11 October 2009
Very often the ones most fulfilled are the givers. The mystery lies in that no matter how much you give or serve, it always comes back to you. It was therefore refreshing to see that God was at work when Rivers Church hosted their ninth annual Sisters of Africa Women’s Conference (said to be the best to date), titled “She Makes Her World a Better Place”. Held in Sandton from the 17 – 19 September, grandMA and Robe were used at the gathering which was attended by 1 200 women.
“Our purpose is to place value on womanhood,” said Claire Olivier, Marketing Manager at Rivers. “The conference exists to inspire, motivate and equip women to reach their full potential in God. This year the ministry was geared towards helping us to practically and spiritually impact our communities and our world for the better.”
Guest speakers included Michelle McKinney Hammond (Heartwing Ministries, USA), Vera Kasevich (Hillsong Church, Kiev) and Lucinda Dooley (Hillsong Church, Cape Town). The event was hosted by River’s Senior Pastors, Ps Wilma Olivier and Ps Andre Olivier.
“We generally kept to the main colours of the conference, greens and yellows, for speaking sessions and special items and generally stuck to using warm colours,” said Lighting Designer, Devon Fugard-Gous. “We wanted a bright, positive and encouraging atmosphere, while not distracting from allowing the women to feel comfortable and relaxed in the auditorium. We never design our lighting to be noticed; rather to be felt, with the intention of creating a mood that is uplifting.” Only washes of colour and solid beams were used, and for the praise and worship, a spectrum of colours and effects were incorporated.
Devon utilized a grandMA light to control 12 Robe 575 Profile Spots, 4 Robe 1200 Profile Spots and 2 Robe 1200 Colour Washes, 2 Robe LED Crowd Blinders, 20 Anolis fixtures, 2 LeMaitre hazers, and 21 CLS LED Tubes, as well as generics for stage and house.
“We built a steel model of the Africa map, which stood about 1.7m tall, and had 64 white LEDs installed into the model with a locally produced controller which was also run off the MA,” he explained. “We hired six of the 575s from MGG, as well as 4 MAC250s for our Kids Conference, attended by 250 children and which ran simultaneously to the main event, and they (the MACs and not the children!) were controlled by a Zero88 Leap Frog.”
Lighting positioning
Six 575s were rigged on trussing above the centre screen and the 1200 Colour Washes were placed above the corners of the stage to wash the whole stage in colour. The 1200 Spots were rigged above the congregation. The Anolis LEDs were under glass that shines through the stage. Two 575s were placed on the ground in the front corners of the stage, and two others placed centrally on the screen trussing. The remaining two units were on the ground, centre-back stage. This was to allow for cross-beam work and also to shine into the congregation.
We have come along way from a time where the organ and choir was the main focus of worship. “God is a relevant and living God and at Rivers we try to reflect this by keeping up with the times,” said Claire Olivier. “We never want our young people or anyone else to feel that they need to go elsewhere to find a place of relevance, where they can feel accepted and at home – the church needs to reflect the excellent and creative God whom we serve. The focus is never on having the next best thing just for the sake of it, but rather whatever we do is to help people and honour God.”
God isn’t “in” the sound or the lighting or the screens, but by using them together Rivers are able to create an atmosphere in the church so that when people walk through the doors, they don’t feel threatened or out of place, but rather comfortable and at-home in a contemporary setting in a place that they can relate to. 
Lastly a special word of thanks to Rivers for the kind words extended to DWR Distribution. “DWR has only ever given us the best in the service and products they provide. Without the support and input that they’ve provided we really wouldn’t be able to do what we are currently doing as a church in terms of lighting. With what they have taught us, we’ve been able to raise up a team of volunteers who run the lighting over the weekend who are competent in running the GrandMA and designing lights. They are always available and on call, ready to give suggestions and advice and help us whenever needed. DWR is company with which we have a truly valued relationship.” 
Next year’s conference details are as follows:
