Audio Visual

Joyful Service as a Professional Techie

July 24, 2017July 24, 2017 by Nick

Being a ‘professional techie’ in a church (e.g. a full time Audio Engineer serving on the sound roster) is a hard burden to bear. High expectations abound, but without the understanding or budget to back it up. In such conditions, it can also be hard to not be on the roster for duties every week. As a result, it is not surprising that many of us professional techies suffer from burnout and bitterness in our church ministry, and sometimes make big efforts to steer clear of any ‘work related’ ministry.

Even in the best of situations, as someone who does technical work day in and day out, it can be hard to slot into technical ministry in a church. Being on the team like everyone else is a great way to serve, but is that the best use of our God given skills? Is it the best way to steward our gifts?

The making of a Live Album Part 2

August 2, 2016July 28, 2016 by Nick

Last week I wrote Part 1 of this ‘Making of a Live Album’ series. Part 1 focussed on how we put together an event called ‘Communion’, a worship night with new songs written by members of St Barnabas Broadway and Christ Church St Ives. The event was recorded in order to produce a Live Album. This week I’m writing about the process of making the Album. If you want to listen to the album (which I definitely recommend), you can download it at Mountain Street Media or iTunes, or find it on Spotify.

Communion 2015 Album Cover

The making of a Live Album Part 1

July 27, 2016July 20, 2016 by Nick

Over the last six months I have been involved with a project called Communion. Communion is a collaboration between St Barnabas Broadway and Christ Church St Ives. The project involved a worship night, held at St Barnabas in October of 2015. The night was recorded with the intention of releasing a Live Album. Most of the songs sung on the night, and all of the songs for release on the album, are new songs written by members of the two churches. Communion aims to support Christian songwriters, give a platform for new music and to inspire churches and church musicians in their stewardship of music ministry.

Communion Graphic 2015

This week, after many months of work, we are releasing the Live Album. You can download it at Mountain Street Media or iTunes, or find it on Spotify. Needless to say, we are very proud of the result and believe that many churches can benefit from the songs appearing on the album.

Church Presentation Part 2 – Software

March 27, 2017July 18, 2016 by Nick

This article follows on from my previous article on this topic. It would be beneficial to read part 1 before continuing on.

In part 1 of this series I outlines some guidelines and factors for doing church presentations well. In this article I will compare several church presentation software packages, with particular reference to the guidelines I outlined in part 1.

ChurchPres2

Church Presentations Part 1

June 2, 2016 by Nick

Presentations are usually an integral part of the modern church service. Song lyrics, bible verses, liturgy or videos displayed on a projection screen form the basis for many aspects of the service. However, behind the scenes this is often a nightmare to manage. What presentation software do you use? How can you ensure the right content will be on the screen/s at the right time? How do you train people to use it? How do you manage the processes required to collate all the material together? What happens when a guest speaker or presenter turns up last minute with a presentation on a USB Stick (or CD, DVD…)?

Projected Lyrics

But the questions don’t just stop with the technology. The purpose behind presentations is to visually communicate ideas. What does it mean to communicate ideas well? How do you communicate effectively? How do you ensure the technology doesn’t get in the way of the communication, or the other way around?