Calvary Bible Church — Lodi, CA A Vision Becomes Reality  Decisions, Decisions
Building a new church from the ground up often feels like a never-ending exercise in decision making. Too many choices. Too little time. And always, too few dollars. So it’s welcome indeed when some of those choices come easier than others. That was the case for the congregation of Calvary Bible Church. They had the advantage of starting with a single vision—and a very clear one, at that. The new church was to be built on property with a sweeping vista of the Mokelumne River in Lodi, California. Incorporating this stunning view into their worship celebration was a goal everyone could agree on. The answer? One wall of the church would be built entirely of glass. It was easy decision to make, and, aesthetically and spiritually, an inspired one. But from a practical point of view, it carried serious consequences. Namely, how to deal with the impact a glass wall would have on the building’s acoustics, sound and video systems.  The Clear Choice
Church leaders knew they were asking for the best of both worlds—a soul-stirring view and worship technology systems that could accommodate the harsh sound reflections and ambient light a glass wall would impart. The church needed a design-build expert who could make it happen. “It would take an accomplished company to address the two apparently conflicting demands,” recalls Worship Pastor Chris Seibert. With so much riding on the outcome, Calvary Bible found a clear choice—CCI Solutions. Says Seibert, “Going into our building project, we knew the results of the technical systems in our sanctuary would be the most public thing people see about us. Everyone would have an opinion about it. We made a decision to do it right the first time and ended up contracting with CCI Solutions.” Seibert was impressed with CCI Solutions’ execution on world-class projects like Safeco Field and Key Arena. But, he says, “I was even more impressed that they knew churches and church situations. Because CCI Solutions is made up of church people, I knew they understood our situation. CCI has done so many design-build church projects and are spoken of so highly from other pastors and church leaders, I knew they could provide what we needed.” A Comprehensive Approach to Complex Projects
The complexities that accompany a major construction project require significant experience and technical expertise. “Any church going into a building project has an array of heavy considerations,” observes Seibert. “You need a company who has already been down this road to walk through it with you. CCI Solutions is that kind of company.”  Because so many of the technical systems in the new church needed to be integrated, church leaders realized that a comprehensive approach was the only way to go. “We wanted the same company to do the audio and the video systems,” notes Seibert.“Dividing up these immense responsibilities among various companies was a problem we were advised to avoid. There is too much coordination and communication that needs to happen between firms to properly address all the issues for a project of this magnitude.”
CCI Solutions drove all aspects of the design, fabrication and installation of not just Calvary Bible’s sound and video systems, but acoustics as well. “There was great value in having one company to call and take ownership for the project,” Seibert says. “In the case of CCI Solutions, we had one person responsible for the entire project who coordinated with all the other CCI Solutions employees on our behalf. CCI Solutions did that? and then some.” Because Church Happens Every Seven Days — With Amazing Regularity
 No matter how complex a building project might be or however long it takes, worship services and church events occur with amazing regularity, week in and week out. For CCI Solutions, that means making a commitment to do whatever it takes to allow church staffs to focus on the next service. That commitment was borne out the time the church lost its electrical contractor during the project. “A critical conduit remained incomplete and therefore was cemented over,” remembers Seibert. “It got in the way of CCI Solutions doing their job. However, the CCI Solutions Installation Team thought past the problem and executed an alternative solution. They worked through the night getting the proper conduit through.” In another instance, the CCI Solutions Project Manager happened to be in the Lodi, California area on vacation, and came by the church to help the staff resolve an issue. The church lost a power module on a Wednesday night. “By Friday, a new module was here, installed and we were ready to go,” says Seibert. “The fact that CCI Solutions was in Washington and we’re in California didn’t matter. They solved it.” Chris Seibert has a final piece of advice for those who are hesitant about allocating funding for quality technical systems. “If the technical aspect of your worship is a constant source of irritation for people, then whatever you spent was too much. We didn’t want to look back on this project and have $250,000 worth of regrets—that’s why we contracted with CCI Solutions.” What vision do you have for your church? Let CCI Solutions help you achieve it. Contact: CCI Solutions at (800) 224-7978 or e-mail systems@ccisolutions.com.
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 If I call some other place that isn't familiar with how churches operate, then I don't get solutions customized for my situation like I do at CCI!  |  Kelly Olp
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