production

God Spaces

6 Feb ’12 By Christopher Hopper 8 Comments

Last night Jennifer and I had the privilege of taking this stage in the mountain-ensconced city of Martigny. Christians from all over the region gathered together for their monthly night of worship, and we were so honored to serve them with our team. Jennifer in particular had some powerful things to share with the people and was used mightily in song.

One thing that impressed me was the Swiss team’s ability to transform an ordinary hotel ballroom into a house of worship. They worked tirelessly, imported a truck-load of gear, and managed to create an atmosphere where not only did people feel welcome, but the Lord did too.

Creating God-spaces in our lives is extremely important. They help facilitate moments of encounter and inspire long-term memories. Whether it’s a prayer closet, a stage, a forest-nook, or a church sanctuary, creating a physical space where people can connect with the Holy Spirit is not only something I’m passionate about forming, but God is too.

Of course His greatest space is that of the human heart. He’s very intentional about turning it from a dark, cold rock into a warm and inviting home. But he was just as passionate about prescribing specific instructions to builders of the Tent of Meeting – the Tabernacle – and the Temple.

What’s your role in preparing God-spaces? Being intentional with your preparations is not only good for you, but benefits those who are effected by your service. Minimizing distractions helps eliminate disappointments. ch:

Filed Under: production, travel, worship Tagged With: Church, design, environments, Events, God Spaces, Martigny, production, purpose, sanctuary, stages, switzerland, worship

Backstage Right

8 Jan ’12 By Christopher Hopper 6 Comments

Most people at New Life never see backstage right. And for good reason. It’s ugly. It has a work bench, cables, staging area, racks, shelves, and more odds and ends than we know what to do with.

Yet backstage areas have always been my favorite. There’s a sense of raw anticipation about them. That great things are prepared in these wings. It’s where strings are changed, cables are repaired, cues are made, and prayers are offered that will never be heard elsewhere.

To the public it’s objectionable, but to the performing artist it’s home.

My dad always told me growing up that the most glamorous jobs to the public are actually 90% grunge and 10% glory.

The myth of overnight success is just that – a myth.

People with anything worth promoting have labored and strived and crafted and honed and cried for years.

The public sees the 10% and thinks it’s 100%. So be careful not to make the same mistake when comparing your present creative circumstances with your eventual goals. Anything worth doing is worth taking your time and doing it right. Because your 10% will come.

Here’s to all those wading through the mire of the 90%. Enjoy the journey while you can – it won’t last forever. ch:

Filed Under: leadership, production, worship Tagged With: back stage, behind the scenes, dues, glory, grunge, labor, practice, preparation, production, work

The Lair

20 Nov ’11 By Christopher Hopper 2 Comments

Serving people.

It’s what makes our Production Team tick at New Life.

But often we focus so much on serving the people that come in to our services, we don’t realize we’re also serving one another as Production Team members: doing things for one another’s ministries that make them run smoothly.

When we’re “in the lair,” our own execution of duties with excellence ensures someone else has all they need to do their job with excellence.

We are co-dependent.

We are a team.

One of the greatest motivators for doing things with excellence is recognizing that other peoples’ successes are based upon what we provide them.

Get in the lair, dig in, and serve with excellence. ch:

Filed Under: culture, geek, leadership, production Tagged With: ministry, production, service, team work

Project’ing

28 Sep ’11 By Christopher Hopper 2 Comments

My parents said that, as a boy, I had a new project every day.

It’s amazing to me that how we function as children we often function as adults. Hopefully more maturely.

I feel so blessed that I have a place in my professional life that demands my very best creative abilities every day.

Today I was thanking the Lord for the opportunity to imagine, design, and create stage sets for a church that embraces and celebrates the arts. It’s a privilege to communicate truth through the wonders of design.

Today my cart was full of goodies from Lowe’s. I joke with the staff there because I rarely use the materials in that store for their intended functions.

I suppose the more mature version of myself was trading Legos for Lowes. ch:

Filed Under: culture, production, worship Tagged With: art, creativity, design, production, projects

TechPeople serve People

7 Aug ’11 By Christopher Hopper 2 Comments

Recently drummer Greg Best said something on Twitter that I really connected with:

“I really appreciate how easily we can minister to people because of technology. Pretty awesome.”

If nothing else, God has been releasing wisdom and revelation about technology for one primary purpose: to serve people. Sure, we can say we’ve been served by our car, served by our computer, even served by our deep frier. But superior purposes of services always point to the Kingdom, the Gospel, and the plan of God for the future of Creation.

Bringing technology into the greater Church experience is one of my favorite calls in life. And serving with the volunteers that makes this happen is a source of tremendous pride.

Tim & Tammy Desormo are the ones in this shot making sure New Life’s congregants – both in-house and online – can focus on the most content rich portions of the service and not be disappointed by distractions. In fact, the size of our online viewership is as large as the majority of churches in the US – all because of our production team’s faithful service. The message goes out. Today Brendon Campbell is on camera, Merritt Meeks is on lights, Ben Gilchrist is stage managing, and David Woodkirk is our audio engineer. Proud to serve with these amazing, unsung and unseen heroes.

Who makes your church function week-to-week? Make sure to recognize them and encourage them this week. ch:

Filed Under: culture, geek, leadership, production, video, worship Tagged With: cameras, Church, computers, production, service, video, volunteers

Production Within the Church

18 Apr ’11 By Christopher Hopper 10 Comments

I had the privileged of addressing my favorite House yesterday on the subject of production and its value within the Church world. The impetus came from my Senior Pastor, Kirk Gilchrist, who never shies away from taking issues head-on–one of the reasons I so appreciate his leadership. Rather than let people wonder why (or why not) we run our sound system the way we do, or why we use graphics, or why our lobby looks the way it does, he informs them preemptively before rumors have a chance to become destructive.

As the Creative Arts Pastor, yesterday’s production explanation fell on me.

And I was was excited for the chance.

Training a community how to value beauty is one of the most significant steps toward teaching a culture how to value life.

The response to my short presentation was so overwhelming that I decided to answer the requests for my notes and the message link by providing both below. Feel free to use as you need and pass on to your own church leadership or staff. I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have and help you in your process. ch:

DOWNLOAD NOTES: Why We Beautify

WATCH MESSAGE

What role does production play in your church services? How has it impacted people’s hearts for Jesus? If production is not something utilized by your congregation, how might elements of lighting, audio, video, graphics, printing, or stage management improve the message you’re attempting to communicate?

Filed Under: leadership, music, news, production Tagged With: audio, Church, creative, graphics, lights, production, sound, stage, why we beautify, worship