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The
Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Institute of Christian Education (Deaf
Institute) in
Cincinnati,
Ohio, helped start
a deaf program at the North America Christian Convention (NACC)
by using a overhead projector in 1968. Cheryl Nagel, the
deaf daughter of Cecil Bennett, who founded DI, was the first
and only deaf person to show up at the NACC in 1968. Cecil
continued to get more deaf to attend NACC each year.
In 1975, Deaf Missions started the idea of having a convention
for the deaf all day, but mainstream with NACC every evening.
This
idea became the "NACC Deaf Convention." Attendance
varied each year within the largest attendance being 75 deaf and
hearing signers that attended the NACC Deaf Convention in
Indianapolis in
1986.
After
1986, the attendance has not gone over 25. The small number
of deaf Christians who faithfully attended NACC wondered, "Why
wasn't the attendance of deaf Christians growing at NACC Deaf
Convention each year?" This core group included Gary
& Phyllis Wilson, James & Deborah Wines, Janice &
Jerald Erkerle, Terry Dowling, Gail Carr, Cheryl & Tim Nagel,
and Rod & Brenda Burke.
During
North America Christian Convention (N.A.C.C.) in
St. Louis ,
Missouri in 1993, James Wines and Rodney
Burke were discussed about the deaf convention similiar to N.A.C.C.
They were very concerned about the low turnout of the deaf Christians
at N.A.C.C. They decided to call the deaf Christians to
the special meeting at the hotel where they were staying.
James Wines and Rodney Burke made the announcement to almost 13
deaf Christians and about 40 hearing signers that a meeting would
be held one evening at 9 pm to discuss starting a "deaf owned"
Christian convention. Twelve out of 13 deaf Christians and
only 1 out of 40 hearing signers showed up for that meeting.
It is interesting to note that the only hearing who showed up
was Bryan Eubanks, the director of Deaf Institute! They
proposed that they should have their own deaf convention.
At first, they were shocked to learn about this proposal.
They
boldly agreed to proceed with the idea. They debated about
the name of the deaf convention. They voted to name National
Christian Convention of the Deaf as known as N.C.C.D. Then
they again debated about where to host at. They finally
decided to draw the paper with name of city on it out of the bag.
The 1st draw was
Detroit,
Michigan.
Scott Hembree, who lived in
Dearborn,
Michigan,
was not ready to take up on it. Then the 2nd draw was
Charleston,
West Viriginia.
Rod Burke accepted to take up on it.
The
rest is history - the purpose of NCCD is to be a "Deaf NACC"
where deaf Christians and hearing signing Christians from
all over the world are welcomed to fellowship within each other,
to be uplifted spiritually & emotionally by worship services,
to attend workshops, spend refreshing times on a field trip, and
have a formal banquet.
NCCD
was born out of NACC at that meeting in
St.
Louis on July 1993 (Remember that great flood of the
Midwest?). It was at that
meeting that the name "National Christian Convention of the
Deaf" was chosen. It was also decided that the meeting
that the first ever NCCD would be in
Charleston,
West Virginia,
on one weekend in October 1994. | 
