Victory World Outreach has been ministering in Colorado Springs and around the world for 40 years. A unique ministry with churches in the US and in 10 different countries, Victory World Outreach has resided in their current building – a remodeled grocery store – for 27 years and in that time has made no significant changes to their main sanctuary.
That all changed in 2019 however when they decided to modernize their AVL set-up and chose integrator and Elation Professional dealer Second Opinion Audio (SOA) for the audio, lighting and video upgrade.
With an enduring focus on helping others and after years investing in their satellite churches, the time was right to renew their local house of worship. “With fluorescent lights an eyesore and our main worship space feeling dated, it was time to make some big improvements,” states Paul Jones, lead pastor at Victory World Outreach. With the knowledge that AV and dynamic lighting systems can positively impact the overall worship experience, the church chose a flexible Elation lighting system to raise its profile and help grow its ministry. “Part of our decision behind doing a complete upgrade to the main auditorium was our desire to reach younger families,” Pastor Jones says. “Bob Langlois and Daryl Porter from SOA put together an AVL package and we loved what they came up with.”
SOA specified, designed and installed an all-LED Elation lighting system made up of Artiste DaVinci moving heads, DTW Par 300 variable white Par lights, WW Profile HP warm-white ellipsoidal spots, SixPar 300 LED Par lights with barndoors, and SixBar 1000 IP LED battens. Elation’s Colour Pendant downlight, capable of fully blended projections of color or variable shades of white light, is used for house lighting, allowing the church to complement what is happening on stage whether it’s a church service, musical performance or special event. The entire lighting system is under the control of a compact Obsidian Control Systems NX2 console. A new 13′ x 25′ LED center screen, as well as side screens, were also added along with a top-grade audio system.
“They hadn’t spent money on themselves in many years and wanted to do things to a high standard,” says Second Opinion Audio founder Bob Langlois. “The Elation lighting system and the LED video screens look and work great together and the audio system is concert quality. The color-changing Colour Pendant house lighting gives them the ability to color match what they do on stage into the audience. By doing color changing in the house, as well as on stage, it makes people feel more a part of the experience rather than a spectator. We’ve done this a few times now and it really does make the experience for the congregation a lot better.”
SOA often turns to Elation gear for installation projects and Langlois says his preference for the brand is driven by factors beyond price point and functionality. “More than that, Elation has always been great to work with and the service has been great,” he adds. “I can just pick up the phone and call Kraig [Elation regional sales rep Kraig Knight] and he takes care of us. Elation is very accessible and we love that.”
Before the church could raise the funds for the AVL upgrade however, Pastor Jones says they wanted to create a model so that the congregation could see what they would be getting. “This prompted us to overhaul a second auditorium called the ‘Powerhouse’ with all-new Elation Pendants and stage lighting.” A smaller version of the main room, the Powerhouse includes an Elation lighting system of front wash and back lighting, along with Colour Pendants for house lighting.
The Colour Pendants, stage lighting, and Artiste movers were a game changer for our services and especially for our Christmas presentations,” said Pastor Jones, adding that one of the biggest concerns people had with the new lighting system was whether they would still be able to see their Bibles, a worry that quickly evaporated. “Once the new lights were in, we heard one positive comment after another. The response was even better than we expected.”
Used in weekly mass celebrations and for on stage performances, the new system has made an immediate impact. Pastor Jones concludes, “We doubled our services in the smaller room to accommodate the crowds and then went to double services on Sundays when we moved back into the new, larger auditorium. We immediately began to see more young families come in and there is an anticipation for our services. Thank you Elation for helping us communicate this great message of hope in Jesus Christ!”
Elation equipment on the project:
60 x Colour Pendant
6 x Artiste DaVinci
20 x DTW Par 300
4 x WW Profile HP
12 x SixPar 300
6 x SixBar 1000 IP
1 x Obsidian Control System NX2
