Audio-Video Ministry
The audio-video (“AV”) ministry at St. John’s started to evolve out of necessity due to COVID. During much of 2020 many of our members were being kept away from church due to the pandemic. And yet the congregants still needed to hear the Word and to know that St. John’s was carrying on despite everyone being kept away. Live streaming was a big part of the answer, and it started out with a single iPhone on a single tripod using cellular data.
In September, 2020 the AV system was upgraded to full broadcast capabilities with a three camera wireless setup powered by iPhones, an iPad, wireless mics, Switcher Studio software, and enhanced mobile internet. With this system St. John’s worship services could now be streamed live in 720p to both Facebook and YouTube simultaneously each Sunday. At its peak, with most church members still staying at home, we had about 20-35 live views each Sunday, and an additional 150-250 non-live views each month.
In August, 2021, thanks to a very generous grant from the Episcopal Foundation of Dallas, the IOS setup was replaced with three hard wired remotely controlled PTZ cameras, an upgraded mixer, a powerful Windows desktop, and new software (vMix). Additionally, hard wired business class internet finally made it to Pottsboro, providing us with 150/15 internet speeds. With these upgrades our AV Ministry now live streams simultaneously to both Facebook and YouTube at full HD, 1080p. (See our Thank You Video to the Episcopal Foundation of Dallas). And with this evolution in technology, comes an evolution in our ministry.
The return of our members to Church is in some ways changing the focus of the AV Ministry. Although we still have some stay-at-home members watching our live streams, most of our regular members have returned to church. And yet the number of live stream views stays strong. Since making these upgrades (as of September 16, 2021) live stream views have increased from 30 a week to 97 on Facebook, and from 3 to 13 a week on YouTube; additionally, there are a significant number of views during the month after the live streams have ended. So what started out as a means of reaching out to only our own small congregation has given St. John’s the tools to reach and evangelize to an ever expanding online community. And these viewers must like what they are hearing and seeing online, because their numbers keep increasing.
The AV Ministry also keeps St. John’s website up and running. In September, 2021 St. John’s website was upgraded to a new more mobile friendly format. Check it out at www.StJohnsTexoma.org . We also added a new domain, www.Texoma.Church – a new and more convenient way to reach our website. Additionally, in 2022 we added a fourth hard wired PTZ video camera in the Parish Hall; this allows us to both record events taking place in the Parish Hall, but also allows us to monitor that space during our church services for added security.
If you are interested in learning how to produce live broadcasts, or would like to help keep the website up to date, please get in touch with Tracy Pounders. We’d love to have you on the AV Ministry team!