• Each team can only consist of 6 players max. 5 active players with 1 sub in case of injury.
• Must be at least one of each gender. Your sub is not a means of meeting the gender rule. In other words, one of each gender must start the game.
• A player can only play on one team.
• Team uniforms must be worn on the court (a uniform is anything that is consistent for all team members, examples can be: t-shirt, bandana, and more. Must display team name. Be creative!
• Team roster and info must be turned in online by June 3rd

This year for I love my church month we are looking to enhance the quality of what you hear in the main auditorium. I think that we can all agree that technology has changed, and there is a lot that has been learned from its evolution. Especially the research that has been done to understand sound waves and how they travel, react, and bounce around. When we apply these discovered principles of sound to EHC we get a picture that needs some tweaking.

First off, current equipment. One of the things that we want to make very clear is that the Project 77 renovation that took place in the main auditorium during 2006 did not provide new speakers or new sound equipment. What it did include was the stage redesign, moving the sound booth to the lower floor, as well as a brand new lighting and projection system. So the sound equipment that you see and hear has been in place since 2001, that is a long life span for equipment that was made 11 years ago.

Second, research has shown us that it is not good for individual speaker boxes to be 35 feet away from their intended audience. Especially in an open room. Think of it this way. When you are in a conversation with someone you are probably standing right next to them. You can use your voice with different intensity and inflection and they can still hear and understand you. Now put 35 feet of open space between you. It is probably difficult for them to hear you clearly without having to raise your voice. You have also lost the ability to fluctuate your intensity and inflection. The same principle applies to the speakers in the main auditorium. The individual speaker box has to be pushed with such intensity to reach the lower floor for you to be able to hear. That we lose the ability to control the intensity, which in turn affects the clarity of the sound being produced. Turning down the sound would only mean that you will hear less of the frequencies being produced making it harder to engage and harder to hear.

The Last, principle that I want to talk about is the room structure itself. The main auditorium is a very open space, but also has many nooks and hard surfaces for the sound to deflect off of. This creates a live atmosphere that can seem very loud just when people are talking or singing. You add a sound system that is being pushed hard to reach the lower floor and the volume intensifies. Making it at times seem unbearable. The reason for this is that the sound waves are bouncing off of these hard surfaces and do not have time to dissipate before the next sound wave is produced. There is a real good chance that you are hearing the same thing twice. After it passes by your ear it bounces off the nearest wall and comes back to you. Some of the things that do help absorb the sound are carpet and people’s clothing but these items are thin and below your ear. There is another 30 feet above your head.

So, what we are proposing this year for I love my church month is the addition of Sound Absorption panels. Placing these throughout the room and especially at ear level will tremendously help in absorbing sound waves keeping them from bouncing back into the room. Research has shown that adding such panels can absorb enough of the high frequencies in the room that the sound is not only less irritating but also perceived as half as loud.

So what is the goal?: We have figured out that it is going to take $12,000 dollars to purchase enough panels to make the biggest impact in our space. Once these are in we will then work towards the second part of the plan to update the sound system. Bring the old speakers down from the ceiling and adding new speakers closer to the audience so that we can control the sound even better with the latest in sound technology, but that is a discussion for another day.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns about this years project or about the sound in general. I have setup a special email address, thesound@eagleheightschurch.net. I would love to hear your voice in this matter, positive or negative. There is not a week that goes by that I don’t hear from someone that thinks the sound was not loud enough or that it was too loud. I just want you to know that we hear you, and we are working towards the answer. I live and breathe technology and I want to make sure that you fully understand what we’re after. We want to connect with you, the people, it’s the very purpose that drives us.

2012 Project

This year for I love my church month we are looking to enhance the quality of what you hear in the main auditorium. To find out more watch the video above or if you would rather read it, view the complete transcript below!

If you would like to give to this years project you may do so in Sunday’s offering. Please make sure to mark your gift “Sound Panels” or “I Love My Church” so that it can be designated properly.