Central Assembly of God Youth and Community Center

Central Assembly of God is an affiliate church of the General Council of the Assemblies of God (USA). Both the church and General Council national headquarters, which represents over 12,000 churches across the U.S., are located in Springfield, Missouri.

In summer 2005, a new Youth and Community Center opened housing a complete Mach audio, Martin lighting and Jem smoke system, supplied and installed by Bright Ideas of Ozark, Missouri. Charles Parks of Evangel University in Springfield consulted on the project. Carter McDaniel is head of the facility’s technical department and looks after the complete system. “We’ve been happy with all components – lighting, sound and smoke – and have several systems in the facility. In fact, we were able to get five systems for the cost of what others had offered for one system,” he states.

Detached from the church’s main facility, the 22,500 sq. ft. youth center houses activities and services for kids, a large after school program, community service projects and a community outreach program. Included is a lobby and games area with video game stations; internet café/computer lab; full service kitchen/café; 300 seat auditorium; gymnasium; classrooms and administrative offices.

Main auditorium
The facility’s main auditorium features a Mach audio system and Martin lighting rig. Functionally wedge shaped with an elevated stage, the multi functional room is used for bands, plays, services, and lectures.

Two Mach CM15 medium throw speakers are flown in a center cluster arrangement with an additional 2 individually flown to the sides. For the very low frequencies, and flown at a height of 16 feet, are 2 dual 18” M218T frontloaded subwoofers flown near the side walls “in order to get a lot of sub energy back when they hit with the wall,” Carter explains. "The auditorium has an open ceiling that is very dark, so you don't even see the subs up there when you first walk in. But when the system is fired up, they really let you know they are there. Their bass response is excellent." A pair of Mach M1502T’s operate as front of stage monitors. Control is from a Mach M20.06 loudspeaker management controller, the only processing they have on the system. “We find it to be so useful,” Carter states.

Martin lighting effects consist of 12 CX-10 color and pattern changers, six mounted on a truss as stage wash for color changes and breakup, four on the floor shooting back into the audience, and two hanging over the drum riser. More effect and color comes from 9 MX-10 scanners and 8 MAC 300 washlights. Atmospheric haze and the mid air projection canopy comes courtesy of a Jem ZR 24/7 Hazer while a PC-based LightJockey located in the auditorium handles all of the lighting control. “The LightJockey has been outstanding,” says Carter. “It’s the first room in which we’ve used intelligent fixtures so we’ve had to train people and LightJockey has made it really easy.”

You will find no conventional luminaires in the auditorium. The lighting system is all intelligent. “With this system we’re not really limited,” Carter states. “It’s the right balance of functionality and flash and we can use it for whatever comes along – drama, concerts, etc. We can move the lighting effect around when we need to or just wash the stage or use a single hard edge spot in area - the system is extremely flexible. The lights are also used during preaching, for example, we might use some natural whites in front from the MAC's and some blue breakup patterns behind the pulpit.

“The room is easy to reconfigure and we can move the fixtures around. That flexibility is really what sold our church board and building committee in going this way. We’ve been super happy with everything and it’s held up well.”

Café and lobby
Discretely placed in the open grid of the tile ceiling of the café area are 9 Mach CS8 recess ceiling speakers in black to blend. Above the open grid is a Mach M152i sub for bandpass. “You don’t even notice it above the ceiling grid, but it puts out a lot of bass,” says Carter. “It spreads the sound well.”

The café opens to a lobby area and information counter above which hangs a cylindrical soffit. Around the outside of the soffit are spaced 6 Mach CM7 medium throw speakers. Flown high, at about 20 feet, is a Mach 218T frontloaded sub. Carter comments, “That worked out well for the space because the CM7’s evenly cover the area. We zoned them off so there are two zones with different level controls. But if you are under the soffit, at the info counter, you can still talk comfortably. The café and lobby systems are used primarily for light background music but we’ve already done a small acoustic set and the system in both spaces can reach a good high concert level. It’s good clear sound at lower background levels and good sound at higher concert levels as well. We’re very happy with it.”

Gymnasium
In the gymnasium are 3 Mach MFlex 12 molded top boxes flown in an array at about 24 feet. “The coverage pattern is really counterintuitive for what a gym should sound like,” Carter says. “They’re covering the entire court and seating area with very little wall reflection so there isn’t much echo. That’s the system I am most pleasantly surprised with. The sound is crystal clear and the coverage pattern exceeded our expectations. We use them for voice announcements and music during open gym time and it handles both of those really well. We’ve also used them as the main PA for some events in the gym.”

Powersoft amplifiers are used throughout the facility. “We’ve been very happy with those,” Carter says. “We’re running the entire facility from a small rack in back of the auditorium.”

Supplier and installer of the Martin system, Brad Haynes of Bright Ideas, concludes, "This was another example of a superb relationship with Martin Professional. It drives home the fact that they can be a ‘Total Supplier’ and provided everything the project needed. This project is a prime example of how Mach continues to grow in excellence and has become one of the premiere sound solutions in the industry. The staff at Martin (Daryl Sutton) went out of their way to assist in any way they could!"