Phenix City First Assembly of God Looks to GC Pro for SupportGuitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, has built a strong relationship with Jonathan "JT" Thornton, the worship pastor at Phenix City First Assembly of God, a "lively, upbeat, encouraging, and Spirit-led" church led by senior pastor Barry Danner in Phenix City, on the Alabama-Georgia state line. Thornton has been working closely with Brad Lyons, his account manager at the GC Pro office in Atlanta. "I need a trusting relationship with someone who can help me take my church forward, Thornton states. "I found that with GC Pro." Lyons and his team worked closely with Thornton over the two years he's been at the First Assembly of God church, helping him choose an entire new PA system for the main sanctuary, new projectors for the space's video, and even two Yamaha keyboards for the church's 10-piece praise band. GC Pro sourced a Yamaha LS9 console, an entire JBL VRX line array system, an Ashly Audio NE24.24 8 X 12 processor, Crown XTi power amplifiers, and upgrades to the church's existing Sennheiser evolution wireless microphone system, as well as BenQ SH960 6,000 lumen projectors, Kramer VP728 video scaler/switcher, and Lyntec PDS-10 power sequencing system. Thornton says there are two key principles that guide him: the need to find the equipment that best fits the church's needs and that also best fits its budgets. "You need to have the quality that stands up over time and that keeps the church's AV systems current for as long as possible, but I also have to be a steward of the church's resources, to allow the technology to best further its evangelical goals in the community," he explains. "To do that, I need a relationship with someone whom I trust who also knows what our goals are, knows the rooms we have to work in, and understands our budget concerns." The collaboration with GC Pro has been a good one so far, and Thornton says some additional upgrades are under consideration, including possibly adding in-ear monitoring for the sanctuary stage. And through it all, he will turn to GC Pro: "I do have to do my due diligence and check out different options for equipment," says Thornton. "You can call around and get quotes all day, but ultimately there are certain people you trust, and for me that someone has been Brad." 
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