot hear the Gospel preached in words, God has chosen His servants who are able to share His Good News through sign language. Hu Anfeng is one of them.
Hu lost his hearing at the age of 3 due to severe side effects from medication. Despite this devastating loss, Hu, with his parents, came to faith in Christ as a young boy and was baptised on June 23, 2010.
Educated at a school for the deaf, now known as Zhejiang Special Education Vocational College, Hu graduated in 2006 and joined Zhongwang Holding Group Co. Ltd. that same year as a designer.
First the calling, then theological training
God had other plans for Hu. One day, he met a deaf preacher serving the deaf community in Shanghai and was inspired by the preacher’s clear and fluent sign language. An awe-struck Hu thought to himself then, “People with hearing loss can be chosen by God to be preachers, share God’s word, and preach the gospel in their native language using sign language!”
From that pivotal moment, Hu began earnestly learning to read the Bible, pray and praise God in sign language, hoping one day to be able to preach the story of Jesus Christ in sign language fluently. He studied Mark 7:31-37, which records Jesus healing a deaf man repeatedly and was encouraged by Jesus’ divine power.
In June 2011, he answered God’s call to full-time ministry and began a journey northward to Shanghai, Changchun, Yantai, Shenyang and Harbin to participate in discipleship training conducted in sign language. Jesus’ words in Matthew 9:37-38, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest,” reminded Hu of the many deaf people who have not heard the gospel and do not know Jesus personally.
Hu shared the mixed feelings he had then, saying, “I thanked God for choosing me, but I also felt anxious that so many do not know the Lord.” Eventually, he decided to start a ministry in Zhejiang to minister to deaf people.
On 13 May 2012, with the support of his pastor, Hu established a sign language fellowship in China. As the years of ministry passed and his involvement deepened, he began to feel the need for theological training. In September 2019, he started to sit in classes at the Zhejiang Theological Seminary (ZTS) while his wife pursued a bachelor’s degree in Theology. Eventually, he passed the ZTS entrance examination and enrolled in the same course as his wife in September 2022.
Bible resources for preachers
On the eve of his graduation in June 2025, Hu received a set of Bible Resources* from ZTS, with the support of United Bible Societies (UBS). He expressed his gratitude to UBS donors, “I am so grateful for your generosity! I hope my service ahead will improve through consulting these books. May God remember your offering, strengthen your work and bless more people through you.”
A few months into ministry after graduation, Hu reported excitedly how the Bible Resources had helped him, “I used them to prepare for sermons and adapted them into Bible study materials for teaching God’s truths to deaf believers.” Immersing himself in the books he received, Hu discovered that Jesus Teaches You to Pray This Way — An Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer became one of his most frequently used resources. Hu preached a series of sermons from the contents of the book and guided the members of the sign language fellowship to practise praying using the Lord’s Prayer.
In his personal Bible study and study with his co-workers, Hu consulted the Gospel of John Commentary and had a fruitful time of learning and discussion.
“Whenever I see these books, I am reminded of the amazing help and support God has provided in my Christian ministry,” Hu shares gratefully.
Join us to pray and support this project so that more ministry workers like Hu can sharpen their scriptural knowledge and strengthen their service.
*Bible resources include a set of 4 to 6 books from a carefully curated collection of commentaries and books which will help lay preachers in their study of the Bible and build confidence in their preaching and teaching ministries.
Story: Angela Teo
Edited by: Pamela Choo
2026ⓒUBS China Partnership
