Sunday, 24 August 2008
Online Church Services
Today I felt too ill to attend church. I did attempt to walk there, but my stomach refused to behave, so I came back home, instead.
Not wanting to miss out on the chance to hear God's Word this Sunday morning, and curious about what is available online, I typed the following into Google: online sermon. I was surprised to find so many hits; some were for software that churches can use to broadcast their sermons on their own Websites, but many offered the chance to listen to a sermon online. I could also have tried "sermon podcast" as these keywords seem almost as popular as the ones I tried.
I decided to try SermonAudio.com and listened to a church service that was streamed live! This I found very thought-provoking, both for the message of the sermon and the very fact that I was watching and listening as it was happening! What a wonderful idea!
After the service, I remembered when I used to be able to go to an online 3D church and interact with other people at Church of Fools. Back in 2004, I think, I could go to online church services, or just wander around the church and talk to people about religion and faith, which I found a fantastic experience. However, after the trial period, the 3D church was only available for individual visits, and I really missed the experiences I had when I could meet other people there; the forum wasn't quite the same.
Today, having done a bit of research, I've learnt that there is now a new online church experience, possibly based on the Church of Fools idea, called St Pixels. They have a church space that looks more like an online chatroom, but they do regular services and discussions that sound like they could be right up my street! The next service is at 9pm tonight (BST), so I might try it out then and see what it's like. :)
In the meantime, Peace be with you!
