First Baptist Church at the Fields (formerly First Baptist Church, Carrollton, Texas) had added a second campus in 2016 for their contemporary services known as Church at the Fields. The goal was to eventually build additional space on the new site in which to relocate the entire campus to the Fields location. In 2018, the church decided that the time was now, and Paragon 360 was going to help make it happen.
Paragon’s directives were to create a similar multi-purpose space to the existing one built in 2016 that would be the new home to the more traditional service including choir, orchestra and praise team. Both rooms would be video venues and would be multi-purpose rooms designed to house both worship services and sporting events.
The church’s desire was for Paragon 360 to design a new, fresh, modern facility while still having some familiarity with the older campus to ease the relocation transition. Paragon 360 did this successfully through its design of the space and its provision of new audio, video and lighting systems, custom scenic, staging and architectural elements, acoustics and interior signage.
CUSTOM-TAILORED AUDIO EXCELLENCE
The new audio system included a Danley Sound Labs loudspeaker system, incorporating a pair of SM80F main speakers complimented with a SH95HO for front fill and a single TH412 Subwoofer. The system was powered by Danley DNA amplifiers and processed by a QSC Core 110F. All lobby areas where covered by QSC pendant style loudspeakers.
Mixing duties were handled by Behringer X32, both at FOH and Broadcast positions. A large distribution network of microphone and data connections to the platform allowed for flexible patching and for quick changes in platform setup.
Monitor mixing was via Behringer P16-M mixers along with (4) floor wedge mixes powered by Powersoft amplifiers. A dedicated AtteroTech input plate connected to the QSC Core 110 via Dante, allowing for basic operation of the sound system without the need of a console or a skilled operator. This made the space versatile, accounting for sporting events or smaller meetings that only require a few inputs.
Broadcast audio included Presonus Eris series studio monitors and Middle Atlantic studio furniture. Hearing assistance systems are provided by Listen Systems. All power sequencing and rack enclosures were via Middle Atlantic.
LIGHTING THAT ENHANCES THE SPACE
The lighting system consisted entirely of LED lighting fixtures, providing creative flexibility, long life and energy efficiency. A flat, even field of front light was the result, due to the use of a Chauvet Ovation E-910FC. This was a high-performance fixture with full RGBA-Lime color mixing. The Chroma-Q Inspire XT, an energy efficient color mixing RGBW fixture, was chosen for the house-lighting pendants.
The beautiful whites, soft pastels and bold saturated colors produced by the fully homogenized lens, provide an immersive experience for modern worship, transcending the physical barrier between the stage and audience.
The power for the entire lighting system was provided through an ETC Echo Relay Panel, which provided easy system start up and shut down control via the lighting console. Interior LED lighting was built into the custom scenic and architectural elements throughout the room.
EXCELLENT VIDEO SOLUTIONS
Utilizing two adjacent worship spaces simultaneously presented a unique set of challenges and opportunities for video. The new worship space received a wide-aspect Da-Lite screen, selected to serve as the primary worship display.
In order to handle content and the wide aspect ratio, ProPresenter was paired with ProVideo Player, both by Renewed Vision. Adding ProVideo Player into the mix allowed for the center screen to be treated as a canvas, providing the opportunity to take lyrics from ProPresenter and combine them with wide-aspect backgrounds, pre-recorded videos, or even live video for IMAG. The main screen projection was achieved using two blended Panasonic 10,000 lumen laser light source projectors.
The client’s existing Ross Carbonite switcher was improved by the addition of a new Ross NK routing system to allow a single control room to operate both rooms independently. This provided the church with the ability to produce and stream the sermon from one space during the first service, then toggle to the second worship space for their second service each Sunday, all with minimal effort.
During this process, the client also requested the ability to stream on time-delay the sermon from one worship space to the other so that both congregations can receive the same message each Sunday, while still providing a consistent order of worship and experience. To accomplish this, both the existing and new worship space were equipped with a Panasonic 4K fixed camera to provide a live pastor shot.
This all could be recorded by a GrassValley T2 Turbo DDR which allowed for time delayed playback in the other worship space. The recorded message was played back on a Da-Lite Wireline screen that drops to floor level. This allows for a life-size projection on the worship stage at the preaching position, providing a more realistic and engaging presence for the worship space viewing the recorded message. The sermon image was projected using a third Panasonic 10,000 lumen laser projector.
MORE THAN AUDIO, VIDEO & LIGHTING
Paragon designed, fabricated and installed custom scenic, staging and architectural elements in the new multi-purpose space. This included all of the wall treatments on the rear and side walls of the stage space, which consisted of self-illuminated wood and faux stone.
Paragon’s custom, modular choir lofts were built along with self-illuminated modesty walls that tied into the rear wall treatments. Paragon also recreated wall art from the old, original sanctuary that included a wood and metal radial line pattern with illuminated crosses overlaid. This iconic piece gave a familiar reference in the new space. Paragon also designed and fabricated custom cages for all of the front lighting positions over the sports floor to protect the AVL equipment.
The fabrication capabilities of Paragon 360 allowed for a very quick and cost-effective installation because onsite finish work of the entire stage space was eliminated as Paragon’s pieces were pre-fabricated, brought to the site and quickly installed. Paragon also provided some interior signage work.
“I know that Paragon 360 is very up-to-date with technology, but it’s more than technology; it’s design, it’s listening, it’s trying to really fit the design and capabilities to the project in a specific way, and also dealing with our budget. We just feel like Paragon did a masterful job,” said Keith Ferguson, associate pastor of worship arts.
Paragon 360 is an award-winning design leader in the professional AVL industry. The company also offers custom fabrication, professional rigging, acoustics, seating, interior design, architectural services and signage. With an extensive national client base, the company is dedicated to building highly effective and engaging environments for projects of every size and scope, www.paragon360.com.
