Campus Flood Update

I want to first thank everyone for their patience during the recent construction delays related to the flood in our Narthex. We were able to move the process along with the insurance company and the new carpeting has been ordered. We will not have firm installation dates until we actually receive the materials order, but our best guess is for the installation to take place the week of June 20th.

Due to water from the flood entering into the Sanctuary, our insurance is also covering the replacement of the entire sanctuary carpeting. When we learned this, a light bulb came on! We had previously discussed how we could improve our assisted listening technology to better meet the need of individuals with reduced ranges of hearing. The recommended system would require us to pull up the sanctuary carpeting, which was not something we had plans for in the immediate future. Apparently, that time has come!

So what is this fancy new system? The technology is referred to as “audio-frequency induction loops” or easier said, “hearing loop”. A hearing loop is a physical loop of cables which are placed around a designated area. The cable generates a magnetic field throughout the looped space which can be picked up by a hearing aid, Cochlear Implant processors, and/or specialized hand-held hearing loop receivers for individuals without telecoil compatible hearing aids. The benefit is that it allows music and the spoken word to be transmitted to the hearing-impaired listener directly into their hearing aids, compensating for each individual’s hearing loss. We are very excited about this opportunity and look forward to introducing it to those who feel they could benefit from this technology!

For those interested in the new hearing loop system, we recommend that you see your audiologist (hearing aid vendor) to make sure that the telecoil function is programmed into your hearing aids. A telecoil is a small copper coil that is an option on most hearing aids and is built into cochlear implant processors. Telecoils were originally used to boost the magnetic signals from the telephone handset. The telecoil is activated by a t-switch on the hearing aid or cochlear implant. Our hope is that we will have all the sanctuary construction activity happen inside one week (starting June 20th), in order to not disturb Sunday services.

We look forward to introducing you to our newly carpeted sanctuary!

Thea Walker
Director of Administration
562/493.2553 x103,