Eastview Christian Church in Illinois Applies State-of-the-Art A/V Technology to Worship Services For Young, "Seeking" Membership

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 3, 2000) The Theatre and Media Facilities Consulting Firm of Auerbach + Associates, San Francisco and New York, announced today the completion of the design of sound and video systems for the 5,000-member Eastview Christian Church in Bloomington, Illinois. Eastview is one of a new genre of churches that use professional presentation technology as a tool to enhance the worship experience. Its new $17 million complex contains 140,000 square feet.

Auerbach + Associates designed the audio and video systems for Eastview's 1,600-seat main auditorium, as well as for the children's auditorium and gymnasium. The typical service in the main auditorium includes videos, live music, projected text and hymns, live close-ups and other performance elements.

The Eastview congregation is oriented to young "seekers," those who are searching to express spirituality in less traditional, more convergent ways. The church employs a full-time technical director to produce each service, as well as special performances.

Once a tool only of televangelists, presentation technology was practically nonexistent in mainstream American churches five years ago. The technology has come into its own in recent years as more congregations use it to add richness and depth to the worship service.

Services in Eastview's main auditorium are lively and dramatic, with an amplified live music group leading the congregation in hymns. During services, the full-range pop-style sound system evenly distributes the live music throughout the auditorium from three loudspeaker clusters at the left, center, and right of the stage.

Hymn texts are projected onto the walls for ease of reading. Video close-ups of spiritual moments, such as personal testimonies or baptism, are broadcast on large video screens throughout the worship space. Rear-projection video screens, 12 by 16 feet, are mounted in the front of the main auditorium to display video images or computer graphics.

The church auditorium doubles as a theater, creating a sophisticated level of production for performances such as the annual "Living Christmas Tree," a Broadway-style performance by Eastview parishioners.

"Presentation systems reach beyond the boundaries of the traditional church service," said Paul Garrity, Principal in Charge of the project for Auerbach + Associates. "Within the last six years, congregations across the country have become more attuned to technology. Eastview Christian Church, which outgrew its previous space, is now on the leading edge of the use of presentation technology in the worship environment."

Auerbach + Associates designed both the children's auditorium and gymnasium for flexibility of use, and equipped them with sound systems and projection screens so that they can be reset virtually for any event. Younger parishioners in the sixth grade age group and below meet in the children's auditorium, which has a stage and central speaker group. A ceiling mounted projector and computerized roll-down video screen broadcast services and youth group activities for a few hundred youngsters.

Auerbach + Associates created a new sound system for the gymnasium out of existing components from the original church site. This portable sound equipment is stored in a side receptacle so that it is out of the way when members of the congregation use the gym for sports activities. The gym is also used for worship for junior high groups.

"Part of the trend is transforming churches into community centers, so the lives of young and old congregants alike revolve around activities at the church," said Dan Mei, audio and video systems designer for Auerbach + Associates. Besides the main auditorium, youth auditorium, and gymnasium, the religious complex also contains a nursery, classrooms, offices, conference rooms and choir rehearsal room.