Just as it’s been said: “it takes a village to raise a child,” the same could be said about raising a church or even about creating a Sunday service. Have you ever wondered what goes into creating a typical Sunday service? What goes on behind the ‘scenes’, or in this case, behind the ‘screens’ of the Windward Regal Theatres every Sunday morning? 
Of course the obvious would be sound, lighting, music, sermon, bulletins, and ushers, just to name a few. These components are all a part of creating a typical Sunday service, but put it all together and… wait, hold on. Someone needs to put it all together? Fade in to the multi-media team, a group of everyday people who volunteer a minimum of one Sunday a month for a few hours, to raise a church and deliver a message.
Literally, behind the screens of two theatres, the multi-media team of four or five volunteers per service operates buttons, laptops, and mixer machine thingamabob to deliver three services an hour and a half apart, beginning at 7:00 a.m. The team leader, a bubbling, quick-snapping, head-set & speaker wearing firecracker, is often hustling in between two theatres apart, making sure everything is working properly so the production goes through without a glitch. As volunteers take cues from the speaker(s) and carry out hand, eye and ear coordination between video, sound and directives, members and visitors alike receive messages, designed especially for the individual. Witness and experience the unconventional and sometimes humorous antics that only a New Hope pastor can deliver, leaving a lasting impression. People in the seats probably don’t even realize that there are all kinds of activity going on behind the screens… and that’s the way it should be.
Of course, from time to time it becomes apparent that someone is operating behind the screens because as the sermon notes appear, the inevitable human factor kicks in. For some reason, the slides advance and rewind and advance and rewind; or worse, the computer cursor/arrow starts floating on-screen. If that happens, expect the leading firecracker to speak whispers into the head-set or pay a visit out of the darkness. (“Hey, pay attention & stop yacking!”)
From beginning to end, volunteers keep in sync the worship, announcements, sermon notes, video clip inserts, and even streaming video downloads of guest speakers, like Pastor Wayne. They are a great team to serve with and a joy to be around as they take part in the “village of raising a church”. “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.” 1 Cor 3:6, 8
