In this newsletter we look at:-
Raising the Standard
New DVDs
COMMENT - by John Lindsay CRC’s Operations Director
For good church sound you need skilled operators as well as the right gear.
Fancy architecture, comfortable seating and a trendy name are worth little without an investment in the people who will meet there to worship and serve God.
CRC’s Technical Manager Gordon Prier designs acoustic treatments and recommends equipment that will improve the sound in a church building. He does a great job but it is wasted unless sound operators, musicians and singers know how to use the system properly.
CRC contracted the services of experienced sound technician Stephen Price to join Gordon in the training of the music team at Spreydon Baptist church in Christchurch recently.
“When people receive formal training as a group and work together in a team they can critique each other and learn from one another,” says Stephen. “They will achieve more than if they were working in isolation.”
One of the greatest benefits of the training is helping people to learn how to listen to the sound of an instrument or voice.
To help train the ears of the sound operator, Stephen has produced a multi-track recording of various instruments. The operator learns to set the best sound quality for each track by listening to it through the church sound system without being distracted by having the actual musicians in the room.
Stephen has been involved in church sound for more than twelve years and has been a professional sound engineer for nearly ten. He is heavily involved with the annual Inspire Conference at Hornby Presbyterian church for musicians, sound technicians and artists.
CRC’s efforts to improve church acoustics, supply high quality equipment and train operators fit its mission to provide communication resources to make Christ known.
Gordon and Stephen are available to run a sound workshop in your church. Share the cost and benefits by arranging a session for several churches from your community. Contact CRC for details.
back to top
New DVDs
V984 | Louie Giglio | The Other Side of Grace
#1 The Homeboy is Holy | 49min
God offers forgiveness and new life to anyone who accepts that Christ died in their place. While we enjoy the blessings of grace, we must remember that Christ is more than another friend or “homeboy”, He is holy because He is God.
#2 Grace Works | 55min
Grace is more than the way you obtain salvation; grace is the way you live. If you truly understand grace, you will give your life to serve God and reflect Him to the world.
#3 The Enduring Pursuit | 43min
Grace opens the door to a new relationship with God but it takes discipline and commitment to live a life that pleases Him.
V985 | Ken Curtis | Reflections on Psalm 23 for People With Cancer
Ken Curtis speaks from his own experience of cancer to offer hope and encouragement to others. A series of thirteen 8-minute programmes.
V986 | Facing the Giants | 112min
An action-packed, family-friendly drama about a high school football coach who draws up a new game plan for his team and himself. Overwhelmed by failure on the field and at home, Grant Taylor faces an unexpected challenge that helps him find a purpose bigger than football victories. Daring to trust God to do the impossible, Coach Taylor and his team discover how faith plays out on the field and off. (PG)
V987 | End of the Spear | 111min
A powerful story of sacrifice, courage and redemption; spanning three generations and two cultures. In 1956 fierce warriors of the Waodoni tribe killed five missionaries in Ecuador. Fifty years later, Steve Saint the son of missionary pilot Nate Saint meets the man who killed his father and must decide whether to return to the jungle and live with the Waodoni. (R16 contains violence)
V988 | Love Comes Softly | 88min
Marty, a young woman suddenly widowed in the American West, is offered a “marriage of convenience” by Clark, a widower who wants a mother for his daughter. Harsh words and confusion triggered by grief threaten to destroy the new family but love gradually emerges during a long, hard winter. Based on a series of best selling books by Janette Oke.
A small boy teases a chained dog with a stick. A young man out to impress his mates taunts a tiger at the zoo.
Whether driven by testosterone or stupidity, they fail to realise the folly of challenging a stronger opponent, even when it is restrained.
I have visited two zoos in the past four months. One in the hilltop town of Darjeeling in north India, the other in Auckland. Both places housed tigers in a setting designed to mimic the animal’s natural habitat, but there is nothing natural about keeping a tiger inside artificial walls and feeding it meat killed by man.
When you see a tiger or lion in a zoo it is easy to overlook the danger; to forget that with one swipe of its paw it could knock you over and possibly kill.
The bible uses the term “roaring lion” to describe Satan; reinforcing the fact that he is wild, strong and dangerous. We should treat him with caution.
Some Christians live in fear of Satan, unable to rest in the assurance that God watches over them. Others boldly confront Satan, virtually taunting him to attack because they are sure God has restrained him.
There are elements of truth in both positions, but we should not be tempted to act foolishly.
Satan knows our weaknesses. He is cunning. He knows how to deceive us, how to present a false image, how to trap us into making bad choices.
Today it is easy to find movies, pictures, stories and ideas that lure us into feeding our own desires. We must learn to look beyond the alluring, airbrushed image; to analyse the politician’s promises; to be critical of the advertiser’s claims. We need to recognise Satan lurking in the shadows.
Satan is not all-powerful, but the wise Christian will not treat him casually or rattle his cage.
