Grace United Methodist Church Television Ministry (GUMC-TV)
Where to Find Our Broadcast
Station
WBUI –TV, Decatur, IL
Over-the-air broadcast
Channel 23
Decatur area cable
Insight Communications channel 6
Outside Decatur area cable
See the convenient cable channel list to search for your cable channel by ZIP code. If not found, consult your local TV listings or your cable provider.
Broadcast time
11:00 a.m. every Sunday
Broadcast area
Central Illinois
Our Mission
The mission of the Television Ministry is to support the overall mission of the church. The Mission Statement of Grace United Methodist Church is: “We are a people called by God, to reach out and receive all persons, to help people relate to God through Jesus Christ, to equip people for ministry through the Holy Spirit, and to send people out to serve, all for the glory of God.”
Why A Television Ministry?
Evangelism is a key tenet of our denomination. We take seriously the Great Commission: “To make disciples of Jesus Christ.” To do so, we must be able to reach out and carry the good news of Jesus Christ out of our sanctuary and into the community. A television ministry allows us to reach thousands of people in Central Illinois, many more than we could accommodate in our sanctuary on Sunday morning.
Based on feedback we receive, our viewing audience is comprised of several different populations, including:
People unable to attend the church of their choice due to illness or infirmary.
People who do not have a specific church affiliation.
People new to the area who do not yet have a church home.
Grace United Methodist Church members unable to attend services for some reason.
Through our Television Ministry, Grace is truly reaching out. The weekly Grace Worship Hour is a gift from the congregation and staff of Grace United Methodist Church. We hope you will take the time to tune in and join us for worship.
Brief History
In November 1974, the Administrative Board of Grace United Methodist Church, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Vernie T. Barnett, approved the establishment of a Television Ministry to expand the church’s outreach into the community. In six short months, equipment was purchased and installed, a volunteer crew was recruited, airtime was purchased, and training completed. The Grace Worship Hour was first televised across Central Illinois in April of 1975. Today, more than 30 years later, Grace still has the distinction of having the only full one-hour worship service broadcast on a commercial over-the-air television station in downstate Illinois.
For the first thirty years, our service was broadcast on WAND-TV. Grace also cable cast the Worship Hour as well as a half-hour education and music program on Decatur’s local cable system for five years beginning in 1975. When Christian television station WFHL went on the air in 1980 the Grace Worship Hour was part of their line up, making it available on two over-the-air stations for several years. The worship service broadcast moved to WBUI-TV in 2006.
Many changes in television technology have occurred since our humble beginnings in 1975. Grace has strived to keep up those changes, including improvements in television cameras, sound equipment, recording equipment, and character generation. In 2007, additional equipment was installed to provide Closed Captioning for the hearing impaired.
Funding
Providing a televised worship service every week requires funds. Airtime must be purchased, and equipment must be maintained, replaced, and upgraded. Funding for the Grace United Methodist Church Television Ministry comes from various sources, including the generous gifts of the Grace congregation, revenue from the Economy Shop (a local provider of gently used clothing and household goods) and memorial gifts. Also, even though it is church policy not to ask for money over the air, viewers have been very generous as well. Expenses associated with Closed Captioning are funded separately through sponsorships and special gifts.
Production
The Grace Worship Hour is full one-hour, unedited worship service originating from the main sanctuary of Grace United Methodist Church. Our cameras and microphones capture everything that occurs during the worship service, including hymns, liturgy, special music, announcements, and sermons. The service is taped one week and broadcast over WBUI the following week.
Most Sundays we broadcast our meditative, inspiring, and prayerful 10:50 “Great Start” traditional worship service. On the third Sunday of every month, however, we share our spirit-filled, joyful, and energetic “Fresh Start” contemporary service with our TV worshippers. We encourage you to participate in both types of worship.
Four state-of-the-art television cameras strategically placed throughout the sanctuary capture the visual essence of the worship service. Camera operators wearing intercom headsets receive instructions from the control room as to what video shots should be captured. A video switcher is used to select which camera shot is “live” at any time.
Since good television includes both pictures and sound, we pay as much attention to the audio as we do to the video. Up to forty audio inputs are mixed into the taping of the service. Audio inputs include wired and wireless microphones as well as supplemental audio sources, such as computers and other playback equipment.
The video and audio portions of the worship service are combined and recorded onto broadcast-quality video tape. Special titling equipment is used to identify speakers and insert the text of liturgy, music, and scripture to help the home worshipper participate in the service.
Finally, real time Closed Captioning is added. We send the audio portion of the broadcast over a telephone line to an off-site stenocaptioner who transcribes what is heard using special computer software to create electronic data. That electronic data is immediately sent back to us through another phone line, run through an encoder, and recorded onto the tape. Hearing impaired viewers can read these captions by turning on the Closed Captioning option on their televisions.
One of the goals of our ministry is to offer our viewers a full and meaningful worship experience. By combining video, audio, titles, and captions into one program, we strive to share our Sunday worship service with others. Many viewers have commented that they feel as if they are actually in the sanctuary participating in worship while watching at home.
The People
The Grace Worship Hour is produced entirely by an all-volunteer crew. As many as seven dedicated individuals cheerfully give their talents each Sunday to operate cameras and audio, titling, video switching and video enhancing equipment to make this all possible. Most of our crew members have been with this ministry for ten or more years, including some since its inception in 1975. Many others have added their talents over the years. We are indebted to all for their service to this ministry.
There’s A Place For You
As dedicated as our crew members are, we are always looking for new and enthusiastic people to carry on this important ministry. Prior TV experience is not necessary. All you need is a willingness to learn and a desire to serve the Lord. If you feel a calling to add your talents to this ministry, or if you have any questions about the Television Ministry, please contact the church office for more information.
In November 1974, the Administrative Board of Grace United Methodist Church, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Vernie T. Barnett, approved the establishment of a Television Ministry to expand the church’s outreach into the community. In six short months, equipment was purchased and installed, a volunteer crew was recruited, airtime was purchased, and training completed. The Grace Worship Hour was first televised across Central Illinois in April of 1975. Today, more than 30 years later, Grace still has the distinction of having the only full one-hour worship service broadcast on a commercial over-the-air television station in downstate Illinois.
The Grace Worship Hour is full one-hour, unedited worship service originating from the main sanctuary of Grace United Methodist Church. Our cameras and microphones capture everything that occurs during the worship service, including hymns, liturgy, special music, announcements, and sermons. The service is taped one week and broadcast over WBUI the following week. 
The video and audio portions of the worship service are combined and recorded onto broadcast-quality video tape. Special titling equipment is used to identify speakers and insert the text of liturgy, music, and scripture to help the home worshipper participate in the service. 
As dedicated as our crew members are, we are always looking for new and enthusiastic people to carry on this important ministry. Prior TV experience is not necessary. All you need is a willingness to learn and a desire to serve the Lord. If you feel a calling to add your talents to this ministry, or if you have any questions about the Television Ministry, please