"We wanted to make sure we had a company that would stand behind the gear," stated Rick Franke of Illuminate Production Services when asked the main reason why ADJ Group lighting companies feature so prominently at Destiny Christian. "We chose to go with Elation products in particular because the church needed a product that was cutting edge but wouldn't break the bank and Elation delivers every time."
Destiny Christian Church is an active parish with a number of ministries, classes and outreach, and has over 3,000 worshipers in attendance each weekend. "The church has had a number of ongoing needs as it pertains to lighting and production," says Rick, who is also lighting director at the church and served as main lighting designer for the various indoor and outdoor areas, while son Caleb Franke handled lead design for the Youth Centre.
"The first project was an installation of Elation Design Wash 575 and Design Spot 575 fixtures in the 1400-seat main Worship Centre eight years ago and the church has made consistent upgrades and purchases of Elation, Acclaim and ADJ equipment ever since, all of which continues to be used today." Before the Elation product started going in, Destiny had a dimmer-heavy incandescent system with lots of PARcans and other conventionals. They sought to change their style of worship and their approach to the worship experience and they felt that lighting was a big part in that.
That original install in the Worship Centre was eventually supplemented with Elation Design Spot 300, Power Spot 700, Rayzor Q12, ELAR 216 Panels, Opti QA Par, Opti Tri 30 fixtures and 20mm pixel pitch EVLED 1024 LED video panels for scenic design and backdrop. The real story in the Worship Center is the durability of the gear over many years of use, says Rick, who states that the lights have exceeded all expectations.
Rick also says that church pastor Greg Farrington is a big believer in Elation products. "I can remember selling that first group of fixtures eight years ago and explaining why I would choose Elation," he said. "I can tell you with all certainty that Elation is standing the test of time in this venue. Though the fixtures in the main Worship Center are getting older, they are certainly going the distance. Some of the movers have more than 8000 hours on them with very basic maintenance and some fixtures we planned to retire a couple of years ago are still in service today."
Last year, Destiny wanted to make a real statement for their 25th Anniversary with a high impact technology install and added a 4mm pixel pitch Elation EZ4 LED video display in the main Worship Center, as well as a 6mm EZ6 LED video display in the lobby.
(Jim Evans)
