NILES, Ill., May 21, 2014—Established in the late-1870s, the Nappanee Missionary Church, located in Indiana and fondly referred to as the “miracle in the corn field,” offers a number of progressive and contemporary services for residents of neighboring towns. With five services each Sunday morning, receiving audiences of almost 3,000 people, the worship center’s A/V components are crucial.
After the 700 MHz Band reallocation, the church updated its gear but faced unexpected sound quality issues and struggled with frequency management, unacceptable for crowds in the thousands. To remedy crowded frequency issues and to ensure clear audio delivery, Nappanee Missionary Church relied on the expertise of dBA Acoustics, Inc., an audio and design consulting firm.
In addition to the requirement of frequency diversity to help ensure uninterrupted audio, the church needed a robust sound system that could work seamlessly with other multimedia assets showcased to the congregation, as the church is a video venue. Using video as a focal point, the teachings can be delivered live through large video screens at other remote locations and online. Likewise, a sister church, 45 minutes away, conducts its own worship service, but the sermon is watched on a recorded video feed from Nappanee Missionary Church. Given this added technical component, dBA Acoustics’ Principal Engineer Thomas Lorenzen was tasked with finding a multi-functional, intuitive system that could flawlessly support presentations, bands, and educational sessions for live and remote congregations.
Shure ULX-D® Digital Wireless System with uncompromising 24-bit audio clarity and extremely efficient RF performance was the recommended equipment—able to combat issues of frequency management and deliver best in class audio quality for services without interfering streaming video. With the scalable, intelligent hardware, Nappanee Missionary Church uses eight channels of ULX-D to easily monitor frequency congestion and ensure a rock-solid signal for the many services and musical performances. The integration of digital wireless technology accompanies the congregation’s existing 32 channels of analog gear and provides greater control over the wireless frequencies used among the classrooms, children’s ministry, and main worship areas.
Media Ministry Coordinator Rodney Jernas commented, “The transition from competitor equipment to Shure gear has been night and day. Since turning to Shure ULX-D there have been no audio hiccups. We are operating on clear frequencies, and the system has been really easy for our team to use.”
The professional level sound reinforcement, paired with unmatched spectrum efficiency, proved to be the perfect match for the active local church.
To learn more about Shure products, please visit http://www.shure.com/americas.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
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