Tech is for everyone…no, really it is!
Every location that we have used over the past year (there have been 8!!) has needed a dedicated team of volunteers to help us set the venue up ready for the service. We are always looking for people to join these amazing teams, but often wonder if there is a misconception that these roles are ‘highly specialised’ and therefore only for a small select group of people. They aren’t.
Everyone is able to join the tech team and we give full training for each of the roles. Below are the different roles and a taste of what’s actually involved.
*all tech and setup teams start at 8am on a Sunday morning.
SETUP TEAM
Be part of a team of absolute legends who move chairs, tables, benches, open cupboards, wheel trolleys and turn the concourse from looking like a concrete multi-storey carpark to a concrete multi-storey carpark with chairs in. In Livingston you’ll get the chance to operate a bright yellow trolley and move plastic boxes from the van into the atrium and if you’re over 25 you might even be given the opportunity to drive the van. Both locations setup teams arrive at 8am and are usually finished by 9.30 so you’ll have time to catch up that extra hour’s sleep on a hard plastic chair before the service starts.
CAMERA OPERATOR
This is your chance to see what the worship team and service team would look like with an added 10lbs. You’ll be lining up the shots, zooming in and out and tracking those speakers who never stay still longer than a few minutes. Not only that but in Balerno you’ll get to wear an amazing headset and feel like you’re in TopGun. If you progress to using the built in cameras then it will be a throwback to your misspent youth in the arcades as these cameras are operated by a joystick and couple of big red buttons.
LAPTOP OPERATOR
This role is often thought as the easiest but I think it’s the most difficult - it certainly requires a decent amount of concentration as you’ll use a piece of software called ‘Easy Worship’ to put the words on the screen and also run the powerpoint slides for the speaker (if they’ve got any). If you’ve ever complained because the words on the screen are wrong then you definitely should come and volunteer for this role.
STREAM DIRECTOR
Have you ever dreamed of directing your own movie? Then come and experience, let’s be honest here, the closest thing that you’ll ever get to that. You’ll have a whole range of buttons to press, and be able to order around the camera people to get the shots you want. In one church in Edinburgh I heard that they had a 13 year old running their stream - so if you’re over that age then you’ll probably find it a bit tricky but we’ll give you all the training you need and some of the buttons even have arrows on to give you a reminder that you need to press it at some stage during the service.
SOUND DESK
This is the most powerful position in the service. You literally have the control of whether anyone can hear the service and can get to decide how long you make people leading the service stand on the stage waving a mic in the air before you unmute them. There is, understandably, quite a bit of skill involved in this role but if you used to be in a band and used a PA system then it’s a start so come and have a chat with us and we’ll see about getting you involved.
There really is a role that virtually every single person in the church could do, some of you might need some more training than others, but we’d love you to be involved.
You have the chance to become a legend - don’t miss it.
Email David.lyons@stmungos.org