MARTIN AUDIO FLEXPOINT PROVIDES A PERFECT FIT FOR WINDMARK BEACH CHURCH
Windmark Beach Church, set in the coastal community in Port St. Joe, Florida, is a campus plant of Hiland Park Baptist Church, a major Southern Baptist congregation based in nearby Panama City. Originally established as a portable “church in a box” setup, the congregation has transitioned into a dedicated, permanent facility within the WindMark Village Center following an extensive design, fundraising, and build process. To deliver high-performance sound reinforcement for its modern worship services, the new sanctuary has been equipped with a complete Martin Audio system, designed, supplied, and installed by S&L Integration.
The sanctuary itself presented unique acoustic and physical constraints, most notably low ceilings, structural columns, and tight sightlines that required a compact yet powerful point-source approach rather than line arrays.
As Reece Antley, Technical Director at Windmark Beach Church describes: “My biggest concern was during the design phase. With the space we had - lower ceilings, an odd-shaped sanctuary with columns in the middle - I was worried about how it was going to work and how it was going to sound when we finished.”
The FlexPoint FP12 was a perfect fit for the space, both in terms of size and performance
Gage Helton, Director of Operations at S&L Integration confirms, “The ceiling was a little lower than we would have liked! But this just meant we couldn’t install large boxes, instead requiring speakers that could tuck up high to keep sightlines in check.”
The solution came in the form of Martin Audio’s FlexPoint Series, a premium point source loudspeaker delivering exceptional coverage and sonic performance in a compact, low-profile enclosure. S&L Integration used Martin Audio’s 3D prediction software, DISPLAY3, to model the room, designing an acoustic environment capable of generating a maximum average SPL of up to 100 dBA with even coverage of +/- 2.5 dB throughout the seating area.
The final sanctuary installation comprises a front left/right pair of FlexPoint FP12 cabinets, supplemented by a further pair of FP12s positioned approximately halfway back into the room acting as delays. Low-frequency extension is provided by a pair of flown Martin Audio SXC215 cardioid subwoofers, arranged in an end-fire configuration to steer low-end energy downward and distribute bass evenly throughout the space while keeping unwanted spill off the platform.
“The FlexPoint FP12 was a perfect fit for the space, both in terms of size and performance,” confirms Helton.
The installation has received high praise from church leadership, both for the quality of the sound field and the close collaboration throughout the project.
“I had experience working with S&L years ago in a corporate environment,” says Danny Hatchell, Executive Pastor at Windmark Beach Church. “They had the credentials and the resume to reassure our staff and decision-makers, demonstrating where they’ve successfully done this before. They brought their talent, shared their background experience, and walked us through the entire process. They helped us make wise choices early on that continue to pay dividends today.”
Antley is equally impressed with both the technical outcome and collaboration between integrator and manufacturer: “Originally, I came in thinking about line arrays. That’s where S&L was fantastic - we sat down and discussed what line arrays would actually look like in a room of this size. We couldn’t be happier with the installed Martin Audio FlexPoint solution. Martin Audio came in and tuned the room, offering great ideas that we hadn’t considered. The collaboration between S&L and Martin Audio in delivering the success of this project for our congregation made this my favourite aspect of the entire build process.”
