Having congregated in the Barnyard Theatre in Rivonia, and filing the venue to its maximum capacity, the CRC Church took a massive undertaking, a ten-month project, to build a brand new 6,000-seater church in Fourways with the aim to make a difference to the lives of people living in Johannesburg and ultimately South Africa.
DWR Distribution was proud to supply and install lighting, audio and audiovisual equipment for the church which opened earlier this year, ranging from a grandMA3 compact console, 64 Robelighting fixtures, an Absen DWP3.9mm screen, Prolyte trussing, L-Acoustics Kara System and a DiGiCo SD12.
The CRC Church led by Pastor At Boshoff, already has two branches in Bloemfontein, a massive auditorium in Pretoria and 90 satellite meeting points where services are broadcast each week.
“Pastor At is a focused man,” said Robert Izzett of DWR, who headed the install. “He is very straight, honest and doesn’t mince his words.”
While the CRC buildings are similar to each other, they are not exactly the same. Having supplied the previous locations, DWR could come up with a solution to meet the technical needs of the Fourways branch. While the church will ultimately seat 6,000 people, the system has been set out in phases and a basic infrastructure has been put in place for future growth.
DWR and the Install Crew, who assisted with the installation, were part of the project from the onset.
The first striking feature when entering the auditorium is the wedge shape and steeply raked seats leading down to the main stage, where the focus is a large high-resolution screen comprising of 336 panels of Absen DWR P3.9mm.
Complimenting the curves of the room, half circle H40 Prolyte Truss is positioned above the audience and close to the stage, with additional B100RV and S52SV ground truss supporting the Absen screen. “The B100 truss allows for four tons of loading which helps provide loading capacity in the roof for lighting and audio,” Robert explained. Ten Prolyft Aetos 1,000kg motors provide safe lifting of equipment.”
The stage wash is provided by 24 Robin Tarrantulas, a multi-purpose and powerful LED beam/wash/effects fixture, 24 Robin ParFect 150, a static LED source ACL beam and 36 F1 high power RGB Par Black, while 12 Robin Pointes and four Robin CycFX8 create additional beams and sweeping movement effects.
The lighting system is run on a grandMA3 compact console, which offers volunteers using the desk the full system benefits of the grandMA3 system, housed in a compact and lightweight format. The console also features a huge multi-touch monitor, five dual encoders and a complete command section almost identical to the larger models.
The new audio at CRC sees a SD12 at front of house, SD9 at monitors and a SD9 for broadcast, complete with SD-Rack. An L-Acoustics Kara System delivers the flexibility required for the sound design. The Kara is ideal for enhanced speech and vocal programs. DWR was responsible for the full technical supply, including power distribution, but excluding the house lighting and cameras.
“The end result was awesome with CRC Johannesburg instantly recognizable as a ‘CRC Church’ but filled with new technology,” Robert concluded. “Our thanks extend to Pastor At and the CRC team for trusting DWR to pull off this amazing project.”
