Overanalyzing Where the Best Seat is in the Auditorium

I'm an analyst, it's part of my personality make-up and probably evident from my blog entries. If it hasn't been evident, this should make it blatantly apparent. Let me disect the location of the best seat in the Grace Church Auditorium.

I've identified at least five criteria to consider when selecting a seat in the Auditorium: lighting, temperature, accoustics, sight and aisle.

Lighting - Since we use incandescent lights in the room to give it a softer feel, lighting can be a challenge sometimes when I look at my Bible during services. If lighting is of high concern, look at the ceiling before you sit down and find a seat that is a few feet directly behind a light. By sitting behind the light, the rays should fall in front of you on your Bible. If your seat is directly underneath or behind a light, your body will cast a shadow over your Bible creating a human eclipse.

Temperature - I've written previously about the temperature settings in the Auditorium, but there may be some other steps you can try. If you feel a draft, look at the ceiling and identify where the air vents are located. The ceiling vents are designed to distribute the air away from the vent itself, so my theory is that if you sit directly beneath a vent you should have less of a draft. The room is so large that I'm not sure you'll notice a difference, but if it's really a concern, it's worth a try. On the flip side, if you don't like stagnant air try to sit between air vents.

Accoustics - The Auditorium is equipped with two rows of speakers that are parrallel to the rows of seats, one row in front of the stage and one row around the middle of the room. In terms of the sound amplified through the sound system, the quietest seats in the building are the first 1-3 rows of seats at the very front of the room. It depends on how the chairs were setup, but the majority of the time, those rows are in front of all the speakers, so the sound waves from the system do not reach those seats whatsoever. If you're uncomfortable sitting up front, sit directly underneath or just in front of the second row of speakers. If you prefer things loud, sit just a few rows behind the speakers where they should be pointing right at you, you'll be in the direct line of fire of the sound waves coming from the system. If you are hearing impaired, we have listening devices for your use each Sunday morning; ask an usher for assistance.

Sight - There's a little boy who's in the service every now and then who has the best view of the stage than anyone I've observed - he sits on his Dad's shoulders (Dad happens to be about 6'8"). If you don't have a friend who is 6'8" and will let you sit on their shoulders, try sitting closer to the front of the room. During the 9 a.m. service, there are usually seats available up front, you'll have to arrive a little early as the front seats are usually taken. The screens are a big help too. And of course, sit behind someone who is less tall. Maybe we should have stilts available in addition to the listening devices?

Aisle - Back when we were flying to and from the Philippines, especially once my legs were longer, I never quite figured out which airline seats were the most ideal - the window or the aisle. The same goes in the Auditorium.

My Seat - I generally try to sit near the rear of the room close to the aisle, that way if I need to leave the room I can do so without interrupting a lot of people. If it weren't for that, I'd prefer to closer to the front so that as the congregation sings, I can hear people singing behind me.