EWING, NEW JERSEY― When Ewing Covenant Church made the decision to return to its original, historic building, affectionately called “1867 Sanctuary” for weekly worship, the congregation faced the challenge of delivering clear, high-quality audio in a space known as much for its beauty as its acoustic complexity. To support its renewed presence in the landmark building, the church partnered with Audio Consultant and Systems Integrator Robert Bullington of Front Row Seat Productions to design a modern sound and livestream setup centered around DPA Microphones.
Founded in the 18th Century as First Presbyterian Church of Ewing, the congregation recently transitioned back into its original space after leasing it to a local historical trust, which used it primarily as a performance venue. Under the leadership of Pastor Morgan King, the church has experienced a revitalization, becoming younger, more multi-generational and eager to reinvest in the worship experience. As part of that effort, a comprehensive audio overhaul became essential.
“The building is stunning, but it’s also an acoustical challenge,” says Bullington. “They wanted to capture everything that makes their services special—the choir, pipe organ and congregational singing—while ensuring speech clarity and a natural-sounding livestream. It all needed to happen without disrupting the aesthetics of the 150-year-old sanctuary.”
To meet these needs, Bullington turned to DPA Microphones, known for precision engineering, natural sound and discreet form factors. “I recommend DPA when there’s a real problem to solve,” adds Bullington. “The company’s mics make difficult rooms sound great, and this sanctuary is a perfect example. We worked closely with Gabriel Antonini [DPA Global Support Manager] to ensure that the microphone selection and placement were a perfect fit to meet Ewing Covenant’s unique needs.”
At the heart of the new system are two DPA 4015 Wide Cardioid Microphones, suspended unobtrusively from the high ceiling to capture the chancel, choir, organ and congregational singing for the livestream. “The 4015s behave almost like omnis but with just enough rear rejection to avoid picking up unwanted audience sound,” explains Bullington. “They provide a beautifully full stereo image. The livestream sounds better than you’d think possible with just two microphones.”
For spoken word reinforcement, the church installed a set of DPA 4080 Cardioid Lavaliers, giving clergy and worship leaders the freedom to move throughout the sanctuary without the risk of feedback. A DPA 2061 Omnidirectional Lavalier supports ceremonies, such as weddings, where a single microphone can capture multiple voices, and the brand’s 2028 Vocal Microphones are deployed in both wired and wireless configurations for the pulpit.
All the DPA mics integrate seamlessly with a Sennheiser EW-D digital wireless system, which feeds into an Allen & Heath QU-5D mixer with Dante capability. This setup allowed Bullington to configure dedicated mixes for the sanctuary PA and the livestream with ease. “One of the great things about DPA is that its microphones adapt smoothly to any wireless platform,” he says.
After Ewing Covenant Church celebrated its first services back in the “1867 Sanctuary,” the reaction to the upgrade was immediate. “The congregation was blown away by the clarity,” reports Bullington. “The room finally sounds as good as it looks.”
From the pipe organ and bell choir to special guest musicians, the system captured every element with precision on both the livestream and in-house mix. Furthermore, volunteers, many of whom are new to live production, quickly adapted to the intuitive setup. “It’s a very easy system to manage,” Bullington says. “Their tech team took to it right away. That speaks not only to the church’s dedication but also to how intuitive and forgiving the DPA microphones are.”
Today, the restored “1867 Sanctuary” stands as both a tribute to Ewing Covenant’s legacy and a showcase of what modern audio technology can achieve in historic spaces. “The congregation is over the moon about how everything sounds,” adds Bullington. “DPA helped them bring new life and new clarity into a space that means so much to them.”