Considering a Podcast

I'm always fascinated by new technology, gadgets, gizmos, and software. I particularly like to think about ways that technology can be used to help share the Gospel with people who might not walk through the doors of a church. (This is why I invest time and energy into radio, television, and internet ministry.)

My latest fascination has involved the podcasting of sermons. If you don't know what a podcast is, it's kind of like a radio-broadcast on demand. You can subscribe to a podcast feed, and when you sync up your iPod/MP3 player, the new episode appears there for you to listen to at your convenience. People are making podcasts out of everything--from daily rants, to actual radio-style shows that are getting national attention.

As you might imagine, the podcast format could be great for sermons. Many churches have been uploading audio files of sermons on their website for some time, but it requires that listeners go to the site each week and check for the latest edition. It's only a few more steps for a technical team that is already recording and uploading a sermon to make it available as a subscription feed. With people already setting up their MP3 players as podcast players, those sermons ought to be set up as a subscription feed so more people will tune in each week.

My hindrance is primarily in the recording of the sermon. I have all the needed tools to produce a podcast, except that right now all I have is an analog tape deck connected to the output of the soundsytem. This would require playing back the sermon into the computer each week, and manipulating the audio file to reduce tape hiss. I don't have a CD recorder, nor can I put the computer next to the soundsystem each week to make the recording.

One solution I've considered is a digital voice recorder with a line-in jack. Or, even better (since I don't already have one), would be an MP3 player that's capable of recording from any source through a line-in jack. I could simply run a cable from the tape-out on the soundsystem, and hit the record button on the MP3 player. At the end of the day, it would hook into the computer via a USB cable, and I could edit the file, add bookends, and upload the podcast.

iRiver makes an MP3 player that I think would fit the bill. The IFP-795T has 512mb of storage, a line-in jack, and USB connectivity. So, I'm thinking of getting one of those with any Christmas cash that comes my way. Before I do, I'm curious if anyone has any experience with any of these things: podcasts, voice recorders, MP3 player/recorders, etc. I'd love to hear from you...just leave a comment below, or send me an email at jon at yourchurchweb dot net.

I'm also going to see if one of my friends can help me out with professionally produced bookends that would go on either side of the sermon file. Little touches like that simply help a project stand out among all of the potential podcasts that are out there. So, it will take some time, but I'm hoping to have this all put together and working by the new year.

Hey...while we're at it...I might as well give you the opportunity--if you'd like to contribute to the podcast project, you can always send money! :) I figure I need about $130-150 to set everything up. I'd love to have your help in funding this project--donations can be made through the Amazon Honor System.

Thanks for reading!

Grace and Peace,

PastorJon

[3/6/06 Update: I have now launched this podcast. The iRiver works well, connected right to the sound system. You can browse the underlying blog which drives the podcast at http://www.yourchurchweb.net/sermons/sermons.html. Or, you can enter this feed address in your favorite podcatcher: http://feeds.feedburner.com/JonTwitchellSermons. Please let me know how it works for you. Grace and Peace, PastorJon]