Day Forty Two through Forty Four -- Sharathon 2008

Tuesday through Thursday of last week, we held our first major, local Sharathon for the purpose of raising funds to complete the construction of our new studio addition. The total cost of the building is slightly over $700,000. We had raised almost $40,000 prior to the Sharathon, and God helped us to raise $25,000 additional during the three day event. We obviously still have a long way to go, but the words of support and encouragement we received from those who became partners with us provided a great boost to our faith.

During the Sharathon we raised up the vision for more relevant local Christian programming which the studio will make possible. It will also provide another means of generating revenue by allowing us to produce commercials and programs for outside businesses and ministries. Finally, and also of great importance, is to provide a facility for Global Vision Video Institute. We feel called to provide training in video production to the next generation of communicators of the Gospel. This facility, when fully equipped, will provide state-of-the-art equipment to serve as a laboratory in which to study the art and practice of visual communication.

Doing three nights of studio production without a completed studio proved to be a bit of a challenge, but one that our ministry family tackled with great enthusiasm. The studio space was under roof with metal studs in place but no drywall installed. We had the electricians provide some temporary power and we hung five studio light fixtures directly from the roof trusses. Our three portable cameras were set up on tripods and we were ready for three nights of adventure.

Pastor John Antonucci from Faith Fellowship was one of several local pastors who ministered to our viewers and encouraged their participation by prayer and financial support.

Our makeshift control room, manned by director Rick Moreno, was powered by a remarkable device known as a Tri-Caster. It is the small square box with cables connected to it sitting on top of the speaker. It weighs five pounds and contains all the functions that a room full of equipment costing hundreds of thousands of dollars would have provided just a few years ago. One of Rick's favorite sayings, "Teamwork makes the dream work!" was very evident as all of our staff united to make this effort a success. Since the Sharathon, a lot of construction activity has resumed, and our next blog post will show you what is taking place now.

Day Forty One -- Stucco

Today, we're seeing activity both inside and outside of the studio building. Inside, electricians are installing outlets in the roof trusses to facilitate some light fixtures for our Sharathon which begins tomorrow night. Outside, workers are applying stucco to the exterior walls, covering up the exposed concrete blocks.

Day Forty -- The Walls Go Up

I was out of town Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at a national broadcasting convention so our reporting got a little behind. Since our last report, more work has been done on the roof, the air conditioning situation has been resolved, and framing has begun on the interior walls. This view is from the storage area, looking through the studio toward the framing of the walls for the control room. We will be originating our Sharathon next week (Tuesday through Thursday, April 22 through 24, 6-11:30 pm) from the shell of our new studio to show our progress and highlight the work that remains.

Day Thirty Three -- Under Roof (pretty much)

Last Friday, the steelworkers finished about dusk. During the day they had assembled the Erector Set consisting of support posts, roof trusses, and the metal decking which will support the actual roofing material. The finishing of the roof is awaiting a final decision on air conditioning for the studio. There is some ongoing discussion as to whether two or three units will be required to cool the studio space. The units will be mounted on the roof, and piers and openings will have to be made to allow the cooled air to reach the studio. Their locations will be dependent on the final decision of two or three units, so the finishing of the roof is currently on hold.

Our constructed superintendent has told us that this should not hold up the beginning of framing of the interior walls. The two interior studio walls will be concrete block, and the office and control room walls will be conventional studs and drywall.

This morning is quiet on site, while the air conditioning discussions continue off site. We'll continue our report when the activity resumes.

Day Thirty -- Back in Action

It's been a long, relatively quiet period since we last posted. During that time, the tie-beams atop the exterior block walls were poured, and a new, required septic system was installed behind the building. Other than that, there was little visible progress.

That all changed this morning with the delivery and erection of the structural steel which will support the roof. As of 3:00 pm today, that process was virtually complete. The next step will be the roof decking and actual roofing material. That should happen early next week, and, after the addition of the exterior windows and doors, the building interior will be protected from the elements paving the way for work on the interior walls.