September 28, 2007

Worthington Direct Introduces New Chair to the Chruch Market

Worthington Direct www.worthingtondirect.com, a supplier of school, church and early learning furniture and equipment for over 10 years is introducing a new chair for churches looking to modernize their seating. KFI, a producer of quality seating and wood products, has begun supplying Worthington Direct customers with the IM1030 Wing Back Chair.

The IM1030 Wing Back Chair features a 3" upholstered seat available in an attractive burgundy or blue fabric color. The frame is a textured black, 1" square tubing, 18-gauge steel with 12 twelve-point welds. Backed by a lifetime guarantee, the frame is further supported by front and back stretcher bars. These chairs are currently as low as $47.95 a chair which is an excellent value for the wing back style which normally go for $60 and upwards.

Church members will be comfortable in the IM1030 as it features built-in lumbar support and is padded with hi-density foam. Permanent ganging is standard on this chair and is designed to create a "pew" look while providing the church with convenient flexibility. The IM1030 stacks up to 8 high and has stack bumpers to prevent wear on the frame finish.

A recent article found on Christianity Today addresses some important issues and growing trends in regards to finding the perfect seating for each church.

"Seating experts and architects alike agree on a necessary first step in the seating selection process: determine a church's philosophy of ministry. From that, you can choose the type of seating that best expresses that philosophy. To emphasize traditional ministry, historical aesthetics, and increased community, pews will often be the choice. To take a deliberate step away from tradition, appeal to the individuality of people, and create an atmosphere that is more like a movie theater or concert hall, theater seats or stackable chairs are a more likely choice A more traditional church will go to pews regardless of what the costs are because pews represent a certain spirit or feel that is important to that church.

On the other end of that spectrum would be theater seating, which represents an auditorium feel of performance and excellence. Stacked chairs are in between---they suggest flexibility. Individual chairs, which would provide a more contemporary look and a flexible worship space that could be configured for any occasion. Seating capacity is a key factor in determining the number of parking spaces and restrooms needed, so keep this in mind when deciding between pews and individual chairs.

You should also allow space for seating of disabled and other special-needs people. Be sure to learn about any special requirements in your local building codes. Fire codes require a certain space for egress, or space between rows of seats. This in turn affects the lengths of rows. With a wider egress, you can design a seating plan with fewer aisles and more seats. It's best to work with your architect and a seating expert to examine all the options.

The type of seating you choose for your sanctuary or worship space really does matter. Consider these often-overlooked factors before making a final decision.

Common Pitfalls

Whether the pastor alone decides on sanctuary seating or a committee makes the choice, chair manufacturers and architects have noticed areas in which the decision can go off the tracks. These include:

Failure to address the seating issue early. Seating plays a key role in the comfort and aesthetics of the worship experience, and should not be an after- thought. On a practical note, early selection of the seating fabric color pays off, especially when matching the look of seating to floor color. There are fewer color options available for chair fabrics than floor color.

Buying from a company with poor sales, service, or warranties. Representatives should be available to help churches make right decisions, either in person or by telephone. Avoid this by calling 800-599-6636 or visit www.worthingtondirect.com today for great customer service that will help you make the appropriate decision for what is best for each church.

Thinking heavier chairs are better chairs. Heavier chairs often mean more moving parts and less durable material, such as particleboard. The IM1030 has a practical weight of 23 pounds each.

Not purchasing dollies to move chairs. With dollies, you'll save wear and tear on the chairs, on the floor, and on the backs of your moving crew. The KFI Universal Chair Dolly is an affordable way to store and move chairs. Stack up to 10 chairs on the sturdy steel dolly and roll to storage or adjoining space.

Other church seating options:

 KFI Roll Front FR1020,

Choir and Musicians Chair by KFI

Tall Wing Back Chairs by KFI

Browse through the entire church furniture products offered by Worthington Direct. 

About Worthington Direct: After spending over 10 years in the school supply, church and equipment industry, Worthington Direct www.worthingtondirect.com knows what is important - selection, service, price and timing. Our goal is to make your purchasing job easier. With competitive pricing, knowledgeable sales associates, and "In Stock" products for quick, efficient shipping, Worthington Direct is committed to be your furniture resource. Schools and churches look to Worthington Direct for competitive pricing for school furniture, church furniture, preschool furniture, early childhood furniture, library furniture, desks, wholesale furniture, computer furniture, classroom furniture, chalkboards, office furniture, room dividers, storage cabinets, easels, display cases, cafeteria tables, activity tables, classroom desks, computer tables, desk chairs, lecterns, literature racks, office desks and risers among its large stock. Continue reading

September 19, 2007

Presentation You can Praise

Worship presentation software creates a unified package of song lyrics, prayer announcements, sermon notes, scripture readings, and video clips, bringing a new level of sophistication to worship—easily managed by one worship coordinator with a computer at hand. But are all programs the same? Our reviews give you the answers you need.

While the traditional hymnal and hymn boards continue to be used in many congregations, a growing number of churches are embracing multimedia technology to enhance their worship service. Just as copies of bound music gave way to overhead projectors and transparencies, now computers and LCD projectors have replaced these technologies.

Role Model by BaltThe Role Model by Balt 

Visit www.WorthingtonDirect.com today for all your church's furniture needs. 

 

Specialized software is required to manage and generate the lyrics, announcements, video clips, and sermons that are projected in support of the worship service. In its most basic form, the software is designed to replace printed pages distributed to the congregation with the same text projected to a location visible to all. This could be accomplished by typing the words in a word processor using a large typeface and projecting them onto a screen, but our visual culture places high expectations on these displays. Software that can enhance and automate the visuals that the congregation sees helps the worship leader fill this need.

Microsoft's PowerPoint is probably the most familiar piece of software in the presentation category. It allows a user to create slides that can be displayed, one by one, at a pace that matches the objectives of the presenter. Software designed for worship presentations goes far beyond this utility, integrating images, video, text, and even PowerPoint presentations into a package that can be modified during the course of the worship service, to accommodate both the Spirit-driven worship leader and the typist with poor spelling!

Technical Concerns

Worship presentation software is designed to be run through one computer that controls both a monitor and a projection or display device. In this configuration, the worship coordinator can transparently control everything the congregation experiences. One monitor will display the software control interface, while the other displays the worship sequence. The coordinator can make on-the-fly adjustments to the sequence of the visible content: correct misspellings, substitute praise songs, show Bible passages that the pastor mentions, and notify parents that they are needed in the nursery—all without any awkward onscreen moments.

In order for this scheme to work, the computer that runs the software must be equipped to handle multiple displays. Most laptops are equipped with an external display port that can be configured to run the second monitor while the control panel of the software shows on its LCD. Desktop computers are another matter. These computers will generally require an additional video card to support the second display. Unfortunately, a slot on the motherboard to support this second display adapter is not always available. Keep this important requirement in mind when considering multimedia equipment.

The Learning Curve

The complexity of the worship presentation software is another important consideration. Two measures of complexity must be evaluated. The first is the challenge of creating the service structure, and the second is the friendliness of the live presentation interface. Each software package uses its own unique interface, and many adopt their own language and model for creating a presentation. Some are more intuitive, while others require a good deal of upfront learning before attaining proficiency.

If you have ministry staff that can devote a large number of initial hours to learning the intricacies and features of a product, the complexity issue doesn't matter much. On the other hand, if the worship ministry is staffed by volunteers with a limited amount of time to devote to the creation and operation of each Sunday's service, a product with a lower training requirement is much more attractive. Continue reading 

September 14, 2007

School Furniture is Just a Click Away

Many schools and public libraries are faced with difficulties when it comes to choosing school furniture or classroom furniture, more often because of the limited budget that is allotted to these purchases. Finding quality school furniture with a limited budget can be a hardship, but the good news is that your options for furniture suppliers are multiple, and with competition come all sorts of advantages for the client. Visit www.WorthingtonDirect.com today and find great prices and continuous customer service, even after the buck has passed.

Probably the most important advantage in your situation is the low cost, but discounts are not to be overlooked either. Low prices are something that everyone looks for, given the limited budget that they can use. However, if it were possible, and it is, to find exactly the type of school furniture that meets your needs, and at an affordable price, things would be great, wouldn’t they? Well, if you thought that shopping from a classroom furniture catalog was your only option, we suggest that you try doing your shopping online, and you will certainly be pleased with the outcome.

The wide range of products available from online suppliers of school furniture, such as www.WorthingtonDirect.com, give you enough options, so you can be sure that you are very likely to find something that is both affordable and high quality. Every piece of classroom furniture that you need is available in different shapes, colors and materials, so as to fit all needs and purposes. You can forget about finding a low price and settling for something you don’t like too much, just because you cannot afford something that would be most appropriate; classroom furniture now comes with various price tags, so as to match all budgets and needs.

You can choose from a variety of student desks and chairs, classroom tables, computer tables, presentation furniture, teacher desks, marker boards, science lab tables, folding tables for the cafeteria, outdoor school furniture and even daycare furniture. But keep in mind that the aspect and the price are far from being the only criteria that you should consider when purchasing classroom furniture or school furniture. For instance, when you look for classroom chairs, the details to consider should include height, construction, durability, base, and, of course, style.

Height is probably the most important detail, and although you should expect to have students of all heights, you can approximate the height of your future students, using some graphs available online, which provide you with useful information. If you have had no prior experience in purchasing classroom furniture, you can use these graphs to determine the size you need, corresponding to certain age groups.

Style and purpose are also important when you try to make a choice of classroom furniture. You can opt for standard chairs, which are used most commonly; you can choose stacking chairs if you know that your classroom is going to be rearranged a lot, and chairs need to be easy to move around; if comfort is what you have in mind above anything else, you should opt for shell chairs, which are made of a softer plastic.

These are just some examples, and as you must have guessed, you have the same options, or even more, for all types of classroom furniture or school furniture. And the best thing about shopping online is that you have many products to choose from, and their prices are really affordable. If you are looking for a grea variety of school furniture or classroom furniture please visit www.Worthingtondirect.com.  Continue reading

September 06, 2007

Video Games With Learning in Mind

Worthington Direct has all the top school furniture brands to create a top notch computer lab for your school or learning center.  Whether for playing educational video games or teaching students how to program their own video games, visit www.WorthingtonDirect.com today for 10% off select technology tables.

Smith System Planner Lab Table

After a summer of fun and games, it can be tough to get your kids ready for school. But no need to force your little ones to part with the video games yet: Brain-building titles can give your kids a kick start for the new school year.

Sure, educational games are probably about as popular with your kids as cleaning their rooms. But there are a few games for the handheld Sony PSP and Nintendo DS systems that are so fun, your kids won’t even realize they’re learning. And with price tags ranging from $20 to $30, they’re easy on your wallet, too.

Midway’s “Hot Brain” ($29.99) is an exclusive PSP title sure to spark the back-to-school fire in many kids. This rated-E game tests their brains in logic, mathematics, concentration, memory and language. Kids can challenge themselves, or play against up to three players head-to-head via a wireless connection. Only have one PSP? No problem. My son and I take turns seeing who can top the other. I almost always lose.

Do your kids have problems with memory? Help is here — in the form of a rapping cartoon dog. Sony’s “PaRappa the Rapper” pushes your child to remember sequences and timing of various lights and sounds — sort of like that old tabletop game “Simon.” If players are successful, they hear a rap and advance to the next level. If not, they’re given another try. Players that reach the final level are rewarded with an alternate ending and a bonus song. This is a memory workout as well as a musical experience. Rated E for everyone, this game retails for $29.99. continue reading