Hope Lutheran Simplifies Worship Systems for New Renovation
Published December 28, 2022
Hope Lutheran Church of Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin recently completed renovating their sanctuary. The updated sanctuary balances traditional symbolism with modern comforts for a focused worship experience. Volunteers will have an easier time serving with a simplified worship system. The project was completed in time for celebrating the church’s 75th year of worship services.
Church Interiors Inc. of North Carolina headed the interior design. Local contractor Shea Electric & Communications LLC was responsible for all high voltage work. Arrow AV Group designed and integrated a simple, yet powerful audiovisual system while coordinating with other contractors.
This case study will explore the church staff’s goals and how Arrow AV Group provided solutions to meet them.
Church’s Goals for Worship Systems
Variety of Music – “The church holds both contemporary and traditional worship services. Depending on the service, the worship team may be composed of singers, organist, guitarist, pianist, or orchestral musicians. To support the worship team, a full-range, performance system will be required.”
Simple Yet Complex – “The main church member mixer won’t be available every event we do. We want a simple control system we can easily swap to for simple presentations or small worship teams.”
Aesthetically Integrated – “While technology is essential for the worship services we do, we don’t want it to distract from the message. The technology should match colors where possible and not look out of place.”
ADA Compliant – “With a wide range of ages and hearing abilities attending services, we want to make sure the sanctuary is a place where everyone can hear easily. It should be ADA compliant and be easy for attendees to connect to.”
Follow Along Visuals – “Whether for singing or for the sermon, we want people to be able to visually follow along. The video system should allow everyone to see lyrics or sermon slides on the screen.”
Out of Room Viewing – “In-person attendance is our main focus. However, we want to be considerate of parents with fussy children, home bound families, and overcrowded services. We want to have overflow viewing in the narthex, fellowship hall, and nursery with the option to live stream. It should be operable by a single volunteer.”
Challenges & Solutions for Worship Systems
Arrow AV Group designed a fully integrated worship system to meet the churches goals for this sanctuary renovation.
Performance Sound System
For performance sound quality, a VRX918S subwoofer sits atop a VRX932 line array from JBL. Installed in the crux of the tall A-frame roof, a line array was the best choice for the deeper space. The VRX series offers a blend of full-range sound quality and affordability. With a standard white option, the speakers blend into the background better.
To meet ADA compliance, a hearing loop was installed under the ceramic tiles to accommodate the hard of hearing. This hearing loop emits a wireless signal receivable by hearing aids equipped with T-coil technology. Driven by a D14-2 multiloop driver, a multiloop allows for better coverage of the seating area. Williams Sound PLR BP1 receivers with headphones can be handed out to those without hearing aids.
In the Rack
Back in the rack room, QSC CX-Q amplifiers drive the speaker system. The amp has FlexAmp Tm technology, allowing power to be redistributed to speaker channels without bridging. This allows the subwoofer to pull more power and the line array modules to use less.
QSC Core 110F DSP is next in the signal flow. The DSP offers open, software-based architecture, physical I/O, and Dante network-based audio baked-in. The perfect choice for managing all signals coming through. Not to mention it integrates seamlessly with a Crestron control processor.
A 37 RU WRK-SA series floor standing rack from Middle Atlantic houses all the equipment. Capable of handling larger cable bundles and better air flow, the WKR-SA series was the best choice for system longevity.
Using the Sound System
With all of the above going on in the background, Arrow AV Group paid close attention to the user interface portions. A user can operate the system from the pulpit, the rear booth or via a tablet.
In Simple mode, untrained users could easily adjust a few vital sound sources. This includes some wireless mics, pulpit mics, and the video sound.
In Performance mode, a trained user will operate an Allen & Heath SQ5. Although it requires more in-depth training, this mode will allow for more complex worship experiences. For connecting various instruments, a DX-HUB distributes several network drops across the space. DX168 digital stage boxes can connect to these network drops via Allen & Heath’s S-Link protocol. Also, the soundboard is equipped with an SQ Dante card for distributing audio to the rack.
The church worship team supplied many microphones compatible with the new system. Pulpit microphones were updated by Audix Micropod6 with mute switch bases for better pick-up of readers, prayer, and other presenters.
Video Presentation System
Users can plug in a laptop for sharing visuals both on Sunday morning services or for larger meetings. Their screen will show on a multitude of displays. For congregation viewing, a pair of Sharp/NEC C981Qs at the front. A confidence monitor is mounted on the choir loft railing for presenter view. For overflow viewing, a variety of screens are mounted in the narthex, nursery, and fellowship hall.
The video presentation system also has two modes of control: Simple and Performance.
In Simple mode, users pick where they are plugged in, then their screen is mirrored to all screens. This allows non-technical users to utilize the system without needing technical staff to be at every event.
In Performance mode, users get access to a more complex menu. Via an on-screen matrix, they can choose which display gets what source. Also, this mode allows the user to send the camera system to the displays outside the sanctuary for overflow viewing.
The backbone of the video system is temporarily a Wyrestorm MXV-0808-H2A V3 matrix. Once backorders are fulfilled, a Crestron NVX system will replace the HDBT technology. Once installed, the AV-over-IP solution will allow faster switching and great flexibility for future expansion.
Live Stream & Recording System
For the recording and live stream system, a Roland VR-4HD was chosen as the brains of the operation. With a host laptop, users can easily record or live stream a service, meeting, or wedding with a multi-view touch screen, simple video mixing, and baked-in USB capabilities.
The first two channels of the mixer are Datavideo PTC-140 PTZ cameras with full HD sensors and 20x optical zoom. The cameras are strategically placed in the room to capture the platform and the entrance door. A Datavideo RMC-180 joystick controller with recallable user presets remotely controls the cameras. Mixer on one hand, camera controller on the other!
For audio, an auxiliary mix is sent from the SQ5 to the video mixer. A pair of Audix MicroPod12′s are mounted near the front pew for capturing room ambiance.
Conclusion
From the pulpit to the narthex, Hope Lutheran Church in Fond Du Lac is fully equipped to serve their congregation for all types of services. With all of their audiovisual goals met, staff and volunteers are free to concentrate on their mission, rather than technology. Here’s to another 25 years of services!
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