Destiny Christian Church is a well-established parish with a number of ministries, classes and outreach programs providing for a congregation of over 3,000. A growing ministry located in Rocklin, CA, they sought to change their style of worship and their approach to the worship experience, with lighting as a key component. Rick Franke, owner of Illuminate Production Services (IPS) has been instrumental in this goal. Hailing from a family steeped in ministry, he himself served as a youth minister for 15 years. He tells a bit of his back-story.
“I left the youth Pastorate to explore the possibility of planting a new church. What I found was the incredible need for AV and Lighting in the area churches. The demand was so large that a hobby became a thriving business.”
In 2006, he started IPS. Around 2008, Pastor Fairrington of Destiny Christian Church contacted IPS to upgrade the system in their sanctuary. The old system consisted of conventional incandescent Lekos and PARs requiring frequent bulb changes, a heavy dimmer load and extra air conditioning to counterbalance the heat. Their power consumption created high electrical bills.
For those very reasons, he turned to LED fixtures from Elation. “The church needed a product that was cutting edge but wouldn’t break the bank, and Elation delivered every time.”
Full Time Focus
The first project was a retrofit in the 1,400-seat main worship center with the installation of Elation Design Wash 575 and Design Spot 575 fixtures. Upon completion, Pastor Fairrington asked if Franke might be interested in serving as their house LD for the weekend services. “I accepted, and our relationship grew from there.”
Lighting design, programming, set design, architectural lighting and complete event production services for special events came under Franke’s umbrella as full time Lighting Director. Elation figured prominently in projects to follow over the next eight years, with upgrades to the Lobby, Youth Center and treatment to the exterior architecture.
“The Elation gear, itself, holds up to all the claims made regarding their stability and low maintenance,” states Franke. As testimonial to the fact, Franke points out that some movers in the main Worship Center have over 8,000 hours on them, while others, expected for retirement, are still in service.
The original install in the Worship Center was eventually supplemented with Elation Design Spot 300, Power Spot 700, Rayzor Q12, ELAR 216 Panels, Opti QA Par, Opti Tri 30 fixtures and 20-mil EVLED 1024 LED video panels for scenic design and backdrop. (See gear list below for more details.)
Video Panels, Too
For their 25th Anniversary, Destiny Christian added a 4mm Elation EZ4 screen to their main sanctuary and a 6mm EZ6 screen in the lobby. The LED video panels introduced a new and exciting way for the church to display informative and artistic content. “Both have worked flawlessly since the day they were installed,” says Franke.
When it came time to upgrade the Youth Center, Franke’s son Caleb designed the system. Utilizing fixtures from Elations family line of Rayzor products, along with the Epar Tri LED, he added a host of American DJ effect lights. The speed of movement these units are capable of provided the extra kick needed at a large variety of events. (See sidebar for more details.)
Just 16, Caleb is a key designer along with his father at IPS. At eight, he was coiling cable and repairing fixtures. Avidly taking to his father’s line of work, he was designing shows by age 12. “I really just grew up with this kind of work, and I love it. I have a real passion for it,” says Caleb. “My Dad taught me everything I know, and we collaborate really well. The Elation folks have been cool with my age. I practically grew up with them, too, ya know. In fact, their Compu Live software is what I first used for design work. Now I use Capture Argo.”
Capture, a Swedish CAD company founded in 1994 manufactures lighting design, visualization and documentation software. Their product line is available through Elation.
“He is really proficient on the Jands Vista, which is the control board we use in the main Worship Center as well,” notes the proud father.
A Standout Exterior
In 2012, the exterior of the church underwent a major facelift. High-pressure sodium fixtures previously engulfed the church, casting an orange glow. The building sat on property adjacent to a main freeway interchange, barely discernible from the rest of the commercial real estate.
“We created accents on the exterior using Acclaim LED pars to splash across the top wall above the main entrance. One of the coolest things we did was place Acclaim AL Bar 1200’s across the arch façade. Controllable in 4-inch increments, we create different scenarios depending on the holiday. On July 4th we programmed a red, white and blue chase scene. We can also push video through it, which opens up a completely new dynamic. Acclaim Rebel RGBA’s sit atop the columns. At the foot of each column, an Acclaim Rebel Drum RGB colors its facade. “I’m impressed with this fixture every time I use it,” comments Franke. “In fact, I just lit 500 palm trees with it, and the project looked amazing.”
Just to the side of the main entrance stands a 72-foot column. Lit with eight Elation Elar 216 Panel RGBWs, a cross stands at the pinnacle of the “monolith” as Franke calls it. “LED and color saturation were very important factors for the exterior lighting package,” he adds. “A rich color scheme was important as was the desire to save power through an all-LED solution.” For control of the exterior lighting, they use Compu Live software.
Installations demand a well-thought-out selection of fixtures and console, with thorough knowledge of the products involved — particularly when the system is going in after the facility is already complete. The church becomes an active construction site. Pews may need to be removed to accommodate lifts brought in for rigging purposes and fixture hangs. Correcting oversights, or having to re-hang, repair, or replace fixtures is often an expensive and timely proposition. “For those reasons, coupled with many I have noted, Elation is our premiere fixture for installations,” says Franke.
“In conclusion I just want to note that everyone, young and old, as Destiny Christian is happy with the outcome of these additions. Our worship services are exciting, the youth center attracts kids because it is a cool place to go, and we are seeing an impact on membership attendance through the attractive exterior lighting.”
Related links: www.elationlighting.com; www.lightingips.com
Gear (Partial list)
Main Worship Center
1 Jands Vista console
4 Elation Power Spot 700 fixtures
8 Elation Design Wash 575s
8 Elation Design Spot 575s
4 Elation Design Spot 300 fixtures
4 Elation Rayzor Q12s
4 Elation ELAR 216 Panels
10 Elation Opti QA Pars
10 Elation Opti Tri 30 fixtures
1 Antari HZ-500 haze machine
50 Elation EZ4 LED video panels
Capture Argo software (interior lighting control)
Compu Live software (exterior lighting control)
Youth Center
1 Jands Vista console
6 Elation Rayzor Beam 2Rs
4 Elation Rayzor Q7s
6 Elation Epar Tri fixtures
1 Elation Enode 4 fixtures
4 ADJ Inno Color Beam Z19s
8 ADJ Inno Spot Elites
15 ADJ Dotz Pars
8 ADJ Mega Flash DMX fixtures
8 ADJ Ultra Bar 6 fixtures
22 ADJ Sweeper Beam Quad LEDs
10 ADJ LED Pixel Tubes
1 Antari Z-350 Fazer
