BeamZ Pro Brings New Light to Chosen World Ministries

Pro AV Team, using lighting supplied by StageOne, has successfully completed the first phase of a large-scale Beamz Pro lighting installation at Chosen World Ministries. This new Gospel church, located in Rispark in the south of Johannesburg, opened its doors with a spectacular event, the Greater Works Conference, on June 6, 2024.

Leon Fourie, the owner of Pro AV Team, expressed his excitement about the project: “We were privileged to design a lighting system that meets the diverse needs of Chosen World Ministries. This venue is not only a church but also a multi-purpose space that can be rented out for various events. Our goal was to create a lighting setup that is both visually captivating and easy to operate, even for volunteers. We wanted the lighting to enhance the emotional element of the church services, making the worship experience even more engaging.”

The scale of this project is unprecedented for Pro AV Team. “This is the biggest installation we’ve done to date,” said Fourie. “We used over 150 Beamz Pro fixtures, 600 meters of power cables, 200 meters of truss, and 800 meters of DMX. The church building itself is 52 meters wide by 71 meters long.” Reverend Witness Acts, the leader of ‘Chosen Word Ministries’, gave Pro AV Team free reign to design the lighting system. The primary requirement was to ensure the system was simple enough for volunteers to operate, while still delivering professional-grade performance.

For the stage lighting, Pro AV Team used 36 Beamz Pro LCB-14 Hybrid LED Bars to frame a massive 20m x 8m LED screen. “These fixtures have full pixel mapping ability, creating stunning visual effects and chases around the screen,” explained Fourie. “The pastor loves them.” These bars incorporate colour around the screen with 14 x 10-degree beams that are super bright, providing impactful effects and versatility for general and flashing effects.

Pro AV Team chose 12 BeamZ Pro Ignite 300s for their moving head fixtures. “The Ignite 300 is a super versatile LED moving head with the same brightness as a 380W lamp-based fixture,” said Fourie. “I love the dual prisms and the ability to overlap them to create an even larger effect.”

In addition, 16 Beamz Pro Kratos LED Tube Lights were positioned in front of the stage for special effects and to enhance the overall visual impact. These fixtures were chosen for their portability, long battery life and ease of setup, providing flexible lighting solutions for various elements of the service.

For front-of-house lighting, Pro AV Team used 10 x BeamZ Pro BTS300Z LED Profile Spot Zoom fixtures, known for their powerful output and energy efficiency. “These fixtures punch as high as conventional tungsten-based lights but at a third of the power usage,” said Fourie. “We use the blades to shape the beams so they don’t go too high compared to the height of the LED screen onstage. We can also cut it off at the bottom and adjust the zoom for consistency.” The team also used 8 Beamz Pro MHL1240s, selected for their tight beam and versatility. “These fixtures can zoom in on specific areas or wash the entire stage, providing flexibility for different lighting needs,” said Fourie. “They are perfect for highlighting specific areas on stage, such as the podium or solo performers, while also blending the light to match the BTS300 fixtures for a consistent look.”

The audience lighting was equally impressive, with 36 Beamz Pro Lucid 2.8 LED Bars installed in the ceiling. These fixtures serve as both house lights and effect lights, capable of changing the colour of the entire venue during a service. “Running them in full mode allows us to create beautiful effects and chases inside the venue,” noted Fourie.

One of the unique challenges of this project was ensuring adequate coverage of white light and effects across the wide stage and large venue. “Beamz Pro has a variety of fixtures that allowed us to achieve the coverage and effects needed,” said Fourie. “Their range of products gave us the flexibility to specify exact requirements and meet the church’s needs whilst sticking to the budget.”

The lighting design was tailored to enhance the various elements of the service, from the live band and massive choir to the dynamic preaching style of Reverend Witness Acts. “We used moving fixtures for the band to enhance the emotion and atmosphere,” explained Fourie. “The Beamz Pro BTF300Z can zoom in on a soloist or cover the entire choir, adding to the visual impact.”

“We can zoom the lights to focus on specific performers, such as the drummer or keyboardist, and then widen the beam to cover the entire stage when needed. This flexibility allows us to enhance different elements of the service as required.”

The entire lighting system is controlled using an Avolites Tiger Touch 2, utilising 16 full universes of lighting control. “We’re running the system to its full potential with Artnet and Beamz 8-way boosters to ensure clean signal distribution,” said Fourie. All trussing in the venue is Alustage, with 200 meters of Quad Truss used in the first phase of the installation.

“Most of the fixtures we used for the project are run in full mode, allowing us to control each LED pixel individually,” explained Fourie. “For example, the MHL1240 has 12 individual pixels with 40 watts each in red, green, blue, and white. We can control every single pixel to create intricate lighting effects.”

The feedback from Chosen World Ministries has been overwhelmingly positive. Reverend Witness Acts commented, “Our experience working with Pro AV Team has been amazing. Their professionalism, work ethic, and commitment are exceptional. They delivered ahead of schedule, and we are extremely satisfied with the results.”

Fourie also shared his excitement for the future, “We are still training the church team, but everyone is eager to start painting with light and pushing faders. We are already planning for phase two of the installation and looking forward to further enhancing the visual experience at Chosen World Ministries.”

Pro AV Team’s innovative lighting design for Chosen Word Ministries demonstrates how a well-planned lighting system can enhance worship experiences while remaining budget-friendly and easy to use, making it an essential example for other churches considering lighting upgrades.