PraiseAV wasn’t born in a software company’s boardroom. It started with a simple idea: churches shouldn’t have to spend
a fortune on software just to put song lyrics, Bible passages and other content on a screen.
Having been involved in church life and audio-visual technology, I know how much work goes on behind the scenes every
Sunday. Much of it is done by volunteers, often giving up their own time to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Good presentation software should make their lives easier, not add another complication or another bill to the church
budget.
That’s why I started developing PraiseAV.
I grew up with the DIY mentality that runs through punk and alternative music. The idea that you don’t need to wait for
somebody else to make something happen. If you’ve got the skills, the tools and the determination, you get stuck in and
give it a go.
I’m developing PraiseAV independently, not as a commercial venture, but because that DIY spirit has always been part of
who I am. If I can build something that helps other churches, takes a bit of pressure off their AV teams and makes life
easier for the volunteers working behind the scenes, then that’s a job worth doing.
The connection to Waken The Dead
If you’ve come across my other project, Waken The Dead, you might be
wondering what Christian punk, metal and alternative music have to do with church presentation software.
On the surface, not very much!
Waken The Dead began back in 2000 as a photocopied music zine, driven by my love of alternative music and my Christian
faith. It eventually grew into a website dedicated to discovering and sharing Christian music that didn’t always fit
into the mainstream.
It was DIY from the beginning. No big company behind it, just a passion for the music, the message and a willingness to
put the work in.
PraiseAV comes from exactly that same mentality.
They’re different projects, but they’re both rooted in my Christian faith, a love of creating things and a belief that
what we make should have a purpose beyond ourselves.
Waken The Dead is about helping people discover music and connecting with a community. PraiseAV is about giving churches
the tools to share music, Scripture and the Gospel without unnecessary expense or complication.
And while Waken The Dead has its roots firmly in the alternative Christian scene, PraiseAV is for everyone. Traditional
churches, contemporary churches, small fellowships and larger congregations.
More than just software
I’m not expecting PraiseAV to change the world.
But if it helps a small church working with a tight budget, makes preparing a service a little easier, or means the
person running the projector can spend less time fighting with software and more time being part of the service, I’ll
consider that a success.
Ultimately, the technology isn’t the important part.
It’s the people, the worship and the message that matter.
PraiseAV is simply something I can contribute, built with the same DIY spirit that’s been with me all these years.
