Use of technology for worship (part 2) Share a Recording of the service.

Most churches have some sort of public address system, typically a microphone in the pulpit and another in the lectern. If you don’t have an induction loop fitted, then I would suggest that this should be your first priority. It means the service will be more audible for those who rely on a hearing aid. So it's probably more inclusive if you do that first. Then we’ll discuss recording.

So now you've got your induction loop. Congratulations on being inclusive for those who can make it to the church. But what about those who can’t?

For years, The Gerbil Church was distributing recordings of the service. Some time back the church “acquired” a tape duplication system, so the tapes were duplicated after the service, and a network of friends passed them round to the housebound. Unfortunately the duplicator was getting past its best, and it’s getting harder and harder to get a tape player any more. So a decision was made to start recording on CD.

What you’ll need…

A PC with a CD/DVD RW drive and a Line In socket. Ours is an average laptop.

A line out from your existing amplifier with a lead to connect it to the PC

Music recording software - we use Audacity, a free recording package.

CD burning software. We use Nero, which came with the PC.

Blank CD’s

(Optional) a CD duplication tower.

The best way to set this up is to record a service, using the controls on your PC and existing amplifier. This will allow you to set your recording levels so the sound isn’t crackly. This can be a bit hit or miss, but once you’ve set this up, you won’t need to change anything.

When the service is finished you can use the PC to burn a disc. It takes about 5 minutes per disc, so if you are doing a few, you might wish to get a duplicator tower. You still need to burn the first disc on the PC, but the duplicator will then take the first disc and burn extra copies. A big duplicator can burn 10 at once. Ours does 3 discs at once, and while it was donated, I know it cost around £60 from Ebay.

Blank CD’s take about 5 minutes to burn, but they can only be used once. CD/RW discs can be used more than once, but each batch of three discs takes 15 minutes. They also cost a bit more than ordinary CD’s and there are some CD players that won’t play them.

What else?

Well unfortunately the CD is going the same way as vinyl but there is another option. Many people are now getting radios that have a USB socket, designed for playing MP3 files. It’s worth finding out if anyone in your congregation has a suitable radio/stereo and you can save the service onto a USB pen drive for sharing that way. Or you could give out an MP3 player with a set of headphones containing the service. In the long run it could work out cheaper and more sustainable than a pile of CD’s. This is something the Gerbil Church is looking into.

And don’t forget, if you have a church website, it’s easy to save your service so that it can be downloaded as a podcast (Godcast?) to an Ipod or similar device.

It all depends what the members want and what they are comfortable with. Don’t automatically think that the older generation is against technology and won’t try anything new. In my experience, it’s the 30-40 somethings that hate change. To the older folks there’ nothing new under the sun, and often they are prepared to give new stuff a try, as long as it’s explained to them.

Again, If this is something you want to try, leave a comment and I’d be happy to offer assistance. You can visit The Gerbil Church in Fife, or I’d welcome an excuse to take the bike for a run some Sunday and pay you a visit.