What I saw in church this week..............

[fishinnut]

Old auditorium supposedly seated 7,000.  Jack said he took the choir around on a couple different occasions, and had them actually sit in the seats.  Now I'm not sure if he counted Joe Hackett or Steve Huckins as 1 or 2, so there could be some debate on this number even if it actually did happen.

I think you're confusing the new and old auditoriums. The new one is suppose to sit 7,000 people bottom and top.

FBC built the 1964 auditorium to seat 2,000.  It doubled in 1974-74, so you'd think that it would seat 4,000, but we were told it was 5,000.  Then FBC added the mezzanine, TV sections above the hallways and the balcony extensions on the sides----so 6,000 could be a little realistic with families of adults and small children.

The 1964 bldg was very intimate and only measured 100'x100' with a very large choir loft and the large cross in the baptistery.  This is the auditorium where my parents were married and Bro Hyles baptized me----great memories!

There you go.....

 

[Uncle Harvey]

Prophet needs to get in here and verify the seating capacity--I know he'd remember Jack's stories about it!

 

[bgwilkinson]

Sunday Morning September 17, 2017. This would be your typical Fall crowd.

BGW, if this crowd were in the old building how full/empty would it be?

I went into a lengthy explanation of the way seating is counted for architectural purposes some time ago but I am unable to find it. Maybe I could get some help in locating it. I really do not want to go through that explanation again. I had citations to the pew company that supplied the seats.

 

[FSSL]

Sunday Morning September 17, 2017. This would be your typical Fall crowd.

BGW, if this crowd were in the old building how full/empty would it be?

I went into a lengthy explanation of the way seating is counted for architectural purposes some time ago but I am unable to find it. Maybe I could get some help in locating it. I really do not want to go through that explanation again. I had citations to the pew company that supplied the seats.

National building standards have increased from 18? width per person to 21? per person for calculating pew capacities.

For Baptists who have potlucks, the new standard is 35? ?

 

[TidesofTruth]

Sunday Morning September 17, 2017. This would be your typical Fall crowd.

BGW, if this crowd were in the old building how full/empty would it be?

I went into a lengthy explanation of the way seating is counted for architectural purposes some time ago but I am unable to find it. Maybe I could get some help in locating it. I really do not want to go through that explanation again. I had citations to the pew company that supplied the seats.

The last two major additions to the old auditorium seating were the east and west balcony extensions which could accommodate six rows of chairs each.

The west balcony extension appeared as a construction project on a Wednesday in the late 80s. The deacons were never told about it and would have voted it down as it caused major visual obstructions to the people sitting in the upper balcony behind it. The worst problem was that it blocked off all airflow on the east and west ends of the building making it nearly unbearable to sit in the under balcony areas. Bro. Hyles not only wanted one on the west side but also all accross the center balcony area. When we had our meeting in the Adams chapel that Saturday we agreed to let him build an identical extension on the west side but not on the center balcony. This was the last time he did anything like that without permission as the deacons were quit steamed about it.

In 2003 and 2004 several headcount attendances were taken by the ushers over several weeks in preparation for planning a new building. At this time all available space was being used. Under balcony seating of 6 rows were full, all TV sections were full and the Adams chapel was usually full as a TV overflow cry room.

There never was a time during Bro. Hyles tenure when the auditorium and overflow areas were as full as they were in 2003 and 2004. None of the multiple head counts found as many as 5,000 persons in the building. Counts were in the 4,700 to 4,800 area. Again the building was never this full during Bro. Hyles tenure.

Inside sources say the highest attendance ever attained at the college was in the late 80s at around 1,800 matriculated. That would be the absolute maximum and would include part time, night school, classes at the church, off campus sites and anyone taking just one class. So that number is a bit squishy I fear as it would include people who did not pay for their class such as students wives. It would be a marketing brag number.

After 2001 I started traveling extensively around the country visiting most of the really big churches in America and much to my horror my own FBCH was quite small in comparison. It was just so much smoke and mirrors without reality. Places I visited covered several city blocks with multiple parking garages and skywalks.  One church in Lakeland Florida had a 10,000 theater seat building built in 1982. It was an octagonal building that measured 400 feet across all sides with a ceiling height of 120 feet. The parking lots could hold 5,000 cars and reminded me of a sports arena.  I was greatly shaken after touring this building.

I have never recovered from the realization that I had been lied to for so many years.
Maybe Bro. Hyles really didn't know what a big church looked like.

Here is an explanation on auditorium seating from a guy that should know. This is the man that sold us the seating system. There is more than one way to rate auditorium seating. Preachers looking to impress people and thus looking for big numbers tend to go with the max possible. Then there are those of us who are most interested in integrity, honesty and truth. Thus we did factual head counts before we built the new building.

By Ron Ogden on March 27, 2011 9:26 PM

Let me try to clear up the confusion about the seat capacity at First Baptist Hammond, and perhaps a few other projects. I am V.P. of sales for Series Seating and worked closely with Pastor Jack Schaap when we provided the custom pew seating there. Anyone who estimates the capacity at FBC Hammond at a specific number between 6350 and 7400 could "count" themselves correct. I will explain. These pews have 6350 self lifting seats that average about 21" in width. But since these are designed without arm dividers, the occcupants have the potential to sit closer, if they choose, and are able.

Here's how we get to the 7400. Architects are required to estimate seat capacity in continuous pews at 18" per person as a standard for figuring parking lot space reqiremnts. With 133,350 lin. inches of pew length at FBC Hammond,the capacity would translate to 7408 at 18". This semi-legitimate 18" standard is the reason many worhsip facilities assume a capacity much higher than the actual head count woud reveal on a filled-to-capacity Easter Sunday, yet it is a legitimate claim, But lets face it....you have to really like each other to set at 18" spacing. American diets say no way. So technically-7400...realistically- 6350 For what it is worth, this type of pew at Hammond, like theater seats, will achieve a capacity that is 20% higher than conventioal pews.

Ron Ogden

 

[bgwilkinson]

Thanks Tides.

 

[WESLEY]

Anybody wanna guess on the seating capacity of this compared to the Big House?

https://www.baptist-city.com/The_Stone.html

Looking at this picture... I think the most the main floor would seat is 2,000 and maybe 1,600 in the balcony.... maybe another 500 total in the mezzanine and tv sections bringing it to 4,100 MAX.... thoughts?

 

[bgwilkinson]

Anybody wanna guess on the seating capacity of this compared to the Big House?

https://www.baptist-city.com/The_Stone.html

Looking at this picture... I think the most the main floor would seat is 2,000 and maybe 1,600 in the balcony.... maybe another 500 total in the mezzanine and tv sections bringing it to 4,100 MAX.... thoughts?

That is a close estimate. Notice how the chairs in the balcony overhang have an unnatural spacing. It was visual tricks like this that were used to make this room seem full. Just more smoke and mirrors.

3 rooms of this size will fit completely in the new auditorium.

 

[bgwilkinson]

Sunday AM September 24, 2017

 

[Twisted]

I'm amazed that this crowd gave $141,654,41.

 

[bgwilkinson]

I'm amazed that this crowd gave $141,654,41.

Some would call this a blessing. The income has firmed up somewhat in the last month.
The amounts shown are not all the income. Other income from special designations and projects are not shown. If it was the weekly totals would average about 75,000.00 more per week.
Maybe because summer is over. Not sure why. Maybe it is that the economy in our area is booming, employers are hiring just about anything that walks and talks can get hired just walking in the door. Jobs are everywhere.

I walked into a Home Depot and was asked if I would like a job, I had to kindly thank them and decline as I am all ready working more than a retired guy should. They had turned the greeters into headhunters.

 

[prophet]

I'm amazed that this crowd gave $141,654,41.

Some would call this a blessing. The income has firmed up somewhat in the last month.
The amounts shown are not all the income. Other income from special designations and projects are not shown. If it was the weekly totals would average about 75,000.00 more per week.
Maybe because summer is over. Not sure why. Maybe it is that the economy in our area is booming, employers are hiring just about anything that walks and talks can get hired just walking in the door. Jobs are everywhere.

I walked into a Home Depot and was asked if I would like a job, I had to kindly thank them and decline as I am all ready working more than a retired guy should. They had turned the greeters into headhunters.

That line about greeters being headhunters...pretty good, old chap.

[emoji23]

Sent from my H1611 using Tapatalk

 

[fishinnut]

Crowder leading the music.

 

[bgwilkinson]

Sunday, October 1, 2017, AM Service So does it look like our attendance is up for our big-time speaker?

Guess not. Little interrest.

 

[fishinnut]

Y'all know that I am no longer attending an IFB church......anyway the following is what I noticed this morning.

Ushers dancing in the aisle....

An usher in a wheelchair...

Matt Redman leading the music with songs from his new release out this week...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZOMgjlQW8w

 

[Twisted]

Y'all know that I am no longer attending an IFB church......anyway the following is what I noticed this morning.

Ushers dancing in the aisle.... 

Dancing?  Scriptural

Ushers?  Chapter and verse please

 

[bgwilkinson]

Y'all know that I am no longer attending an IFB church......anyway the following is what I noticed this morning.

Ushers dancing in the aisle.... 

Dancing?  Scriptural

Ushers?  Chapter and verse please

How many times does God have to tell us something before we do it?

Psa 149:3  Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
Psa 150:4  Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

My how selective some people are in how they obey God.

Church of Christ people take note.

 

[RAIDER]

Y'all know that I am no longer attending an IFB church......anyway the following is what I noticed this morning.

Ushers dancing in the aisle.... 

Dancing?  Scriptural

Ushers?  Chapter and verse please

How many times does God have to tell us something before we do it?

Psa 149:3  Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
Psa 150:4  Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

My how selective some people are in how they obey God.

Church of Christ people take note.

Can you show me where they did this in the NT church?

 

[fishinnut]

Y'all know that I am no longer attending an IFB church......anyway the following is what I noticed this morning.

Ushers dancing in the aisle.... 

Dancing?  Scriptural

Ushers?  Chapter and verse please

How many times does God have to tell us something before we do it?

Psa 149:3  Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
Psa 150:4  Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

My how selective some people are in how they obey God.

Church of Christ people take note.

Can you show me where they did this in the NT church?

What....y'all think we have DWTS at church...........
We had new worship music........& rejoicing in the aisles...........where someone had room to move their feet & wave their arms.

 

[Twisted]

Y'all know that I am no longer attending an IFB church......anyway the following is what I noticed this morning.

Ushers dancing in the aisle.... 

Dancing?  Scriptural

Ushers?  Chapter and verse please

How many times does God have to tell us something before we do it?

Psa 149:3  Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
Psa 150:4  Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

My how selective some people are in how they obey God.

Church of Christ people take note.

Can you show me where they did this in the NT church?

fishinnut's church.  Today.