Strange place to get perfect zoom audio from

In our chapel in Alberta Canada I found a direct audio signal from the pulpit to a female jack under the sacrament table. We then send that signal with a RODE II to an iPad in the back of the chapel. I had to change the signal from line level to microphone level with an adapter but there is no need for a distracting second microphone on the pulpit. There is also a cassette recorder installed in the sacrament table. Very strange. Using the pulpit microphone as the source in combination with the Zoom noise suppression gives a great result with no fuss.

In 2004, at a walk-through of a new meetinghouse conducted by the consultant who did final tuning of the building's audio systems, the consultant stated the purpose for that line-level audio feed and cassette recorder is to enable the wards to record sacrament meetings (except for the ordinance itself) to take to shut-ins.

From what I gather, the cassette recorder is a standard feature, but I've never been in a ward that uses it or even had the cassette recorder itself installed.