First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Upper Marlboro, Md.
AT THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH of Glenarden, it wasn't enough that the new 205,000-square-foot house of worship include state-of-the-art AV and live broadcast systems. There had to be something tangible to reinforce the experience of 4,000 weekly attendees.
When Communications Engineering (CEI) was installing the production systems, it also built a duplication center where the church produces DVDs, CDs, and VHS tapes. The system can crank out 100 DVDs and 300 CDs within 10 minutes of the conclusion of a church event. “It's exciting and fulfilling to have such state-of-the-art technology,” says Tom Pope, the church's AV director.
In addition to supporting the sanctuary's concert-grade sound system (including Yamaha PM1D digital mixers and QSC CX-2 amplifiers set up by integration partner RCI Sound Systems) and video projection system (a pair of 22-foot 16:9 Draper screens and Digital Projection High-Lite 10000Dsx+ projectors), CEI had to put key production functions at users' fingertips. A custom AMX NetLinx control system and Modero touch panels fit the bill.
CEI's Gregg Echols characterizes the church's broadcast flexibility as on-par with many large performance venues, with more than 130 connection panels capable of sending multiple signals to central hubs and distribution points. A bidirectional fiber link connects the church to its ministry center several miles away and gives it access to Verizon's area Audio Visual Operations Center for sending or receiving signals worldwide.
