Saturday Mornings Are My Busy Time

Our Saturday morning goal is the get to the Sabbath Streams Ministries church building as soon after 10am as possible to prepare for the 10:30 Worship and Word Service.  Elizabeth has her preparations and I have mine.   For me, it begins with setting up the laptop and plugging in and powering on all the peripherals that are used for live streaming and sound.  We have two cameras, an amplified mixer, and a projector.

Once the laptop is going, I open up the OBS Studio software and make sure that all the inputs are working properly: Both cameras, the audio from the mixer, the day's service title slide and opening video clip.  Then I fire up the OpenLP software through which I will project song lyrics onto the screen in the church and also on the live stream video and make sure that OBS is receiving the signal from OpenLP.

If we have any new songs that will be sung this morning, I have to download the lyrics from SongSelect and import the song into the playlist in OpenLP.  After everything is functioning properly, I then open FaceBook in a browser window on the laptop and prepare to "Go Live."  This involves going to the ministry's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SabbathStreams) and setting up the livestream, putting in the title and description, and then running a test in OBS to make sure that our stream key is working and the optimum streaming settings are properly set.

If we have any new songs that will be sung this morning, I have to download the lyrics from SongSelect and import the song into the playlist in OpenLP.  After everything is functioning properly, I then open FaceBook in a browser window on the laptop and prepare to "Go Live."  This involves going to the ministry's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SabbathStreams) and setting up the livestream, putting in the title and description, and then running a test in OBS to make sure that our stream key is working and the optimum streaming settings are properly set.

If we have any new songs that will be sung this morning, I have to download the lyrics from SongSelect and import the song into the playlist in OpenLP.  After everything is functioning properly, I then open FaceBook in a browser window on the laptop and prepare to "Go Live."  This involves going to the ministry's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SabbathStreams) and setting up the livestream, putting in the title and description, and then running a test in OBS to make sure that our stream key is working and the optimum streaming settings are properly set.

Around 10:15 I start the livestream; the service won't start until10:30 (or as soon thereafter as everyone and everything is ready to go), but it's good to let our Facebook followers know that we are getting things ready.  Once that's running, I go to the ministry's YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/SabbathStreams) and prepare to go live there as well, but I won't start this stream until we actually begin the service.

Finally, it is time. Now I become very busy.  First, I fade out the service title in OBS to black, start the YouTube stream and click the Begin Recording button, then quickly transition in the 30 second opening video scene which has the service title and a welcome voice-over.  As that fades out, I transition to Camera 1 and point at Elizabeth to let her know she's "on the air" then go into the OpenLP window to type in the title of the first song (I usually don't know what songs she is going to do until she starts them (nor does she, quite often), although on our special services she usually builds a songlist. 

I click the button to make the lyrics live, make sure they are being projected, then go back into OBS to make sure they are showing up there, then it's back to OpenLP to click the next verse when it begins, then back to OBS to change to Camera 1 Wide Angle to get a shot of the dancing, flagging, or whatever worship is taking place in the front of the sanctuary.  Then I go back to OpenLP and just click the verses as they change.

I'll pop over to the Facebook page and put on the headphones to make sure that both the video and audio are coming through on the livestream, then back to OpenLP.  Then back to OBS to change camera views, and I spend the rest of the Worship part of the service repeating these steps with each song. clicking the blankout button between songs to stop the lyrics from displaying. Oh, I'll also blow the shofar when a song indicates it.

After a few songs, it's time for the Sh'ma.  I make sure that Camera 1 is live, Elizabeth gives the blessing for the sounding of the shofar, I blow, then I immediately get back to the laptop to display the words to the Shema blessing.  "Hear O Israel..."

Following the Shema, I blow a closing shofar blast then immediately change the display in OpenLP to the words to the women's blessing for the lighting of the candles.    After that, it's the blankout button again until it's time for the Disciples' Prayer (aka The Lord's Prayer) - again I display the words.   

After Elizabeth's introductory opening, sometimes she'll play another song or sometimes we go right into reading scripture.  Camera 2 close up of the scripture readers as they come up to the podium and read,  I display the scripture verses that are to be read so that those watching know what is being read (not the words, just the book name, chapter and verse numbers).

Following the readings, Elizabeth plays another worship song so I'm back to Camera 1 (each camera has normal, wide angle and close up feeds to OBS) and back to OpenLP to display the lyrics.

Finally we get to Elizabeth's message.  Now I can relax and pay attention.  All I do during her message is occasionally move the mouse to keep the laptop from going to sleep or change camera angles, and occasionally check Facebook and YouTube for comments and to make sure all is functioning properly.   As she gets close to the end of her message, I make sure we are back at Camera 1 and I have the closing credits cued up in OBS.

At the final Amen I transition OBS to the closing credits and then watch until they have finished scrolling and the audio stops.  Now I stop recording and then stop both Facebook and YouTube live feeds.  I have to take an extra step with YouTube and go there to stop the livestream.

After that, it's a matter of shutting everything down and putting the laptop away.

Then, after lunch and after we get home, I log into the Sabbath Streams Ministries website (www.sabbathstreams.org) and YouTube to copy the livestream's URL and embed the video on our Most Recently Recorded Video page on our website.   If for some reason it is necessary to edit the video, that's an all-afternoon process using Cyberlink PowerDirector 16 and then uploading the edited video to YouTube.  Sometimes that's not done processing until the early morning hours on Sunday, but I go to bed as soon as the upload has begun.

Naturally, I prefer it when the live video has gone well and there's no need to edit.  Now it's time for a Saturday afternoon nap, so I'll see you all later.