I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Right there in the middle of the church service area was something I hadn’t seen or used for decades: an OHP.

Yes, an Overhead Projector. For the uninformed (or the young), the OHP is defined as “a device that projects an enlarged image of an acetate or other transparency placed on it onto a wall or screen by means of an overhead mirror.”

I had brought my mother to a Hokkien church service. As I looked around I surmised that the ‘youngest’ person there (not counting the maids who wheeled the members into the service) must be about 60 years old. One lady sat on a chair behind the projector, replacing each transparency as we sang along. Could some younger person have come in with a laptop and PowerPoints? Probably.

But are OHPs really obsolete? Are there advantages to using an OHP in worship?

I can think of several. The most important would be that it allows our senior members to continue to serve the church. Many might not know how to prepare and project a PowerPoint slide. And even those who do, might find it too cumbersome to put together a presentation each week. Having OHP transparencies kept in a properly labeled folder, makes it easy for whomever is serving that day to pick out songs and place them in order for singing a few minutes before the service begins.

You don’t have to turn the lights off to use an OHP. This might be preferable for older people who prefer not to be in the dark.

PowerPoint slides can become the focus of attention rather than the speaker. As someone put it, “The slideshow is not the presentation. You are the presentation.” Preaching without PowerPoint is a different beast. The ability to hold attention and leave a memorable imprint using modulation of your voice, good stories and so on, can be lost when we get too enamored with the visuals.

Is there still a place for the OHP? Westside Toastmasters, for Public Speaking and Leadership Education, says YES. Regardless, as I looked at the people in that congregation, most of them in their 70’s and 80’s, I realised that it is what they are most comfortable with. And they love that they can still serve their Lord by serving the Body. 

OHP users might well be a dying breed. But, literally. “Old Tech” still has its place. The projector is their trusty companion as they sing praises to their Lord.

Mary Yeo-Carpenter is loving her status as a younger oldie.  She prays that the promise of Psalm 92:14 will be true of her.