Summit Evolution

[Chad Michael Glenn]

This soundscape includes 6 tracks:

1. a recording of the hustle and bustle at a warehouse
2. a recording of a forklift
3. an original recording of coffee brewing
4. an original recording of people piling into a church service
5. an original recording of a church choir at Summit church
6. an original recording of a sermon at Summit church

I wanted to use sound to tell the story of Summit Church evolving from a warehouse to a church where thousands attend to worship every weekend. The soundscape starts out in the warehouse where
you hear the sound of workers throwing boxes in the back of a truck. The
forklift gives the listener a clue as to the location. Then the listener begins
to hear coffee brewing in the background. This serves as a transition from the
warehouse to the church service. I thought that the brewing of coffee was a
good choice because you would hear the brewing of coffee in both a warehouse
for workers and in a modern church for the attendees. After this you hear
people coming into the church, the sound of the choir, and eventually the
preacher.

I think this soundscape does more than record the history of the Summit Church in sound. It also tells a lot about how religion and church are viewed in Amercia today. Traditionally,
architecture has also been used to tell about what a church values. The design
and beauty of every cathedral were meant to point to the glory of God and his
story. However, after the reformation churches were not nearly as elaborate.
This may have to do with the lack of funds due to sectarianism. Other factors
might have been important as well. For example, the Catholic Church used art to
help tell people who could not read the story of God through visual
representation. Eventually, a more literate culture made this less important.
Nevertheless, many churches still saw architecture as symbolic. Many churches
included a steeple that would rise above the rest of the community. No other
structures were supposed to be built higher than the church steeple. This
symbolized the authority of God and his church. However, there has been a
movement among modern churches to forget about the architecture. They are more
concerned with designs that are practical. Symbolism has taken a back seat to
pragmatism. That is why some churches hold services in theaters, football
stadiums, and even bars. This soundscape is meant to get at a sense of this
change by associating the sounds of a warehouse with the sounds that take place
in church.