Design Elements

Light Bulb Wall Panels

Brent Wernsing from New Walk Church in Zephyrhills, Florida brings us these great modular light bulb wall panels.

Each week they meet in a YMCA (portable church) and setup Saturdays from 2pm-5pm then tear down Sunday nights at 8pm-10pm. They have 2 sheds on site and 2 portables for kids classes where they can store stuff.

They averaging about 1400 people each weekend, between four services.

To satisfy their portability needs, they decided to do walls in sections that they could attach to their truss. They truss is 12 feet high and 22 feet wide. So they made ten, 2×8′ panels out of plywood that they painted black. They made the panels out of 2×4 plywood – sturdy enough and as light as possible for setup and tear down ($250 on wood/paints/screws/etc). Then they added two, Crown Bolt 25 lb. Handy Hooks($1.27ea) from Home Depot to each panel to hang them to their trussing. They bent the hooks to help them hold more securely.

Once they had the panels done they drilled twelve 2.3 inch holes – evenly separated so the holes would span the entire panel. And those holes were duplicated in every panel so that it would line up all the way across the wall once it was all put together.

They bought five 48′ (56′ with 8ft of lead cord) strings from Party Lights.com. Each string holds 24 bulbs each. Since they only had 12 bulbs per panel, they ended up cutting the strings in half to have 24′ strings with 12 bulbs per string. They capped off the ends.

They had 10 panels total so they needed 120 bulbs and the string they purchased used 25watt A-19 Bulbs. They bought 130 bulbs to be safe. They bought their bulbs at Party Lights.com too.

They hooked each panel individually to a 4-channel DMX dimmer pack (five dimmer packs total).

To finish off the design they added nine par56 cans above the truss.

Versatility

For each series/event they simply add a logo in front of the light bulb wall panels.

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124 responses to “Light Bulb Wall Panels”

  1. Mike says:

    I go to this church! These guys are awesome, they are so creative and put a lot of thought in to what they do! I help with the tear down team and have lots of fun knowing that what we do brings life change to our community!

  2. /theRVK says:

    D you have any video of this set design? I’d love to see the light wall in action.

  3. Brent Wernsing says:

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2923770888960 <—– Iphone video of our student night. *not great quality audio but shows the light wall in action.

    Will post some more shortly.

  4. Dave Cofield says:

    How did you attach the strings to the panels?

    • Brent Wernsing says:

      Each socket on the string had a small lip. So we drilled the hole just the right size so all we had to do was twist it into the hole and it sat in them nice and snug. But just as an added measure we stapled the strings to the back of the panel.

  5. Ben Taylor says:

    Any chance I could get a copy of plans or specs from you guys? I’m loving this idea for our new youth room!

  6. Ben Taylor says:

    ben@alcwired.com

    Much appreciated! Thanks!

  7. Beth says:

    This is awesome! We might try this at our church. We did something similar with a “marquis” but this looks like a simpler approach. Good thinking! Question though, when you hung letters or signs in front of the bulbs, were you concerned about them getting hot and burning? How did you keep them safe?

  8. Beth says:

    Thanks for the info and reply. Love the idea and especially love how budget friendly it looks compared to other things we’ve been considering! Appreciate you guys sharing your ideas with the rest of us in “church world!” God bless!

  9. David says:

    Loving how the panels could be re-configured to adopt different set shapes etc.

  10. Grant Millard says:

    We did a similar thing at our church, only difference we had was 4′ x 8′ walls with 32 50w Par 30 bulbs. here’s a video demo of ours, its a little intense in the demo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFDaTLwk2G4&feature=youtu.be

  11. Andre Taylor says:

    I love it. I would love to do this. A few questions…How long did it take, about how much and may I have a copy of your plans to do this at our church? Thanks much

  12. Cody Patterson says:

    They are regular light bulbs right? How did you get some to be red and some white?

    • Brent Wernsing says:

      We just ordered different colored bulbs from 1000bulbs.com. They are A19 25watt Bulbs. and they are $1 or cheaper depending on the amount you buy.

  13. Todd Holmes says:

    Hey Brent,
    I have been wanting to do this stage design for a long time! it is awesome man!
    I want to do this for our student ministry!
    Can you send me the plans as well? my email address is toddjholmes@yahoo.com
    Also, where did you buy the actual light fixtures?
    Appreciate you sharing!

    • Brent Wernsing says:

      Fixtures were purchased from partylights.com

      • Todd Holmes says:

        Hey Brent we just finished our wall panel. we build it quite huge because of the size of our stage. it is about 10 ft/130ft.. we bought it and built it very similar from your plans. the only thing we did different was we built 4×8 panels. we got them all hung up and lights are on.

        Since I am not to knowledgeable we have a light company coming today (in a few hours) to tell us what we need to do to make it more then just dimming. I want to be able to do what you guys were doing on the facebook video of your service!

        my only question at this:
        How do I get them to chase, move the the music, the pulse looking lighting, etc?
        I noticed the post with the americandj link and the computer software. are you only able to do those features through the software?
        also, we are wanting this to be all wireless. does that cause any concerns?

        Thanks man..

  14. Ryan Albright says:

    Brent,

    I love it and been looking for a new design for our youth group. Can you email me the plans also?

    ryana@carmelbaptist.org

  15. Mike says:

    Brent,

    Can you please email me the plans. We are also a portable church and really like thid setup.

    Thanks much!

  16. Brent Wernsing says:

    If anyone re-makes the light wall I would love to see pictures of it.

  17. Mike says:

    Bent my meal is mike4j@gmail.com … Thanks! =]

  18. Jared says:

    Any chance I could get a copy of plans or specs from you guys? I’m loving this idea for our youth conference coming up. It looks great. I am needing specific plans on making the panels and mounting the sockets. Thanks jhight@crossroads72.com

  19. Seth says:

    I would really like to see your plans for the wall as well. My email is sethpenley@me.com. Thanks a lot.

  20. Abriel Wuellner says:

    Could you please send us a copy of your plans as well.

    Thanks!

    wuellnerfamily@gmail.com

  21. Chad Petersen says:

    Love this idea & the portability of it! So many ideas & different set-ups for the panels! May i get a copy of the plans? pchad@nwaog.com

  22. Mark Supak says:

    I absolutely love this! Ive been looking to for something portable for our youth church. Could you please send us a copy of your plans? Thank you so much for your time

    trademarkfiles@gmail.com

  23. Mike Mallory says:

    This is an awesome idea. Love to get the plans as well. radiophive@gmail.com – Thanks in advance!

  24. Alex says:

    We built the boards…they came out GREAT! Quick question, how are you controlling the chase functions on the dimmer pack. I connected it to DMX but it only acts as a dimmer. Is someone standing backstage triggering the chase scenes? Did you program your own chase scenes using a DMX controller? Any info would be much appreciated. alex@steelecreek.org

  25. Chris Kopp says:

    I was also seeing if you could send me the design plans on that also. It looks like something that we could definitely do in our youth building.
    Thanks Chris

  26. Colin says:

    Could you email me the plans as well.
    colinjarnold@windstream.net
    Thanks and God bless!

    • Colin says:

      Also, how did you guys do the letters in the sun stands still picture? I love that.

      • Brent Wernsing says:

        The Sun Stand Still Design was made from 1inch 4×8 Foam Core, with see through fabric behind it. We projected the Sun Stand Still Letter onto the foam core, traced it out, cut it out and then stapled the fabric to the back.

  27. Justin says:

    Can I get the plans as well?

    Thanks,
    Justin. Justinorr94@gmail.com

  28. Rotimi says:

    love the design, would love to try this in our teen church. Could you email me the plans. Thanks, keep up the inspiring work.

  29. Rotimi says:

    love the design, would love to try this in our teen church. Could you email me the plans. Thanks, keep up the inspiring work. My email is prtakinola@yahoo.com

  30. ej mirelez says:

    Love it! Could you please send me the plans as well? ejmirelez@citylifechurch.cc

  31. David Devore says:

    Brent, I would love to get a copy of the plans as well! We’re planning to do this design at our mobile service in downtown Pittsburgh. How did y’all transport this set? I’m assuming you took the bulbs out, what did you store them in?
    Thanks!

    • Brent Wernsing says:

      Hey Dave I will send the plans over to you. As to how we transported it, with our muscles. ;) We just carry them in and out and no actually we do not take the bulbs out each time. For a couple reasons by mainly time. They bulbs are much more durable then you would think. And in the last 8 months that we’ve used the panels, we’ve only broken 6-7 bulbs during transport.

      If panels are going off-site being transported in a trailer or vehicle then you might want to consider taking the bulbs out.

  32. David Devore says:

    Forgot my email. It’s david.devore@pittsburgheast.com

  33. Another request for the plans, sorry for so many. Actually if you can get me a set of them I can host them on my site so everyone else can just download it.

  34. John Shelton says:

    Week in and week out I get to witness the brilliant design ideas of Brent Wernsing. Not only is he a great set designer, he is an even better better Youth Pastor! He keeps “church in a box” fresh and different for all those attending.

  35. Brent Wernsing says:

    Here is a link to the plans for anyone who wants them.
    http://mynewwalk.com/downloads/lightwallplans.pdf

  36. Brent Wernsing says:

    Also, just wanted to share our latest stage design for our Series Make War

    http://www.mynewwalk.com/downloads/makewar.jpg

  37. Matt Franzen says:

    Hey I would love to get a copy of the plans for this. Love the idea and would like to see how it would benefit our stage as well! thanks!

    matt.franzen@lifepointplano.org

  38. Michael Fischer says:

    hey would love to get a copy of those plans swell! this is a great idea! michaellfischer@gmail.com

  39. Andrew Brenden says:

    Hey Brent great design. Like everyone else i would like to be able to get your plans. pastorandrew@lwcjonesboro.org thanks man.

  40. Justin says:

    Looks awesome I like the 3886 other people would love to steal… I mean see you plans. Email is justin@audacityChurch.tv

  41. Cameron D. says:

    Could I get the plans as well?
    Ctdorsey@gmail.com

  42. Ricky Majuta says:

    Great Design!! Can I have a copy?? Just kidding, I saw that you already posted them ;) I had a question about the Dimmer Packs. Each channel on the dimmer pack has 2 outlets. Do you just not use one, or does each panel have two male prongs that fit into each channel? Also, if you have 9 can lights above the wall (each with their own channel) did you have to buy 3 dimmer packs for those? I guess I’m just a bit confused about how the dimmer packs work and all. I’d appreciate any of your help on that. Thx!

    • Brent Wernsing says:

      4 Lights per dimmer pack. Not utilizing all 8 outlets.

      On our Sun Stand Still Design:
      9 Can Lights
      9 Light Wall Panels
      18 Total. 18/4 = 4.5 so we used 5 dimmer packs total and we had extra channels open on the 5th pack.

      Hope that helps.

  43. Pete Campbell says:

    Can I get a copy of the plans as well? Great job!

  44. Trey Kiessling says:

    Would love to get the plans for this please treykiessling@gmail.com,

    Thanks in advance

  45. Brent Wernsing says:

    Here is a link to the plans for anyone who wants them.
    http://mynewwalk.com/downloads/lightwallplans.pdf

  46. Kurt says:

    Thank you!

  47. Nate Flowers says:

    Hey Brent, I’d love to do this for a special event I have coming up! Can you email me the plans at nflowers643@hotmail.com?

    Thanks!

  48. Fabio Garcia says:

    Can I also get the plans?
    Thanks

  49. Lauren says:

    Hey I was wondering if you need to buy the dimmer packs or if the design can work without them? This is a great idea, I’m currently putting together a plan to present to my youth pastor (I am interning and designing our youth room) but am trying to find a way to cut down the cost. Thanks!

    • Brent Wernsing says:

      If you want your panels to do anything besides just be on, you will need dimmer packs. but if you just want them always on, you wont need any dimmer packs.

  50. Alex says:

    Is there anyway I can get a copy of plans from this project?! I love it so much! My email is: zumazuma157@gmail.com

  51. Jayden says:

    Hey could I get the plans too? Email: jayden.friesen@gmail.com
    Thanks.

  52. Paul Schumacher says:

    Can you please send me the plans. Our pastor wants this built for Easter Sunday.

  53. Paul Schumacher says:

    Email address is paul.schumacher@generator.com

  54. Daniel Braeutigam says:

    Could you send me the plans by any chance? I’m seriously digging these!
    My email is danbraeut@gmail.com

  55. Trenton Herald says:

    Hey I would love a copy of the specs for this project as well if at all possible! Thanks a lot…

  56. Dustin says:

    Can i have a copy of your plans? Thanks.

  57. Billy Kilmer says:

    Could you send a copy of those plans to me at Billy_kilmer13@hotmail.com Thank you

  58. John says:

    Can I get a copy of those plans. lhill214@hotmail.com. Thanks a lot!

  59. Facundo says:

    Can I also get a copy of those great looking lights to use at my church youth conference, My email is polo.facu@gmail.com Thank you!

  60. Dan says:

    Hey!

    This is so nice! Could i also get a copy of the plans? dan@brohede.com

  61. Would love the specs for this look as well…thanks! ljohnson@purposechurch.org

  62. Desiree says:

    Hey Brent,

    First off great job on this design! I know it’s been a while but if you still have the plans could I get a copy as well, my email is dcarrillo@thehouse.ws

    Thanks,
    Dez

  63. chad gonzales says:

    I clicked the link for the download, but it gives an error message on your website. Any chance you could email it to me? Thanks.

  64. Sarah says:

    Great design! We are looking at doing something similar. Would you be so kind as to email the plans to me? I’d really appreciate it!!!! My email is sarah@crosscurrent.tv

    Thanks so much!

  65. Jeremy says:

    This is an amazing setup! We are wanting to do this for our main church setup. All the links in the comments below are not working. I’d really Appreciate the details to these plans. Info@wearerelevant.org

  66. Alfred says:

    clicked the link for the download, but it gives an error message on your website. Any chance you could email it to me? Thanks…..email address is alfredwiafe102@hotmail.com

  67. Adam says:

    Hi! I’d like a copy of the plans as well. Very interested in doing this background stage design for our church! email is lifebridgemv@gmail.com

  68. Jordan says:

    These look great! Would love to see the plans. jordan.warren@live.com. Thanks in advance!!!

  69. TJ Wallace says:

    could you send me the specs for this bro? so good! my email is tjwallace7291@gmail.com. thanks!

  70. Rebekah says:

    Hi- sorry, I know this thread is really old, but I love this design and would love to get a copy of the plans as well! The original link seems to be not working anymore, but if you could email them to me, I would so appreciate it!
    Email: rebekahak@yahoo.com

    Thank you so much!

  71. Nate Roseti says:

    Hi are the plans posted anywhere? I would love them if possible. My email is nateroseti@yahoo.com

  72. I would love a copy of the plans as well, if they’re still available

  73. Louis Krutz says:

    Love the plans as well if you have them still
    Lou@thewellts.com

  74. Nora says:

    Hi! I too would love the plans if you still have them! My email is nora.g.88@gmail.com. Would be so appreciative! Thanks!

  75. Adam Sharkey says:

    Well after 8 years the design still is lit…sorry…I had to…Can I get a copy of the plans? I tried the PDF but the link was broke. Asharkey08@gmail.com

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