The View from the Balcony

Our perspective from the balcony during services at Grace is colored by the technology we use.  

I was called as a boy to use broadcasting in furtherance of the church’s mission to share the good news.  After graduating from West High School, I headed off to the University of Florida to find out how to do this. After graduating, I worked for stations in Gainesville, Charlotte, and San Francisco before helping establish a production studio in Dallas to create projects for Catholic and other Christian organizations.  

Upon returning to Hendersonville and attending Grace, I offered my time and talents.  That’s when I came to the balcony assisting with audio for the Praise Service and making CDs for our homebound members. I then started recording events at Grace and sermons which were uploaded to YouTube.  Now we do Sunday morning Worship, Wednesday and memorial services live.

Through the years I have experienced the joy of worshiping God with my whole being.  Through our livestreams, I hope we can as much as possible bring that worship experience to those who are unable to get to church.

To accomplish that, we have a team of a dozen people who rotate through the month to:

• project graphics, text, and videos on the screens

• provide sound reinforcement for pastors, readers and musicians

• livestream the services to people who are not in the sanctuary

• provide a Spanish translation for bilingual services

To make all of this happen we use:

• 2 remote controlled PTZ (pan- tilt-zoom) cameras

• 3 manually controlled cameras

• a 40-channel sound mixer

• 24 microphones

• a computer running Worship Tools Presenter software for the screens,

• 2 computers running 0BS software for the live streams to YouTube.

Well, that's just for the sanctuary.  On the second and fourth Sundays we livestream a Spanish language service in the Fellowship Hall.  We have a portable cart with two cameras and a YoloLiv streaming device that we use there and in Stull Hall.  

During the weeks preceding the services, we prepare the graphics, text, original music and videos with a camcorder and laptop computers.  

In Stull Hall we have 10 stage lights, a lighting mixer, and an assortment of microphones for stage productions.

Everything we do is built on what others have done before us.  In that regard, I want to thank Einar Syvertson and George Keifer for their immense contributions to the sound we hear in the Sanctuary and Stull Hall. And for showing me the ropes when I first came up to the balcony.

We are always looking for others who want to contribute to our team. Not everything we do requires prior audio-visual knowledge or experience.  In fact, most of the people serving in the balcony come with just a willingness to serve.  

The view from the balcony is outstanding and well worth a look.

David Carver, Director of Video & Streaming Ministry