FORT LEE, N.J. and ORLAND, FLA. – When Faith Assembly Church moved from their main campus in Orlando to a larger 300,000-square-foot space, the organization planned to make the megachurch technically savvy on a tight budget. After two-and-a-half years of construction, the first phase of the process is finished, and the church recently opened its doors for services. Included in the list of new equipment is a For-A HVS-350HS HD/SD 1.5 M/E video switcher, which is set in the video control room of the complex, according to the vendor. The Encore Broadcast Solutions team, led by Jeff Cameron of the company’s Winter Springs, Fla., office, provided systems integration services on this large-scale project. Encore was tasked with design, sales, and installation of all audio, video, and lighting systems in the entire complex.
Faith Assembly utilizes video in a variety of ways, including live streaming of church services to reach its audience in multiple continents, streaming of baptisms, concert production, and production of wedding ceremonies. The main campus includes six main venues, each with full audio, video, and lighting capabilities. They are: the main sanctuary, the wedding chapel, two theaters for children, an atrium and a dining hall. The entire complex is completely integrated, with HD/SDI capability from one location to the next and a common intercom channel that runs throughout the entire campus. To simplify the learning curve for the church’s mix of paid employees and volunteer staff, all buildings on the property have the exact same video package.
The 2,700-seat auditorium in the main sanctuary features a multi-screen configuration, including a 60-foot wide main center screen and DPI Quad Projectors. Faith Assembly selected Hitachi HD cameras. The cameras are equipped with Angenieux lenses and are set in the sound booth in the back of the auditorium. The church is also equipped with Turbo Sound speakers.
In all of the design criterion within the new Faith Assembly campus, there is a strict attention to detail. For example, to streamline the process of checking people into the church for various activities, an automated system was installed to quickly sign family members into different venues. A 9x16 LED jumbo screen video wall was purchased from the Orlando Magic NBA team to provide digital signage in the church’s bookstore. Three of the venues have robotic camera systems, including the wedding chapel, which was custom built to switch wedding ceremonies live, then quickly render a DVD for viewing during the reception.
The church looked for ways to cut costs in the long term, in addition to selecting cost-effective equipment. Faith Assembly purchased LED light fixtures for use on the main floor of their sanctuary, which cut their electrical use down by 75 percent.
