Here are some frequently asked questions regarding our products. If your particular question is not answered here, please email or phone us.
Who are you and why do you make lecterns?
Procson Pulpits is mostly a family affair. The owner and head designer is Stephen Procter. Stephen started out as product designer for a design consultancy in Sydney. He was then approached to design some church furniture for some local churches, among them Hillsong Church. He was asked to design a church lectern by one church, and then another and then another. He worked long hours researching and developing the shape, style, ergonomics, geometry and methods of manufacture for what is now his best selling Arc lectern. In fact, the Arc2 is now the best it has ever been. Slowly the business grew to the point we are now. We are Australia’s best selling lectern and sell our products all over the world. Stephens wife, Elizabeth is head of sales and marketing and Elizabeth’s parents in the UK are Procson’s dream team overseeing European sales.
Do we need anti reflective film?
If you have a projector screen behind the preacher you will probably need this to prevent light reflecting off the lectern top onto the screen. In this case, lights from above the stage reflect off the lectern top and onto the projector screen. You can test for this by turning on your stage lights and holding an old style (shiny) CD case where the pulpit top would be (or use a piece of shiny plastic or a mirror) . If you get unsightly reflections, you need the film. If you need it on the lectern, you will almost certainly need it on the table as well (unless the pastor is buying it for his office).
Click here to understand more about anti reflective film.
Do I need covers?
Almost all churches order these as they help prolong the life of the tops. They are a fabric cover which help to keep the lectern and/or table top scratch and dust free when not in use. They are essential if the pulpit and/or table are to be moved around. The table and lectern covers are made from elastic edged cotton drill. A replacement top costs about £130 (more with anti reflective film) so you could say a cover is a good investment.
Click to purchase a cover.
How do I clean, care for and carry my pulpit?
Please click here for the 'Pulpit Cleaner' page for instructions on cleaning and carrying the pulpits.
OR
Click here to download church lectern lifting and care brochure.
Do you have showrooms? Can I come and see your pulpits and tables?
Sorry! We only show our pulpits at exhibitions. We do however, have a money back guarantee; 'love it or send it back'. No one has sent one back yet, but if you were to order, receive and for some reason not like your new pulpit, we will refund all of your money. Our customers say the pulpits always look better 'in person' than in the photographs.
We do exhibit at the
Christian Resources Exhibiton every year, if you would like to see us and our lecterns then. You can also purchase lecterns and tables from us there.
Are the pulpits guaranteed?
Yes, for 1 year. However, if you break a top within the first 12 months, a new top will be half price. This is since it is often very difficult to tell how a top has been broken. It might have had small knocks over time (for example while going through doorways) and then it breaks all of a sudden.
We expect the base and stem to last for a very long time. The top is less strong. You will need to be careful of it. Please beware of doorways- small knocks add up to a top that eventually cracks. If it becomes scratched or broken over time, you can of course purchase a replacement top.
Are the pulpits stable?
Yes - you need to push it 15-20 degrees before it will start to fall (the most stringent international standard for lighting is 15 degrees.) We have put a lot of effort into getting the centre of gravity low and in the correct place. You can place a laptop on the far corner, place a heavy book on top of that (a big bible) and it will not topple. On the other hand, it has a tension bar running through the stem which gives it some flexibility. This flexibility is essential if the top is given a shock.
You talk a lot about churches, do other organizations purchase them?
Certainly. Law firms, schools, city councils, universities, hotels, restaurants, conference centers, even the United Nations in New York City has purchased two. Chicago airport has one.
How high is the pulpit to the bottom of the ledge?
The height to the ledge is 101cm/ 39.8". This suits 95% of the population. In fact, in all the pulpits we have made we have never needed to change this height.
Do the pulpits and tables come made up or do I need to assemble them?
We transport the Arc and Arc water table flat in special boxes. This saves money on freight and prevents them from being damaged during transit.
Are they easy to assemble?
Very. Instructions are included. We have had a Korean customer say it took 9 minutes to assemble even without being able to read the English part of the instructions (it includes pictures). We have never heard of a church having trouble assembling the Arc pulpits.
We are worried about reflections: what do you suggest?
If you plan to regularly film your church meetings and services, we recommend anti reflective film. You can order this already applied at the time of pulpits purchase (see 'Arc Pulpits' page for price). However if you purchase your pulpit and afterwards decide you need anti reflective film, your church can get it applied by a local sign writer. We can give you the specification for the film (it is a 3M product). Well known churches like Hillsong Church, Sydney have the film on all of their Arc pulpits and tables and use them on international television. It looks great on TV/camera (you can hardly tell).
Click here to understand more about anti reflective film.
Did you make the pulpit at Hillsong Church?
Yes. Hillsong Church, Sydney and all of the Hillsong campuses all over the world have several of our Arc pulpits, which they use in a range of meetings, including weekend services and conferences. You may have also seen one of our pulpits being used by Phil Baker from Riverview Church (WA, Australia), many C3 churches world wide, St Andrews Cathedral and the Sydney Opera House.
Do you have a pulpit with adjustable height?
Yes we do. You have probably heard of ergonomics which is the study of human interaction with furniture and objects. Our pulpits are designed using anthropometric ergonomic data (the same ergonomic data the designers at Boeing use to design airplane interiors). We found that by using a height of approximately 101cm (40 '') to the bottom of the lip and an angle of approximately 20 degrees for the top, that a pulpit will suit 95% of adult male and females. Having said that we do make an adjustable version of the Arc2 if you need it.
Click here to see it.
Can I have my podium in black? Or any other colour?
A
black version of this lectern is available from our Australian website. Our best selling items are kept in stock in the UK but a wider range is available from
Procson.com.au. Bear in mind, ordering from our Australian website may take longer for shipping and you will need to pay VAT to HM Customs as it enters the UK.
How do I order and pay?
Use the shopping cart feature on this website and pay by credit card, paypal, direct bank transfer or cheque. If you would prefer to not buy online, please email your order to mike@procson.co.uk or call us on +44 7810 714 291.
I am ordering from overseas. Will I therefore have to pay customs and duties?
Unfortunately, duties and customs charges in your country are out of our control. You may need to pay charges if your government imposes them. You will therefore need to pay any of these. You may be required to pay such duties or customs taxes before the goods can be cleared at customs in your country. We have a small UK office and warehouse, so anything you order from this website will be sent from the UK.
UK customers
If you order from www.procson.co.uk and you are in the UK, your order will be sent out from the UK, so you will not be charged VAT.
EU customers
Since Brexit, some European Union countries are charging VAT/ sales tax/ Mehrwertsteuer, Some are not. You may need to pay VAT to your country’s customs as it arrives.
We keep our most popular items in stock in the UK. If you see something on your Australian website that is not on the UK website, you can order from
www.procson.com.au. This will be sent from Australia however, so you may need to pay VAT or sales tax. This is charged by your government. Unfortunately this is out of our control, so you will need to pay it.
Other European countries (not EU) (for example Switzerland)
You can order from www.procson.co.uk or
www.procson.com.au.
In this case you may be charged VAT or sales tax (Mehrwertsteuer) etc. This is charged by your government. Unfortunately this is out of our control, so you will need to pay it.
Are you from a high duty country? Or are you visiting the UK or Australia? Or do you have a friend in the USA?
If you are going to South America, Africa, or another country with high duties, you might want to take a lectern with you. Many customers also take pulpits with them home from the UK or Australia. Other customers get their pulpit sent to a friend in the USA, then collect it from there . This works well because the box is easy to carry and not heavy (it has a handle).
A lectern is 12kg in a box (size 104cm x 8cm x 52cm). You can easily check this in with the airline (like a suitcase).
An water table is approximately 8kg in a box (72 x 8 x 52cm). You can easily check this in with the airline as you would your suitcases.
99% of the time your government won't charge duties/ taxes at the airport when you arrive home. We have many customers who do this. We always travel with pulpits when going overseas.
Can I change the height of Arc church lecterns?
Obviously the adjustable Arc lectern can have the height changed whenever you like. Another option is to get a fixed height Arc lectern with a stem that is permanently taller or shorter than normal, for example if the pastors using it are all particularly tall or short. The stem length is changed during manufacture.
Height changes are in increments of 2" (5cm) above or below the standard stem height of 40" (101cm) to the bottom of the lip (where the bible or notes rest). Please let us know your preference:
2" (5cm) or 4" (10cm) taller than the standard pulpit height of 40" (101cm) to the bottom of the lip,
or
2" (5cm) or 4" (10cm) than the standard pulpit height of 40" (101cm) to the bottom of the lip.
Height changes are $ 90. Likewise height changes to the Arc table are also possible.
Click here for more details for the adjustable Arc and height changes.
Do you exhibit in the USA or UK?
Yes; we exhibit every 2 years at the AG assembly/conference (for Assembly of God churches) in the USA (it only happens every 2 years, otherwise we would be there every year!). We have exhibited at the City Bible Church conference in Portland Oregon also and at Hillsong Conference NYC.
In the UK, we exhibit every year at the Christian Resources Exhibition at the Excel Area, London. It is to meet our pulpit customers face to face. We also meet a surprising number of American pastors at the Hillsong conference in Sydney Australia (some of them appeared again at the AG assembly!)
Why does your podium only have one stem?
Some early models had 3 stems. They were more rigid, but we found they were a lot less popular with churches. Some church leaders say that the Arc podium is less distracting than some other lecterns, and helps the church congregation to concentrate fully on the message. We tried many, many podium designs. We show them privately and at conferences like Hillsong here in Australia. It becomes quickly obvious which podiums are preferred. Then we work on them, testing them in the local market. By the time we get around to exporting, it is a great product. We prefer to take one popular pulpit design and improve it so it is the best church podium in the world, rather than be making a wide range of podiums that are all second rate. We used to make several podium designs that were cheaper, but Australian churches didn't like them as much, and voted with their purchases. We would have preferred that they did because in many ways since the Arc is so difficult to make. However the upside is that the churches realized that long after the price is forgotten, they still have the pleasure of a great podium. You must be joking; it is only a bit of round metal with a tube and a bit of acrylic for the top- it can’t be that complicated? It would seem so. It is indeed easy to do a bad job of making a podium, but difficult to do it very, very well. Our podiums have no visible welds, no visible screws and are lighter than almost all other lecterns on the market that we know.
Where are your lecterns made?
We make all of our lecterns and tables here in Australia because we are obsessed with quality. We insist on using premium materials and owner and designer Stephen Procter oversees the production of every lectern. We care about our customers getting the very best product for their money and constantly make changes to improve our products. We constantly check the quality of the materials used and our methods of manufacture to make sure you get a stunning product, as a great price, which will last you many years. We have custom-made most of the machinery involved in making our products and we employ a fantastic team of dedicated specialists. This has meant that we are Pulpit Specialists! We have a small design studio and factory in Sydney, Australia.
How do I attach a microphone?
Yes, an version with microphone mounts is available on our
Australian website. Our most popular items are kept in stock in the UK but a wider range is available from
Procson.com.au. Bear in mind, ordering for our Australian website may take longer from shipping and you will need to pay VAT to HM Customs as it enters the UK.
Why should I buy a lectern from you and not get a cheaper copy?
There are many advantages in buying from us.
- We are pulpit specialists. We have been making these for many years, so any problems have been solved. You are not part of a ‘ first run’ test. We anticipate that problems with the copy lecterns will start to show after 12 months use.
- It is from the designers hand, so small differences like the radius where the stem joins the flared cones, makes the stem look more fluid. The designer’s proportions and exact finishes have been maintained, so you get a more pleasing look to the eye.
- The finish is brushed all over so that you don’t get nasty reflections from stage lighting.
- It is made from stainless steel 304. This is excellent quality.
- If the unthinkable happens and you were to break a top, you can buy a replacement from us.
- There are no visible screws.
- The stem is welded. A cheap copy (we have inspected it) has screws to join the end-flared parts. This will loosen over time.
- Each stem is ‘balanced’ by us using special jigs and techniques. This means that the top will sit straight. Our stems costs a lot more to make than the copy stems, but there is no way we would make them like that. They are not reliable and we don’t want to deal with unhappy churches calling us in a years time.
- Our Arc 1 and Arc 2 lecterns are more lightweight – easy to lift with one hand.
- ALL of our lecterns are made in Australia. This means that we can keep a close eye on the manufacture and production of each lectern. Don't be fooled by cheap imitations!
Can the communion trays go in a dishwasher?
We recommend hand washing (they will survive a dishwasher for a while but all plastic eventually begins to degrade in the dishwasher which might cause them to eventually split when you push in the lid.)
In reality washing them by hand means just rinsing them, so it almost ends up being the same time as loading them in a dishwasher, unloading etc.
What kind of cups are used in the communion trays?
Small plastic cups which are available from most online church supplies are suitable (normally around £20 per 1000). They are approximately 2-3 cm in diameter and 3 cm high. Glasses can similarly be used.
Can you use bread in the communion trays?
In the area in centre of the tray is where you place bread (cut into small pieces) or wafers or water crackers that have been broken up.
How many cups does each communion tray carry?
32 cups (previously it was 28 cups)
How high can you stack the communion trays?
We recommend up to 6 high, but we have seen a stack of fully laden communion trays up to 20 high carried with ease. A pip on each foot of the tray fits into the tray below helping to keep them to stack safely.
