Faith
Paraguayan Advocate Urges Radical Church Inclusion
Faith Facts
- Cinthia Hieber, leader of the Paraguayan Stuttering Association, shared her journey from despair to faith at the World Evangelical Alliance General Assembly in Seoul.
- Hieber called Christian communities to follow Christ’s example by intentionally embracing and including people with disabilities.
- Her advocacy led to founding Paraguay’s first support group for people who stutter, demonstrating how God uses one’s weakness for His glory.
Cinthia Hieber gave a powerful testimony at the WEA General Assembly, urging believers to advance true inclusion rooted in the Gospel.
She spoke of overcoming childhood despair and how finding Christ transformed her life and calling.
“I am a person who stuttered since I was six years old,” Hieber shared, describing the challenge as both genetic and worsened by family hardship.
Even in deep pain, she sought excellence and longed for acceptance, believing God had abandoned her until an encounter with Christ at eighteen changed everything.
“And He did. That was my turning point. It was the moment I was born again.”
Though God brought significant healing, she wrestled with why He did not remove her struggle entirely, a question answered over years as God unfolded His purpose.
Through encountering a tragic story and God’s prompting, Hieber started support networks so others wouldn’t face isolation.
Today, she advocates for people with speech and cognitive conditions, serving locally and globally.
Hieber called on churches to proactively love those often unseen, asking, “Do we know in our churches how to treat a person with autism, or someone who is blind, or who has mental health challenges?”
She emphasized, “We as Christians should be as radical as Jesus was. He touched and saw those whom nobody wanted to touch or see.”
Describing a worship service led by people with developmental conditions, she said, “It was like heaven — and a haven.”
Hieber’s story illustrates how God transforms weakness into a testimony of His grace and a beacon for others.
Let us champion communities shaped by the compassion of Christ, welcoming all and equipping every member for their God-given calling.