What's the scoop with the Livestream AV Upgrade Project?

With much excitement we have begun fundraising to support the upgrades we need to our AV equipment to let us continue our Zoom-Livestream hybrid services for the foreseeable future.

We could continue to use the equipment we've been cobbling together since last fall, but as some of you have seen (if you've been in the church) that still means a lot of cables taped to the floor and as some of you have seen (if you've been attending on Zoom or by livestream) that also means less good camera angles ...  Oh! and random hanging cables or very large mic stands.

Take a look at the photos above to have a look "behind the scenes".

Two of the three video cameras that we've been using were literally found in a box in the back of the closet (Thanks for going digging Ruth! What a great find from when Craig was here). They've worked, but they are not really fit for purpose. and we want to make sure that we can consistently (and more easily) deliver good audio and video quality for those who attending St. John's online. 

While connecting on screens has had its challenges, I don't think I will ever forget a conversation I had before one of the services in our very early days of "Zoom church".

I'd never met this person before; they'd always attended the 8:00 am service while I'd attended the 10:00 am.  For at least a couple of years before the pandemic, they had not been able to attend in person and had missed being able to worship in community. As we got to know each other, the joy that I saw expressed in their face and their voice at being able to attend worship online from their home was so tangible.

That was the moment I knew whatever happened with the pandemic, we needed to find a way to make sure we could keep those connections happening. 

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You can donate directly to the project by selecting Fund 9 - Livestreaming AV Upgrade Project on Canada Helps.