Traditional church adapts to a streaming future

[THE PARISH CHURCH of St Simon Zelotes is a traditional, conservative evangelical church nestled in Milner Street, Upper Chelsea. Built in 1858-59 to a design by architect Joseph Peacock, the building is regarded as being his most complete surviving work: other examples can be found in London and Derby and include Holy Cross Church at St Pancras.

During the recent coronavirus lockdowns, as church buildings were closed, an online presence allowed the vicar of St Simon Zelotes, Rev Mike Neville, to stay connected to his congregation. Later, as buildings were allowed to open, it became clear that the temporary live streaming set-up needed to be replaced by equipment which could be integrated into the building. Rev Mike, along with the staff at St Simon's, approached church audio visual specialist Cunnings Recording Associates to provide a more permanent live streaming solution.

The team at Cunnings gave careful consideration to choosing a remotely controllable camera, positioned to view key areas within the church while remaining discreet, and having minimal impact to the fabric of the Grade Two*-listed building. The controls for the camera and streaming equipment were carefully integrated into the existing wooden equipment cabinet. Operators can easily position the camera to view the choir, musicians, chancel or pulpit at the touch of a button. Streaming is provided directly to YouTube, with the provision to include liturgy and notices via a separate laptop for those watching at home.

The church is known for an excellent standard of music, provided on most weeks by a professional choir and overseen by music directors Daniel Philips and Chris Stokes. A recent upgrade to the AV system had seen dedicated microphones installed for the choir, to allow them to be heard clearly on recordings and via the live streamed broadcast.

Again, Cunnings worked closely with the church team to recommend a microphone solution which was unobtrusive, but provided a balanced sound from the choir. A pair of microphones was provided on a trial basis and, following good results, four microphones have now been installed in the choir stalls with the cables hidden from view.

Now, as congregational singing is returning to worship for churches in England, St Simon's can be confident that its congregation can experience the beauty of the music and the building, whether they are watching online or meeting in person.

To find out more about live streaming solutions and audio-visual systems for churches, contact the friendly team at Cunnings. q