Word Tabernacle Church - Conectividad para todos

Word Tabernacle Church - Conectividad para todos

Word Tabernacle Church located in Rocky Mount is the largest megachurch in eastern North Carolina, with 3,500 members and growing. The five-generation church, with members up to 100 years old, is led by the board's Chairman, Senior Pastor James Gailliard. Pastor Gaillard's priorities include investing in people, improving the community, influencing the region, and impacting the world. It's an integral part of his mission to develop programs to make sure Word Tabernacle Church reaches the region and the community it serves. An elected official of the State of NC General Assembly, House District 25, Pastor Gailliard says,"It's important for a state and a nation to build out broadband technology, so every child and business has access."

Acutely aware of the impact technology can have in achieving the church's goals, Pastor Gaillard has increased the church's reach exponentially through broadcasts. In 16 years, the church has grown from its local and regional roots to a global institution. Gaillard says, "You can't have a thriving organization if you can't reach people where they are, and to reach people where they are, you need technology."

As the world navigated an unprecedented pandemic and the coronavirus forced houses of faith to embrace going fully digital with worship services, Bible studies, and other offerings, Word Tabernacle Church has continued to serve its congregation. In fact, due to the innovation supported by Optimum Fiber Internet, Word Tabernacle Church is now a bigger church than they were before the pandemic.

Needing to connect to a wide-ranging audience, all affected differently during the pandemic, Word Tabernacle Church quickly extended its reach through different methods of communication. Gaillard emphasizes that in order for a church to be effective, it must be able to reach its members knowing that each generation has its own preferred way of communicating. On one hand, the church created a robust letter mailing and phone call system to stay connected with its older members. On the other hand, it increased its reach to younger members with additional social platforms, digital newsletters, podcasts, and live broadcasts.

Within a 3-month window, Word Tabernacle Church relied on Optimum Business to build
out a robust infrastructure by adding fiber around the building to up speed rates and increase bandwidth. A Optimum customer for 14 years, Word Tabernacle Church, would not have been able to achieve its levels of sophisticated reach without Optimum Fiber Internet and a PRI (Primary Rate Interface, an interface standard used to deliver multiple voice lines over physical copper lines that are part of your building's physical infrastructure). "The level of technology Optimum Business provides allows us to be innovative, creative, and try new things. And it really makes us a better organization in terms of how people view us and the services we provide." When asked why they chose Optimum as a provider, Pastor Gaillard says, "Optimum Business has the infrastructure - that's the bottom line. Not a lot of providers in North Carolina have the technical know-how that Optimum does."

Gaillard shares that one of Word Tabernacle Church's media resources is a video podcast studio that records podcasts live and pushes them onto digital platforms. Through this studio, the church provides interviews, public service announcements, housing program initiatives, and other broadcast communications. None of this would be possible without a reliable connection that ensures a seamless live experience.

Having just installed exterior WiFi into the parking lot, the church now offers WiFi to their greater surrounding community, helping to bridge the digital equity divide. To better serve its staff, the church's network allows for a work-from-home set up where its employees can safely dial into the server.

The trusted partnership the church has established with Optimum Business offers the institution peace of mind with reliable connectivity. A blip in downtime is not something any church wants to experience. Gaillard shares, "When you're in a live worship service and the power goes down, it would be the equivalent of the microphone, lights, and sounds going out. It's a big issue if a live worship cannot connect, especially for those people who need what we're offering at the moment. We will lose trust." According to Pastor Gaillard, Optimum facilitates that trust, even becoming a partner in that trust relationship with the community.

Additionally, Pastor Gaillard emphasizes the trust he has with his Account Manager, Yunus Altuner. If any issues arise, Pastor Gaillard goes directly to Altuner for a solution. He says, "From a business perspective, it's been really outstanding, really helpful to have a go-to person. Yunus knows how to get things fixed. He knows how to get the answers."

For the safety of their congregation, the church has committed to not returning to in-person service until after Labor Day 2021. However, Pastor Gaillard says, "Because of technology, it's as if we're together. I can say we've done an even better job at doing mission than before."

“With Optimum Business, we will continue to evolve, innovate, and ensure secure connectivity because it's our bread and butter,” states Pastor Gailliard.

If you would like to take advantage of a successful collaboration leading to innovative solutions to help your business better achieve its goals, contact your Optimum Business Account Executive.

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