When the 1987 Church of the Palms' Session decided to broadcast for the very first time, it took a giant step that would strike terror in the heart of any network executive. It went live. With live broadcasts there are no opportunities to fix problems. What you see is what you get. This was a brave and ambitious step few would care to undertake. Religious broadcasters recognize that there is only one church in central and south Florida that broadcasts services live – Church of the Palms.
by Randy Price
No doubt the Session had a natural intuition about television. Imagine watching the Superbowl a week after it had been played. That would take away much of the event's excitement and meaning. Why is Church of the Palms' broadcast so special? Because you can watch as it happens! When a viewer watches Sunday services on television, they share the very same exciting and meaningful experience as the congregation does at the same time.
The significance of live broadcasting was evident when the Church of the Palms' Carlie Brucia Memorial Service was aired nationally giving the city as well as the nation a way to grieve. Over the last 16 years of live broadcasting, the TV Ministry has blossomed from low-tech beginnings to a system capable of earning the respect of the national networks.
Today TV Ministry is meeting, if not surpassing, the intention of the 1987 Session that pulled our church service into the television age. One of the 1987 Elders, Gwen Davies, remembers the mixed feelings among the Session members before they finally cast a unanimous vote. “Could we afford it? Who would benefit? Would the broadcast be intrusive to the worship experience?” Many thought that a broadcast could serve the goals of the church while creating an outreach into the community. Indeed it has. Davies never imagined that she would be receiving the benefits of that decision today. Her husband, Vernon, died in 1994. During his illness, they were able to continue being a part of the worship service by watching the broadcast together.
Since 1988, Church of the Palms' viewing area has doubled from just a portion of Sarasota to include Venice and Englewood. Any church normally struggles to attract new members. Over 50 percent of the new members have been introduced to Church of the Palms because they had seen it on television. Perhaps the broadcast creates a non-
threatening, easy way for newcomers to sample the worship service before actually coming through the doors. Perhaps it showcases the progressive nature of the congregation. Also, the wide viewing area has helped Church of the Palms provide invaluable service to people who can't come to worship.
Church of the Palms' TV Ministry runs with an easy looking momentum that isn't easy to maintain. It takes a crew of seven trained volunteers to broadcast Sunday service each week. There is a director who forms each camera shot into a smooth presentation aided by three camera operators responsible for finding the perfect shot. The audio is split between the house sound operator who monitors the sound level for the congregation and the TV sound operator who monitors the sound level for the broadcast itself. Words that appear on screen during hymns are placed there by the character generator operator. A broadcast operating 52 weeks a year places a big time demand the bells and whistles. “Our bar of excellence is set high so our viewers can experience the wonderful charm of the church that only a live broadcast can bring. We want to interact more with the TV audience.
Perhaps the 1987 Session got it right in a big way. They bravely ushered in a powerful tool that can reach lives every week. The most exciting part of broadcasting is yet to come for Church of the Palms. “We want the broadcasting to appear seamless to the service,” Prieur concludes. “Most importantly, we want to preserve the sanctity of the service for our parishioners who attend in person. We'd also like to convey that sense of sanctity to our audience at home.”
