Panama. The Hosanna Apostolic Community (CAH) is a large evangelical Christian church in Panama City, which is unique for several reasons. With Sunday services attracting more than 12,000 professionals and operating its own television division, CAH has grown to become one of the most influential mega-churches in Central America.
The design and integrated systems company Michael Garrison Associates (MGA) of Fresno, California, was called upon to create a global conceptual design for the renewal of the Hosanna Apostolic Community and chose for lighting and video Elation products to realize the project.
MGA owner Michael Garrison explained that the church's television division, Hosanna Vision, was looking for a company to help CAH improve TV lighting in its 5,000-seat main auditorium, but the project soon grew to encompass more.
"We learned that the room was very old-fashioned and needed much more than an update of the lighting system for the TV. This led to further discussions with the church and the CAH has ultimately selected a comprehensive design for the renovation of the premises. This included the demolition of the existing stage area and the construction of a whole new stage and multi-level, along with the design and integration of all new audio, video and lighting systems."
Elation LED Lighting System
Extensive audiovisual renovation is uncommon in Panama and the CAH is one of the first facilities of its kind in the country with this level of integration. Randy Garabedian, AVL Senior Consultant at MGA, designed and installed the new lighting system, which consists of Colour Pendant LED, Opti Tri White, SixPar Series LED, and Platinum Spot III LED.
"The initial Elation fixtures were the ones we chose to carry out the task of uniform lighting the platform area for a general 'wash' and replace the fluorescent lamps," Garabedian explained. "After a meeting with the pastor and staff, we discussed the possibilities of adding some accessories to provide color and movement, which was part of a grander upgrade that would also include the new LED walls and audio system upgrade."
The lighting system was only part of the visual update. The pre-existing video display system was a combination of very tired LCD projectors and front projection screens, with a center-mounted LED display, and needed a serious revamp. "They were all inadequately sized and located," Michael Garrison said.
The new video system features four LED screens composed of EZ6 led video display panels and has changed the ambiance of the room completely. It consists of three top EZ6 displays used for IMAG, each display 11 panels wide by 6 panels tall (3.5m 6.3mx, 1056 x 576 pixels), as well as a lower backdrop display that is 16 panels wide by 6 wide (3.5m 9.2mx panels, 1536 x 576 pixels). A total of 312 EZ6 panels are used in the installation.
Yani Gonzalez of Hosanna Vision explains the reasons for the decision to work with MGA and Elation. "About two years before we met MGA, we bought an LED video display directly from a manufacturer in China. We were told that this would save us a lot of money and that the manufacturer would provide us with the support services we needed. This turned out to be a bad choice for us as it took us months of time and effort with our engineers to have the display operational."
He added that "when we met MGA and learned that they were not only going to install audio, video and lighting – including LED displays – but would also provide on-site warranty support services, they were more than willing to give that responsibility to them. MGA and Elation Professional did a great job in designing and installing this system, and have also provided excellent training and support. MGA's prices were very competitive, especially considering the very valuable services and peace of mind we have received."
