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AudioFetch Blog Header - Church Drive In Is Here to Stay

Drive-In Church is Here to Stay

By | Churches | No Comments

As many regions are relaxing stay-at-home guidelines, and businesses and organizations around the world are beginning to reopen, people are eager to resume their pre-quarantine activities. Yet, coronavirus cases are on the rise again, and many groups are wary of jumping in too quickly, putting the community at greater risk and extending the pandemic. 

We talk with numerous businesses and organizations around the world each day, and have found varying levels of confidence in reopening. But there’s one group that, across the board, we’ve found is more skeptical of going back to “normal”–houses of worship. There are several reasons for their apprehension.

No One Knows When It WIll Be Safe

While the CDC has provided specific considerations for faith-based organizations, they’re not crystal clear guidelines. These instructions are left to the discretion of local and state authorities, and quite frankly, it’s all over the place and frequently changing. 

Our only hope for certainty of safety is a vaccine. And while early trials have been positive, there’s no real fixed timeline. And again, reports are all over the place and frequently changing. 

With so many mixed reports and uncertainty, and with the health and safety of their community on the line, houses of worship are playing it safe and continuing to host drive-in services.

Safety and Community are Imperative 

A primary goal of any house of worship is to create a warm and caring fellowship for members. 

That’s where coming together, supporting each other and ensuring the health and safety of all members is so important. No church wants to be in the position that Lighthouse Pentecostal Church in Union County, Oregon found themselves in last month–responsible for 236 coronavirus cases, the state’s largest outbreak.  

Playing it safe and taking the right precautions to protect members is the right thing to do until we have a better handle on this pandemic. 

Even if a church decides to hold services indoors, there are still some members that should not be exposing themselves to such risks. Seniors, people with pre-existing medical conditions, immunosuppressed–these church members can feel left out or even shunned if they’re unable to attend services with their family and peers. For these individuals, offering an outdoor option along with indoor services can provide safer and more inclusive environments that are necessary in our current state. 

This tool allows you to calculate your risk of contracting coronavirus based on age and various medical conditions. And the results are alarming. Sure, a person under 40 with no medical conditions is at very low risk–less than 1% age-specific fatality and comorbidity rate. But start upping that age range, and tacking on pre-existing conditions, and the rates begin to soar. 

For all of these reasons, we believe that drive-in church services are here to stay for the foreseeable future. And why not?  Providing outdoor drive in services exclusively or concurrent with indoor services just makes sense to protect the most vulnerable of the flock.

If you are interested in hosting drive-in services at your house of worship, our drive-in audio technology can help you create a safer, more inclusive environment. Order our FM transmitter or contact us to discuss your options. 

AudioFetch Blog Header - Parking Lot Church Services

How to Broadcast Your Church Service to Cars in Parking Lots

By | Churches, AudioFetch News | No Comments

Churches and houses of worship are making changes to how they deliver messages to congregations while practicing social distancing. Some churches are turning to online tools, virtual hangouts, and social media to spread the good word. 

Other churches, however, have found an ingenious solution for still bringing their communities together in a single location, while maintaining a safe physical distance. The solution: They’re hosting parking lot services! 

We’ve worked with thousands of churches since the start of this global pandemic to help them create parking lost services. And we want to help others bring this same “drive-in” style sermon to their members.

We are able to offer drive-in audio streaming through our products in two ways:

Using AudioFetch Express and FM Transmitter for Church Parking Lot Services

Option 1: Using an AudioFetch Solution to Broadcast to Smartphones

Our AudioFetch drive-in audio solutions allow you to broadcast audio to smartphones or tablets. Listeners simply download and open the AudioFetch App from the app store, and then they can listen in real-time via their smartphone or any Bluetooth speaker. Paired with a wireless router, our AudioFetch can support up to 250 listeners.

Here’s how the AudioFetch works:

  • Up to 250 listeners at one time
  • Have your members park in the parking lot and remain in their vehicles.
  • Send the audio over the WiFi from the router.
  • Plug the AudioFetch Express into your audio output.
  • The AudioFetch will broadcast your service to each member who has a smartphone or tablet.
  • The app is free on Google Play and iTunes.
  • They can now hear your message while keeping the proper distance.
  • BONUS: it can be used for hearing assistance and/or translation once service resumes indoors.
Listening to Church Services in Car with AudioFetch Express

Option 2: Using an FM Transmitter to Broadcast to the Radio

With the FM Transmitter offered by our partner company Broadcastvision Entertainment, churches can broadcast a message to people listening to the radio while sitting in their cars. 

Here’s how the FM Transmitter works:

  • Broadcast your service 300+ feet in all directions. Unlimited users.
  • Have your members park in the parking lot and remain in their vehicles.
  • Select an FM frequency that is currently not in use.
  • Plug the FM Transmitter into your audio output.
  • The FM Transmitter will broadcast the sermon to each members’ car radio.
  • Your members only need to tune into the FM station you selected.
  • They can now hear your message while keeping the proper distance.
  • Place a sandwich board or other signage throughout the parking lot to direct listeners to the right station. 

For further instruction on how to use the FM Transmitter, click the button below to download the manual.

Listening to Church Sermon with Car Radio

These parking lot services popped up in communities across the globe. In Odessa, Texas, Connection Community Church took their service to their parking lot. In Dora, Alabama, one church held services in the parking lot of a local restaurant. In Vancouver, Washington, parishioners sat in their cars to hear a “drive-in” style service.  

Need help installing AudioFetch for your church drive-in services? Check out our short instructional video.

Would you like to provide instructions to your members or guests on how to download and use the AudioFetch app? We have a short video for that too! Check it out here.

We appreciate your business and hope our technology can continue to assist in delivering your message and bringing communities together in a safe way.