Some Advantages of Using Software in Service
by Frank Meyer
For many churches, the days of one hymnbook are long gone, even if there was a hymnbook that contained all the different published songs. The days of Holy Spirit led Praise and Worship is here. This has led to predictable but avoidable problems. How many times has the congregation stood mutely staring at a blank overhead having to be content with an odd line of chorus they have memorized? How often have they watched with empathy and amusement as the overhead crew scrambles frantically to locate that desired song; only to have the last verse displayed upside down? In higher tech churches, how distracting has it been to watch computer searches?
There are affordable new software products which can alienate these and other problems. Not only can software act as an aid to the Praise and Worship session, notice presentation and sermon note presentation, it also presents several advantages; as in allowing a Congregation to look up and read their songbooks rather than down. There is also an advantage for Church members to be free from holding anything in their hands.
Pastor Greg Stinogel is the Minister of Music for the Milford Assembly of God, and he has this to say:
“About 2 years ago our church was making a transition from overhead transparencies to computer generated graphics. At that time I was unable to find a program that would let me do what I needed to during worship services. I wanted to find something for the Windows format. We are a full gospel church and are experiencing a powerful move of God. I needed a program that would allow me the flexibility to move off of my programmed list of songs for the service.”
We want to avoid the congregation having to see when ‘searches on the fly’ are being made. Searches need to be quick and invisible to the congregation. Today’s technologies easily allow two monitors to be plugged into a PC. Once can be projected and other viewed by the operator.
Other features that may be enjoyed by the congregation:
· A camera or two to show Baptisms, Weddings, etc, whose images can be superimposed with any text via phone line to join a service with missionaries. Granted, the image refresh update on a phone line will be slow, but this will certainly make the situation of the two parties very real- and a phone line can be cost effective. Imagine the impact (especially on the youth) of seeing and sharing with people in other lands!
· Remote control so that the operator can be in the auditorium free to move around and participate in the control of lighting and other equipment from the same screen
· Concurrent display to the musicians of the notes.
· Concurrent Multi-language support for bilingual areas. One screen could be in English and the other in Spanish as an example.
In closing, there are products that can significantly enhance your Churches’ Praise and Worship sessions, display the current spoken text in the desired Bible translation(s), and keep the congregation looking up!
Frank Meyer works for Creative Lifestyles Inc. a company dedicated to helping churches improve their services through the use of computer software applications.
This article originally appeared in Technologies for Worship Magazine May/June 1999.
© Creative Lifestyles, Inc. 2006, 2007, 2008
