Sapphire Touch for First Baptist Church
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“When the church was renovated a couple of years ago, the lighting and sound systems were updated to accommodate small performances, as well as hosting professional touring acts,” says S&L’s Clay Byars. In 2015, S&L consulted on the design for worship spaces in the main sanctuary, high school, and children’s ministry areas.
“The lighting console had to be a proven workhorse and something that included industry-standard features and protocols,” he continues. “There are a wide variety of lighting fixtures that the console controls at the church, including LED ellipsoidals, movers, wash lights, and some conventional lighting fixtures, and the Sapphire manages all of their functions extremely well.”
With its 45 motorized, programmable faders and dual 15.6-inch touch screens, the Sapphire Touch has enough control for even the most demanding lighting director who may use the rig with a touring act, but the ease of programming and saving scenes means it’s also accessible for worship teams that may not have a super-technical background in terms of lighting. It’s even decipherable for musicians.
FBC’s worship leader, Jeremiah Spencer, is a great case in point. “I’m a musician and the worship leader, not a lighting guy, but I’ve been able to quickly learn how to program and run the console,” he says. “Having used it for a while now, I love the flexibility it offers.”
“The Sapphire Touch was selected for First Baptist Church, Thomasville for the tremendous flexibility it provides,” Byars adds. “In addition to regular services and performances by touring acts, the church has an annual youth event called DNOW that brings in kids from Thomasville and other surrounding communities to worship, serve, and grow in their relationships with God.”
(Jim Evans)
