Among the first to arrive on Sunday mornings, and often the last to leave, our tech and media staff have a special kind of dedication to our worship service. While pastors and musicians are the face of worship, all that we do stands on the foundation built by our tech staff. Coordination between video, audio and lighting—when done well—appears seamless and automatic. Yet the smallest glitch can bring a worship service to a halt!
A typical worship service requires three camera operators, one video director, two audio engineers, one lighting director and one PowerPoint operator. This team of eight is responsible for the on-screen presentation in the sanctuary and CenterPoint. They create a sound mix for the sanctuary, CenterPoint, the online video, the hearing assist system, the CD and DVD reproductions. These, and other feeds, help the choir, soloists and pastors hear what they need to hear and are all being run simultaneously.
The team’s areas of expertise are not just limited to live sound, lighting and video, but also include maintaining and upgrading our many systems that all work together. There are dozens of computers, routers, amplifiers, cameras and control devices all networked together by miles of audio cable, fiber optics and network wiring. Having the ability to run and maintain a system that must be rock-solid reliable, and yet be flexible enough to handle the many demands of our worship services and special events, is a monumental task!
Flexibility may be one of the best characteristics of our tech staff. They can make just about any situation work, often dealing with last-minute changes. At a typical concert, they do not meet the performers until just a few hours before a show. Special Sunday morning guests and event speakers often do not submit the files or videos needed until minutes before the service or event, leaving the staff to solve compatibility and connectivity issues on the fly. These situations are stressful, but the teams’ incredible problem-solving skills and technical knowledge along with their personal drive to do all things with excellence makes them generally unnoticed—and they like it that way!
While you are worshipping, the tech and media team is working. The opportunity for them to worship in a stress-free setting is rare. They are always on duty and always anticipating the next potential problem so that it can be solved before you, as a congregation member, even know there is a problem. Yet with all this stress, they are the most easy-going, pleasant people you will ever encounter.
I hope you will find an opportunity to thank them with me.
by Jeff Faux, Director of Sacred Arts
