I’ve already written about some of the improvements we’ve been making in our fellowship hall. A fresh coat of paint and reduced clutter have been very welcome changes here at St. Stephen Lutheran.

These changes to our fellowship hall also are steps forward to completing objectives agreed upon in our congregational Plan of Ministry. One of our objectives states, “Work to move Bible study to a more conducive place.” Part of this work was to begin holding Bible class in the fellowship hall instead of the church. Having tables, chairs, and the ability to see and hear one another as we talk allows greater flexibility in Bible class.

The next step was to reduce the clutter and improve the walls. We did this with our painting project. Less clutter makes the environment more comfortable and relaxing for adults.

Finally, we recently completed a project to bring better multimedia tools to the fellowship hall as well. Four, new in-ceiling speakers have been installed to provide richer, clearer sound. A wall-mounted rack has been installed to house an amplifier, mixer, and other audio equipment. The rack is lockable to prevent tampering, and we mounted it at an appropriate height so that the rack can also be used to store a presentation laptop. The projector has been mounted in the ceiling, and a dedicated projector screen has been installed.

Using this equipment we can show movies, use Keynote presentations, play audio, and amplify voice at the same time. I’ve already taken advantage of these new tools in catechism instruction, and in adult Bible class. Movies, music, and screen presentations have helped to add life and visual learning tools to the classroom. We also get to use these tools for school functions. For example, after today’s graduation service we’ll be showing a video slideshow to all the families in the fellowship hall.

We have a few more details to work out in the room. We’re going re-install the whiteboard soon, and we hope to purchase a wireless, handheld microphone or two. Our microphone now is currently hard-wired into the mixer. Other cosmetic improvements are coming soon, but for now I think we can be happy that one of our Plan of Ministry objectives is now complete. Our Sunday Bible class is now a much better learning environment.