House of Worship

Lakewood Church Media Conference Showcases Sony A/V Solutions for Houses of Worship

35 Ministries Attend Gathering on Enhancing Worship with Technology

Sony's efforts to deepen relationships with the house-of-worship market got officially underway last month, when the world-renowned Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas hosted its first-ever Lakewood Media Conference.

The three-day conference, jointly developed by Lakewood and Sony, attracted 130 participants from more than 35 ministries around the country. Attendees came from different-sized ministries, but they all shared a common goal: to learn new ways of using technology to enhance communications with their congregations and audiences worldwide.

The conference also served as a showcase for a range of Sony standard and high definition products, and included hands-on demonstrations of how these solutions can be integrated into the daily life of a ministry.

Lakewood Pastor Joel Osteen and his wife Victoria met personally with guests during the conference to share their remarkable story of how they have grown their local ministry into a worldwide phenomenon that touches millions of lives through its services and, through the help of Sony broadcast and production technologies.

"Lakewood Church is a perfect example of how a ministry can blend its message with technology to create a truly unique worship experience," said Tom Mykietyn, general manager of segment marketing for Sony Electronics. "It was the perfect setting for this conference and allowed leaders in the worship community to understand and see how to produce better audio, video and lighting elements to keep congregations more effectively engaged during services."

Mykietyn added that the Lakewood Media Conference is the first of what Sony plans to be a series of market-specific events designed to increase the sharing of ideas among industry professionals. In addition to houses of worship, Sony's segment marketing team is also concentrating on the government, medical and education markets.

A Hands-On Experience

Conference attendees enjoyed hands-on demonstrations of a broad spectrum of Sony technologies intended for congregations of all sizes, and budgets: wireless microphones, LCD projectors, video production switchers and a range of standard- and high-definition cameras and camcorders. This included the latest Sony HD formats including HDV as well as a preview of XDCAM HD, the new high-definition version of Sony's Professional Disc tapeless system.

Sony's BRC series remote cameras were showcased as an ideal solution for ministries with limited personnel resources, allowing one person to control several camera locations centrally. A real-life technology demonstration was also provided when the BRC cameras were used in conjunction with Sony DVCAM decks and the Anycast Station live production system to c apture a youth service with exceptional ease, efficiency and clarity.

Lakewood Sets the Pace

While these demonstrations captivated attendees, touring Lakewood Church's implementation of a full range of Sony equipment including HD cameras, switchers, displays and LCD projectors also left a lasting impression. These products are what helps Lakewood to bring its services to as many as 16,000 people at a time in person, with over 40,000 attending weekly worship services, and, later to nearly 200 million potential viewers in American and 100 nations around the world through its broadcast on a variety of cable and network channels worldwide.

Duncan Dodds, Executive Director of Lakewood Church, welcomed the opportunity to host the Church Media Conference, expressing his hope that other ministries would be able to create the same opportunities for success with Sony that Lakewood enjoys.

"The work we're doing with Sony goes far beyond simply purchasing products," said Dodds. "We're building a relationship together that not only helps our ministry grow in the most cost-effective and strategic way possible, but also allows us to touch and enhance peoples' lives on a daily basis."