Live-stream in church

“Live-streaming” has been part of Saint Philip’s online life for a while and will become an even bigger part of life going forward. It offers a unique type of video interaction much like live television. It was popularized by professional video-gamers who, by this new format, were able to communicate with their fans while they played.

Saint Philip's transition into live-streaming began with smaller services such as Morning Prayer and the midweek Eucharist. But it was Holy Week in which all preparation and trials came to fruition.

Over a period of several days and many hours, three people met to lay cables, set up cameras, and struggle with microphones. For each service of Holy Week, Jonathan Sprinkle, Mtr Kelli Joyce, and Chris Campbell programmed more than twenty camera angles between which Mtr Kelli could switch during the live-stream, adjusting them as needed. Chris switched between microphones, each meant for different aspects of the service. Throughout, Jonathan monitored the stream, letting the team know of issues, as well as often quickly fixing technical issues and moving microphones when needed.

Going forward there will be several steps and changes. Right now, we offer both in-person and live-streamed services that occur outside. As the number of vaccinated people increases, and when the pandemic comes to a close, we will move fully indoors, but with live-stream as well. Installation of permanent cameras and other systems has begun, which will let us continue with live-stream as a regular part of our worship options.

If you are interested and would like to know more about live-streaming at Saint Philip's please feel free to reach out to Chris Campbell at campbell.christopherjohn@gmail.com.