Livestream Technicians

One of the biggest changes the Covid 19 pandemic brought to Holy Comforter was our Livestreaming Ministry. Early in 2020, we broadcast services with no congregation present, only the priest and readers participating. Our earliest equipment was a simple smartphone. Since then, as our broadcasts reached more and more people, we have added new cameras capable of livestreaming any service in the church. Weekly we have a significant number of regular watchers when our service is broadcast on Sunday, and even more who watch it later in the day or the week. It takes a lot of people to be sure the livestreaming works correctly, and as with all technology, there have been and will be glitches to deal with. Kevin Yates is our primary Livestreaming technician. He is assisted by Mary Walker, and by Chad Strawn who also serves as a sort of "ITT manager" for the church's technology. With our newest cameras (installed in summer 2026), we have better capabilities for following the celebrant using built-in targeting technology. If you'd like to learn more about Livestreaming or volunteer to be trained as a technician, please speak to any of the folks listed above for more information.

Our next big update will be to add "sound amplification" inside the nave. You've probably noticed the priest wearing a headset mic and other mics near the choir or the lectern. If you've wondered why we have mics and you still can't hear better, it's because so far, they've only worked with the Livestreaming equipment sending sound out on the recording, but not doing anything to help sound inside the church. We will be adding a couple of additional mics in the chancel area to more clearly get the sounds from our choir, and we will be installing four specially constructed speakers which will be installed unobtrusively among the beams in the ceiling. If all goes as planned, sounds inside the church can be amplified for clarity and volume. The new equipment will also be compatible with most hearing aids so folks using them can tune in directly to the sounds of church. This is a rather expensive upgrade to our technology, but one we have needed for a while. We have been assured nothing will interfere with the charm and character of our nave, and this update will make our services more accessible for those who have trouble hearing. We'll let you know when the new system is being installed.