Deaf Ministry
Nearly 600,000 people in North Carolina have hearing loss to some degree. Only 20% of those who need hearing aids use them. This can result in isolation and being disconnected from the life of the church. More than 16,000 are deaf, using sign language to communicate, and of these, fewer than 4 in 100 are estimated to know Jesus Christ. To prevent those within the area of our church community from becoming separated from the Lord, Long's Chapel offers services specifically for the hard of hearing and deaf.
For the hard of hearing, Sound Mate wireless hearing assistance devices are available by request from the Welcome Center inside the church. For those who have substantial or complete hearing loss, a deaf interpreter, using American Sign Language, is provided at the 9:40 worship service each Sunday. This ministry is provided in association with the Western North Carolina UMC Conference Deaf Ministry.
