Dual-purpose Philips lighting system transforms Centennial Covenant Church
Published: WORSHIP
WORLD: With both traditional and contemporary-style worship services provided at Centennial Covenant Church in Littleton, Colorado, worship leaders sought a new architectural and entertainment lighting system capable of accentuating both. Working with Cuningham Group Architecture, The MH Companies was enlisted to create the new lighting design, which consisted of 18 Showline SL PAR 150 Zoom luminaires, seven Philips Selecon PLprofile1 LED profiles and a 250ML lighting control console from Philips Strand Lighting.
‘We moved into this site a long time ago and with two services every Sunday and multiple events consistently taking place during the week, we needed a full lighting renovation,’ recalled David Dillon, music director at Centennial Covenant Church. ‘In the early stages of the design, the church was mainly looking at the architectural lighting, but we also needed to address the entertainment lighting as well. We were looking for fixtures that could provide great colour and clean gobo patterns, and the lighting and controls package from Philips Entertainment is working great.’
‘We had previously worked with the architect on the project, Timothy Kathka, and we knew he had a particular interest in energy-saving projects,’ continued Tom Seymour, controls engineering manager, The MH Companies. ‘With a house full of incandescent PAR cans and a layer of HID’s that were part of the original construction, the old lighting was anything but energy conscious, so we really had to do a full renovation and Philips Entertainment had the perfect package of lighting and control.
‘When we started talking about the entertainment lighting, I brought down two LED fixtures, the Showline SL PAR 150 Zoom and a Philips Selecon PLprofile1 luminaire, for a demonstration to the renovation committee,’ Mr Seymour continued. ‘Since they were already familiar with using PAR type fixtures, I wanted to show them what these LED luminaires could really do and they were immediately impressed.’
Mr Seymour placed all the SL PAR 150 Zoom fixtures and four of the PLprofile1 luminaires in the main front-of-house position. He then placed two PLprofile1s on the stage, and one PLprofile1 further out in the house to be used as a spot for the centre stage area.
‘With our two services, we now do one that is slightly more traditional with a more static look, but then in our later service we create a contemporary worship environment with colour changes between each song,’ Mr Dillon explained. ‘We haven’t had any issues with the colour matching and the fixtures are completely solid. What we set for on Thursday night rehearsals is exactly what we walk into on Sunday morning.’
With a more sophisticated setup deployed, the lighting control console also required an upgrade. ‘For their lighting control console, they previously had a two-scene preset desk,’ Mr Seymour added. ‘Since we were now replacing the old rig with LED fixtures we needed more control and the 250ML was the best option. With operators who were excited to run a system with LED fixtures, the intuitive nature of the 250ML was a great advantage and makes the system easy to program and run.
‘We do have a couple of volunteer technicians that have really taken to the 250ML lighting control console,’ Mr Dillon enthused. ‘They seem to be finding new ways to open it up and push the envelope with multiple scene changes and setting the perfect worship environment.
Mr Dillon is satisfied that the new system has given its weekly services the desired makeover. ‘With our new lighting system, the difference is night-and-day. Previously, our worship services were static light with only an adequate stage wash. There was no creative colour and the system was basically on or off. Now, we have a completely transformed system and it’s opened up a new ministry opportunity for someone with an eye for lighting to truly create on Sunday mornings.’
‘This type of lighting system is everything that we like to promote,’ concluded Mr Seymour. ‘It’s less maintenance, offers greater design flexibility, and it’s easy to run. At the end of the process, the local utility company was offering rebates for going from high-wattage lighting systems to an LED system. Based on their reduced power consumption, the church actually received a significant rebate, and seeing their services now, they are really making use of all their new tools with many wonderful transitions of colour.’