Help from brothers and sisters
Good old plain help. If the opportunity arises for you, speak to us about coming to visit us for a day, a week, or even longer, and walk with us in person. Stay with us, pray with us and be blessed along with us in being a part of this work that God is doing. We would welcome any help, whether skilled help (carpentry, renovating, painting murals, etc.) or just even general help (building gardens, setting up different areas of the building, etc.).
We also invite you to help with our ministry media such as reviewing new ministry materials we are developing, brainstorming and going over ideas together, proofreading, translating, and even actively sharing the evangelism materials online with us.
Families and groups are welcome, and all your needs would be met while staying with us.
Studios
Acoustic treatment for studios
Our greatest and most immediate need for the set up of the recording and media studios is the acoustic treatment. That is materials that are used for sound proofing and sound design. It is necessary to do at the soonest possible date so that we can start doing recordings and production work.
Persian rugs
This will be one of the main elements we will utilise for sound design throughout the studios. We will hang them on major walls in the different studio rooms to absorb the reflections. They can be purchased secondhand and are relatively inexpensive. I have already purchased several. However, because there are more than 8 rooms that will be used for studio recording and video production (not counting other spaces that will be utilised), with several walls within each of them that need to be treated, I still need a budget to get a further 15+ rugs. It could be a few less or a few more depending on how it pans out when we start designing the rooms. The budget we need for this is $1500 to $2000, factoring in that 1 or 2 of the rugs may be very large and hence more expensive. We are trying to specifically use Persian style rugs throughout so the studios will also have a visual uniformity and also a majesty in design.
Cool room panels
We need to utilise cool room panels for sound proofing on the outside of the building where music will be recorded. Specifically, so that it isn’t loud for one of our commercial neighbours and also to prevent sound coming into the building from the road and nearby factories. These can be purchased directly from a manufacturer in Sydney. We have already found a supplier who can even cut customised sizes to meet our needs and is offering an excellent price. We would need a budget of $450 to get the initial areas completed.
Other sound absorption/sound design treatment
The larger part of the surface areas on walls and floors being covered with Persian rugs and carpet, we will then need to deal with the roof, windows and doors, and any other areas that may need treatment. For this we will use a range of materials and solutions, some of which being professional acoustic treatment materials and other everyday materials that are effective for our needs and cost efficient. Some of these include Mass loaded vinyl, Drop sheets, Carpet, Different types of foam, etc. Also, we will need 3 or more lounges throughout the studio areas, which aside from giving people somewhere to sit, also play a key part in absorbing sound and shaping the room sound in a positive way. We are aiming to get the best possible sound, with the smallest budget. With a budget of $2500 to start with I believe we could get all the critical areas done well, and the recording studio rooms sounding excellent, and able to capture great sound. We will be able to then build upon it as we go.
Musical equipment:
Piano’s (x 2)
It is possible to get antique pianos for free, which are excellent to record on. This is because many people who previously owned them and used them are now happy to see them go. We just need to find pianos that don’t have broken keys and that hold tune well. I have a friend who is willing to help pick them up in his truck for free. I am already in talks to get one from a family in the lower mountains, and I am actively looking out for more. I am just putting it out here in case anyone in the Sydney area had a piano to get rid of or knew someone who did.
Bass amp
Head and speaker
Microphone stands
I need 5-10 more stands. They can be bought secondhand for approx. $20 each or new for not much more.
Microphones
I currently have around 30 microphones in the studio. Good mics are one of the most critical elements in a recording studio. They are what is capturing all the sound. Different mics are used for different spaces, instruments and situations. To have a greater quantity of quality mics will only add to the better output of higher quality recordings coming out of the studio. Some excellent brands are Rode and Neumanns, and there are also lesser known manufacturers around the world that make excellent mics. We just want to glorify God in the highest, so more quality microphones would just bring added blessing to the studio, to be able to capture sound with the highest quality microphones!
Media studios
Green paint mixed to an optimal shade to transform two walls into green screens for filming testimonies, radio programs, podcasts and more.
Warehouse
With help from local Christians, we will run an op shop and coffee/drink cart three days a week. This is so that we can raise the funds needed to cover the costs of the building (rent, electricity, internet, etc.), and to keep all the ministry opportunities for Christians free (free Christian music recording, free retreats for pastors and ministry workers, free retreats for Church bands, free websites for Christian ministries, etc.). This will have the added blessing of being a ministry outlet through serving the local Blue Mountains community.
This space will also serve as a meeting hall and concert hall.
In this area we need help with painting the concrete walls and floors, mural painting in some areas, beautifying the area, general renovations, setting up the op shop, as well as the stage area.
The main resource needed for setting up this area is Paint!
Even if any brothers and sisters in Sydney or the Mountains have any paint lying around in your shed that you would be willing to donate, we could make good use of any paint. Short of paint being donated, we could purchase the minimum paint we require second hand at a discounted rate from between $500 to $1000.
Coffee
We have the coffee cart, and we have sourced a quality machine and grinder from a local coffee brewing company who has offered both to us for a generous price of only $1300 (The $300 grinder was originally $3000). They will also provide us with fair trade coffee and 100% bio-degradable cups (exactly what I wanted so I can shred the cups into garden mulch and we wont have excessive waste to deal with). There would only be a few more small items we need to get to have a full set up (eg. jug rinser). We also have a barista who wants to volunteer to make the coffee at the beginning until it grows to the point where they can be paid from it. I have spoken to the council and the approval for a mobile coffee cart is relatively easy. Everything seems very positive, including the opportunity since there is no one who sells coffee or food in the area and we are in an industrial park. However, I just ask for prayer that whatever comes about will be how God wants it to happen. I am also praying that if it is God’s will, another Christian or Christian family would come along side us in at least this part of the venture. If the coffee cart goes well, we will establish a juice bar, and then further to that we will set up a kitchen/cafe in the warehouse and sell home cooked Asian and International food. Having such a kitchen and cafe type set up would be a great blessing for Christian events if it was to happen in the future. But I am committing all this to God, waiting on Him and praying that He would bring about what He wants, with regard to the coffee cart and/or cafe.
Residence
We have set up two guest rooms to host pastors, missionaries, ministry workers and their families so that they can have a time of rest, refreshing and encouragement. Both rooms have a tranquil view out to the bush, so we want to put a small lounge in each room so that our guests can be comfortable and feel at home.
This is a general note but I am adding it here.
We want to get fold out beds, as well as having some of the lounges in the studio areas that can fold out to beds. This is so that we can build up the capacity of the amount of people that can stay here. For instance, we want to be able to hold Aboriginal Evangelical Fellowship courses here and be able to host up to 8 participants who may be coming from remote locations for up to a week. We also want to host Church bands to have weekend retreats, and other small group Christian events. For this we need more beds.
Gardens and Outdoor Areas
Fence
Getting a fence up is one of our immediate priorities, which we are hoping to complete as soon as possible. On one side of our property there are several apartments with no fence to separate between their property and our property. We want to put up a fence so our own spaces are delineated, so that we are not disrupting each other, and also because there are animals coming over from their property onto our property. There are 3 sections that need to be built and we already have the materials for one of those sections. The owner of the property has offered to build the fence for free if we can provide all the materials. There are a lot of secondhand materials that come up on the internet and from local and Sydney companies that sell secondhand building materials. I am unsure of the budget for this as we may be able to get a lot of the materials very inexpensively. On the other hand, it may be up to $2000 to $3000.
After the fence is completed, we will start on the gardens…
Gardens overview
We are setting up a garden at the front of the property to grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, bush foods and medicines. This garden will be for teaching regenerative agriculture practices/permaculture to believers from remote aboriginal communities, as well as ministry workers going overseas.
Mulch
The soil at the property is very nutrient depleted so we will need a lot of various kinds of mulch and organic matter to rejuvenate the soil. We have already sourced locally some excellent compost for free (Thanks be to God). For additional mulch and compost we may need a budget of up to $400.
Seeds
We will purchase heirloom seeds so we can practice seed saving and keep replanting. We need a budget of approximately $200 to start with to buy seeds from companies such as the examples below.
happyvalleyseeds.com.au
edenseeds.com.au
Plants
We need native plants to grow a natural hedge at the front of the property to make a barrier where our land meets the road. We also need native bush food and medicinal plants to incorporate all throughout the garden. Most of these can be bought from local bush care nurseries as tube stock for only $2 each. However, some plants need to be sourced from a special bush food nursery, and will cost more. Budget for this is up to $300.
Garden seats
We would also happily accept any donations of garden seats from anyone in the Mountains or Sydney.
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Summary of resources needed:
*Most immediate needs are highlighted
*Brothers and sisters to visit and walk with us
*Sound design materials
(Persian rugs, Cool room panels, Mass loaded vinyl, Drop sheets, Other sound absorption materials, Lounges)
Pianos (x 2)
Bass amp head and speaker
Microphone stands
Microphones
Green custom mixed paint
Paint- White and other colours
Mobile coffee set up
Small lounges for guest rooms (x 2)
Lounges that fold out to beds
Fold out beds
*Fence supplies
Mulch
Heirloom seeds
Plants
Garden seats