Much like the worship service some 30,000 congregants experience at 12Stone Church, the largest Wesleyan congregation in the United States looked to deliver the same concert-level experience outside of their sanctuary.
The brass at the Lawrenceville, Ga.-based church knew in order to reach more worshippers, they had to think outside of the box and they decided the best way to do that was to bring the worship service to the people.
The house of worship church rented gymnasiums from local schools in the area, allowing Technical Innovation‘s Blue Hat Design Team to set up their system so it could spur an extensive community outreach.
Their biggest task was having to launch five campuses in one weekend. TI Broadcast Solutions president Michael Wright said it was going to be a big challenge, but that his team was used to having challenges thrown at it.
Integrator Takeaways:
1. Things don’t always work out according to your plan. Expect the unexpected.
2. Never over-promise. Don’t tell your client you can do something when you can’t.
3. Even if it could end up costing more, don’t be afraid to do what you have to do to conquer a challenge.
End User Takeaways:
1. Work with the same integrator that has built up trust with you.
2. Regarding that trust, keep it in mind when curveballs arise.
3. Enjoy the technology you have and what’s to come.
Equipment Highlights:
Speakers: Meyer
Microphones: Sennheiser, Shure, DPA, Cascade
Lighting: Chauvet
Projector: Cine 930 DLP
Mixers: DiGiCo
Portable Cases: Georgia Case
12Stone Church wanted a touring option for their audio, video and lighting (AVL) and the system had to be designed so an entire staff of volunteers could set it up and operate the equipment. The system also had to be able to provide the same worship experience attendees would get if they were going to their main campus.
The system also needed to be durable enough for a weekly transport, easy to set up within an hour, easy to tear down within an hour and capable of high-production value. The system was designed with speakers, mixers, microphones, a projector and a mix of LED fixtures. With all the requisite equipment came a new challenge of how it was going to be transported.
“When you have a good team,” Wright says, “any challenge you face doesn’t seem to be a big one.”
Georgia Case Company built the team custom cases, which made it easy to transport and pack/unpack the equipment. Because of the hard work from the design team, 12Stone Church can now serve the surrounding communities with inspirational services, as well as use the AVL system in a variety of venues.
Technical Innovation also won the 2014 Integration Award in this category for previous work at the same church. The weekly attendance has increased by nearly 5,000 people.
