Members of the Oasis Media Team

This post is an introduction to the people who will be the principle participants in the events detailed in this blog.  These people are also known as the Mt. Hope Oasis Media Team.  Without further ado, let's get to the introductions:

Ben Beckett

That would be yours truly, the author of this blog and the head of the Media Team.  I also am a part of the rotation on the sound board during Oasis.

Jessica Beckett

As you can guess by the name, this is my wife.  She is in the rotation on the computer projection during the service.  At the time of this post--June 25, 2012--she is due to give birth to our first child in a week, so her mentions in the blog may be a little more infrequent than others in the near future.

Mark Worden

Mark is a part of the rotation on the sound board and the computer.  Great thinker and idea man to help move us forward in our efforts.

Deb Worden

Deb is Mark's wife and a part of the rotation on the computer during Oasis.  She also runs the computer projection in the traditional service at Mt. Hope.  She is very experienced with Easy Worship, the program we use for computer projection, and is able to troubleshoot many of the small issues we come up against from time to time during the service.

OOPS! We'll have to catch Ed in action next Sunday!

Ed Bryant

Ed is a part of the rotation on the sound board.  He is also the sound man for the traditional service.  He is very knowledgeable about audio and is able to help with minor tweaks to improve the whole audio presentation.

Matt Kreh

Matt is the worship leader at Oasis.  While not technically a member of the Media Team, he is a valuable asset to our work by being present to answer any questions we might have, give us ideas he has about improvements to the media presentation, and helping work with us to establish the overall vision we have for the future of media in Oasis.


Each person seen here is an integral part of our Media Team and is instrumental in developing any improvements and upgrades we make to the media presentation at Oasis.

The Man and His Mission

An idea has been swirling around in my head for a few years now, but until recently I hadn't breathed any life into it.  My passion for audio media began as a 12-year-old in my mom's church, followed me into college where I graduated with a Bachelor's in Recording Industry Studies, and has stayed with me as Media Team Coordinator for the Oasis service at Mount Hope United Methodist Church.  I've toyed with the idea of taking my knowledge and enthusiasm for audio media and turning it into a living and ministry, and am finally taking that big step in said direction.

Since its inception, my idea of audio consulting has evolved into the broader spectrum of media consulting to include visual projection and training for both aspects of media. I revised my vision because I realized that although The Church has done an effective job of teaching auditory learners through sermons, those who are visual learners have been somewhat left behind, and I would like to help churches reach out to those who need visual stimulation in order to learn. My vision--as it relates to media consultation and training--is to help grow the Kingdom of God and nurture the making of Christ-following Disciples through 21st century media technology.

I would like to be a resource to churches by helping them to determine how they can best utilize their media resources for the benefit of their congregation. I would go about this by offering a cost-effective service to help them choose new layouts for their media systems, new equipment, with the installation of new equipment if purchased, and with training of new or existing equipment.  The goal with media purchases would be to assist churches in making prudent choices that fit their needs within their budgets. Churches deserve to have a positive experience and to know that they got the most for their investment, not end up with equipment that will become useless excess or is priced out of their budgetary means. My intent with training services is to be able to leave a group of well-trained, enthusiastic individuals who can run the media system for the worship services and other functions in the sanctuary or wherever worship takes place. Those who volunteer--and those lucky few who are paid--to work the audio and visual equipment are vital to their congregation's services and in supporting their pastor and worship leader.  These dedicated individuals deserve to be equipped with current knowledge on their systems and confidence in running them. 

This blog will also function as another extension of this idea--the sharing of progress in upgrading the media presence and its use in the Oasis service here at Mount Hope United Methodist Church in Lansing, Michigan. First postings will be related to where we were when I started as part of Media Team in 2010 to where we are now in 2012.  Later on as we come face-to-face with media challenges, I will use this blog as an open forum to discuss them. An example would be if we have an issue with our computer projection program, then I will explain the issue, our strategy process, the solution, and its results to educate other media teams on how they can employ similar solutions should they come across a relative issue. I'll also be throwing out ideas of possible changes we may make in the future to better serve our congregation and its growing needs. Hopefully the work we do at Mt. Hope UMC will be a positive and helpful example to other churches concerning how media can be used to enhance the worship service and outreach within their respective communities.

I hope this blog will be a benefit to churches all over, including yours.  Thank you for reading and joining me on this journey.  It should be an enjoyable trip.