Minister "raptured" at opening service
11 May 2004
Above: The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, stands next to his onscreen avatar, which led the first Church of Fools service. Photo: Richard Watt
Church of Fools got off to a flying start on Tuesday May 11th, until a computer crashed somewhere in York, England. At the computer was Rev. Jem Clines, who was logged into the church as its minister. His onscreen character, wearing a dark suit and a dog collar, turned to face the sanctuary wall and then simply disappeared, as Rev. Clines' computer died some 225 miles away.
Clergypeople are familiar with mid-service disasters, however, and the bishop, who was due only to preach the sermon, stepped forward to lead the service too.
The opening service in Church of Fools took place at the Christian Resources Exhibition in Surrey, UK, and drew a crowd of 1,000 people online, visiting from places as far apart as New Hampshire, Glasgow and Western Australia.
Several journalists were given VIP pews to take part in worship. Said Giles Wilson, who writes for BBC News Online magazine: "These people are praying together, and that is as real as if they were standing in the same room. That they are in a dozen different towns and countries seems a trifling matter."
Ruth Gledhill, religion correspondent for The Times of London, was an enthusiastic worshipper: "Personally, I found that after 44 years of deference, it was heaven being able to wear a low-cut t-shirt and tight blue jeans to church, and even better to be able to type in 'zzzzzzzzzz' as the bishop preached (even though it was a good sermon)."
The service included a hymn, prayers, the collection (via mobile phone) and the Lord's Prayer, which the congregation were invited to say in the language and version they knew best. They responded by keying in the famous prayer in English, French and Latin.
The sermon, by the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev. Richard Chartres, called for Christians to actively participate in the culture of the internet and to see the web as a gift from God. He said: "Let us use this gift, which has been given to our generation, to heal and not to hurt, to open spiritual ears and eyes."
For the full text of the sermon, click here.
