Lord’s word crystal clear thanks to Carinity

Hearing-impaired churchgoers in the Gatton region are able to hear the word of God again thanks to Carinity.

Tenthill Baptist Church received a Carinity Innovation Grant to purchase Mylink “audio loop” hearing augmentation technology to help people with hearing difficulties hear church services.

The equipment from Hearing Loop Australia installed in the church auditorium uses magnetic fields to send sound directly into the ear canal of the user, without background noise.

Worn around the neck, the device works directly with hearing aids that have a “telecoil” or can be used with headphones.

Tenthill Baptist Church Pastor Tim Grant says the audio loop equipment has “already greatly benefited several of our church members” such as pensioner Ula Binggeli.

“Ula has been a member of the church for a very long time, however in the last several years she continued to attend even though she could not hear anything in the service,” Tim says.

“After wearing the audio loop device for the first time, she told people with a big grin that she was able to hear the service for the first time in five years.

“We expect the equipment to be used by many people. Particularly, being in a farming community, many of our congregation and people in the community have industrial deafness from working with farm machinery.

“Thanks to the grant from Carinity, we have already seen elderly and people with a hearing disability positively reengage with the church community.”

The portable audio loop equipment is also expected to be used in other church ministries and events such as outdoor Christmas services.

Tenthill Baptist Church is one of nine Queensland Baptist churches to share in almost $36,000 in Carinity Innovation Grants.

Communities in Boonah, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Hervey Bay and Ipswich will also benefit from the grants, which enable churches to start or expand a community outreach.

The other Carinity Innovation Grant recipients are Boonah Baptist Church, Cleveland Baptist Church, Coolum Beach Baptist Church, Gracemere Baptist Fellowship, Hervey Bay Baptist Church, Kawana Life Baptist Church, Leichhardt Baptist Church and Maleny Baptist Church.

Carinity CEO Jon Campbell says the 2018 Carinity Innovation Grants, in its 14th year, were highly competitive with applications well exceeding previous years.

“The decision to award the grants is extremely difficult as there are so many fantastic initiatives.  What it shows is that Christian communities are continuing to step up to support local community needs,” Jon says.

“Carinity has helped kick-start more than 130 church initiatives in local communities across the state through grants exceeding $400,000.”