I have had many people reach out to me with both praise and critique regarding the Bethel Live Stream quality. Both are useful and meaningful. I can certainly attest to the strides we have made over these last few years, many of those positive strides would not have happened without critique at the appropriate time and support to make changes.

Bethel has poured a lot of resources into the physical technology as well as training staff and volunteers. I have felt great support from Bethel’s church council and staff in the decision to enter into a contract with me as a technology consultant. This type of job is a beautiful merging of faith and vocation which I am thankful for.

I continue to be proud of the video team we have. Devin Friesen, Michael Hare, and Waldy Ens have been fantastic people to work with. I am humbled by their commitment and am grateful for their willingness to learn, their gift of time and energy, and--most enjoyable to me--their camaraderie. We have worked closely with the audio technicians to build a process we can all rely on. It truly takes a team to make the whole service work. All of the worship guides, pastors, and technicians work together to problem solve creatively in order to bring you the worship services each week.

The process of putting together Bethel’s worship service continues to grow and mature; some aspects are added, like live streaming, while others are adjusted. From my experience, each worship service starts with an email prepared by one of our pastoral team. The message and service are shaped through email conversations between participants. Bethel has the privilege of having a variety of lay worship guides; allowing for unique views and creativity within the Bethel service structure. As the service takes shape, participants prepare audio and video requirements. They record videos and share them with the video technicians. We take some time, usually a day or so before the service, to place all the digital pieces together – worship music, scripture, projected responsive readings, videos, and images.

Sunday morning the audio and video technicians tend to get there the earliest. Sound equipment is set up, camera angles are adjusted for the needs of the service, and sound checks are performed. The live stream/camera operator and the projection operator walk through the movements of the service to create a flow plan that would make the most sense. This is a true collaboration between these two vital roles.

When we don’t have the congregation joining us in person it allows for all the worship participants and technicians the in room to gather at 9:45 a.m. This is our opportunity to go over any last minute changes or questions, and more importantly, a chance to pray for the service and each other.

A few minutes before 10:00 am, the prelude begins and the service is off and running. As video technicians it is our job to be the eyes and ears for the Bethel Family. We seek to find opportunities for the viewer to see all the beauty that is placed around the sanctuary each Sunday. Our goal is to aim the cameras where the eye would naturally follow, as though you were sitting in the sanctuary with us. Although it may seem like a burden, this has been such a gift for me. It has provided me the opportunity to help so many of you to be part of the worship service, whether it is live on Sunday or later on in the week.

When the service is done and we are no longer recording, all the worship participants quietly sit and wait. I have gotten into the habit of letting out a resounding “AMEN”. There is instant chatter as the participants offer thanks to each other. What a beautiful way to end the service for those in the room.

This opportunity to be a part of community and creative collaboration is deeply meaningful to me, especially when we have found ourselves physically separated these last few years. Many have commented that this role must be such a huge task and that they aren’t aware of all the steps it takes to put a live stream service together. It is true, many don’t know all the steps, however, like any set of steps, they become easier the more we work together. It is the collaboration of many hands and minds. I wish you could get a chance to experience the teamwork, camaraderie, and sense of creative accomplishment.

To that end, consider this a special invitation to come and see firsthand. We are seeking a few projection operators to round out our team. The projection operator has the lightest load and works as a support for the live stream/camera operator. The goal is to invite and train a team of four projection operators, to add to our current team of four live stream/camera operators. This would allow each person to collaborate on a service around once a month. This will keep skills sharp and reduce the commitment load for everyone.

Thank you for your continued support and meaningful critiques. I look forward to hearing from you.

For anyone interested in participating or simply to learn more, please check out the job description for the projection operator.

Martin Kaethler – Lead Technician