Sunset Presbyterian Church was founded in the Portland, Oregon suburb of Beaverton in 1952. Since those early modest days, the church has now grown and has regular Sunday attendance over 1,000. The 120,000 square foot building not only serves the congregation, but the larger community as the building hosts conferences and concerts and is one of the largest presentation facilities in the Portland metro area. Organizations like Global Leadership Summit, Mission ConneXion, and Warner Pacific College Adult Degree Programs all use the building for various events. Over the past few years, the Sunset has installed a number of Planar® PS Series and Planar® EP Series Large Format LCD displays and Planar® PT Series Touch Screen Monitors.
Building signage builds awareness
The Planar PS and EP large flat panel displays are mounted throughout the property. They are used for announcements about upcoming events and news the members and visitors see when they are in the building. The content is served through Apple AirPlay and AppleTV devices throughout. "Over 1500 people pass the signs on a weekly basis and it has become a great way to share information that otherwise would have been missed. In the past few years, they have used the monitors to help launch a mobile app, to announce upcoming teen events or mission trips, and to share ministry opportunities.
Additionally, some monitors are dedicated solely to displaying the daily calendar of church activities, which means members, guests, and those who rent the facility can quickly and easily see where their Bible Study, class or event is meeting and what time it begins. These schedules from directly from the Planning Center management system, which is used to schedule the building and organize volunteers.
The fact that the displays have no visible logo on them, means that nothing competes with what the staff and ministry leaders are trying to communicate or the architecture of the building, which was designed by Ankron Moissan. The displays look very clean and professional wherever they are mounted with a slim mounting depth and a sleek design.
The church has received great feedback from members, visitors, and staff on the signage in the building. It helps keep people informed and involved. Sunset is actively planning to add more Planar displays to classrooms and conference rooms to expand their ability to use video for teaching, collaborating and planning.
Personalized technology builds community
The Planar PT Series touch screen monitors are used primarily for member check-in using the Fellowship One data management system. This church management software platform that helps the church administration manage the details of church life. The touch screen monitors connect to a label printer that delivers personalized name tags. Name tags helps the large church feel more personal and helps build relationships. By monitoring attendance for services and classes, the staff can reach out with pastoral care when people stop attending. In addition, they can better coordinate volunteers and track trends. Special colored nametags identify children's ministry volunteers, enhancing security, which is critical in the modern world for the more than 200 children and dozens of volunteers who are involved in children's programs each week.
Video displays make ministry visible
"We strive to be good stewards of the resources we have as a church, while providing a great experience for our members and visitors," said Mike Matousek, Lead Pastor of Administration. "The displays are not only professional and high-quality, but quite affordable. We have deployed them all over the campus and they are a visible way we are using technology to strengthen the four values of our church: connect, experience, serve, and mentor."
At Sunset, members expect to have modern technology and communications at church, just like they have in their personal lives. The church serves a population in a technology-rich corridor of the country, so many of their members are engineers, scientists, and otherwise technologically savvy. This just raises the bar.
Working with Planar
When asked about their experience, the staff mentioned how they appreciate the overall quality and the responsiveness and commitment to service that Planar has provided. "They have been ready to assist us with questions. Some of our staff and volunteers have even attended trainings at Planar to better understand how to design and implement video wall technologies." Some are installed in bright atrium areas with sunlight streaming through windows, like in the children's wing where over 200 children are involved in education programs every Sunday morning. These displays have performed well despite the challenging conditions. Display technology from Planar is a form of communication and helps Sunset Presbyterian church foster community.
