GLENDALE CHURCH TAPS INTERNET TO REACH GLOBAL COMMUNITY.Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer GLENDALE- The word of God is just a click away as more churches embrace technology in hopes of reaching younger, computer-savvy worshippers, as well as members who have moved away. Much like televangelism televangelism Evangelism through religious programs on television. Such programs are usually hosted by a fundamentalist Protestant minister, who conducts services and often asks for donations. Billy Graham became known worldwide through his TV specials from the 1950s on. revolutionized how religion reached people in earlier decades, the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the is expected to play a role in shaping worship in the 21st century. ``This is the beginning of what television was several decades ago or what radio was. This is a new frontier New Frontier President John F. Kennedy’s legislative program, encompassing such areas as civil rights, the economy, and foreign relations. [Am. Hist.: WB, K:212] See : Aid, Governmental for churches and some churches are discovering and fully benefiting from that,'' said Vince Imani, president of PraiseCast, a year-old Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, company that provides broadcast services for faith-based organizations. Glendale's Truth and Service ministry, part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (abbreviated "Adventist"[2]) is a Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance of Saturday, the "seventh day" of the week, as the Sabbath. , has been broadcasting its services live on the Internet for about a month and is archiving sermons. And while daily hits to its Web site have jumped from an average of 90 to 222, attendance at church also is up, the Rev. Elizabeth Talbot said. ``We wanted to reach a wider, world community,'' Talbot said. ``It's a sense of community they get by being live with us, and those in other states and countries feel like they're worshipping with us and are present.'' The interactive nature of the Web site, www.truthandspirit.com, allows worshippers to e-mail Talbot with feedback about her services as well as ask questions that might not have asked at church, she said. While the technology has been around for several years, it was primarily used by corporations, and Imani wanted to bring it to the masses. He first created Eulogycast.com, covering funeral services funeral service n → misa de cuerpo presente funeral service n → service m funèbre funeral service funeral n , followed by Wedcast.com to broadcast weddings live on the Internet. ``Our solution made this technology affordable so that more people could benefit from it,'' Imani said. With packages ranging from $200 to $1,200 a month, PraiseCast provides the hardware, software, installation, set-up and training. But the process of convincing religious institutions to open up to the concept has been a slow one, Imani said. So far, PraiseCast has two ongoing clients - Talbot's ministry and a church in Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. . About five other religious institutions that use PraiseCast's services for special events are in discussions with the company for the ongoing service. Canoga Park's Creative Edge Enterprises, a Web design firm, helped the Kol Tikvah Temple in Woodland Hills and Temple Judea in Tarzana broadcast their services live, but they do not archive them. ``It's a lot of education to help them understand how they can use this tool to achieve their goals and reach more people,'' Imani said. ``They don't want the church to look like a television station. They're afraid it will take away the holiness or reduce actual attendance to their services.'' The Santa Barbara Seventh-day Adventist Church has been using PraiseCast for about a year and has reached people in Australia, Germany, England, Spain, Argentina and China, the Rev. Pete Geli said. He's also received letters from soldiers stationed in Iraq who have watched his services. ``I've received e-mails from people serving in Iraq, saying thank you so much for being there for us and giving us comfort and encouragement while we're out here,'' Geli said. ``We have not only been benefiting the local community, but also the world community.'' Their actual church membership has grown to more than 400, but now they also have a ``virtual church'' of 500 members who log on every week, Geli said. In fact, the success of the online services has sparked a large number of donations. ``This ministry of outreach Outreach is an effort by an organization or group to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of other organizations, groups, specific audiences or the general public. is being sponsored by people who are not members of our church,'' Geli said. ``It's by people who have seen and who have been helped.'' Supporters of the technology said it allows religious sermons to transcend the four walls of a church or a temple to reach those who are home-bound home-bound Health care adjective Referring to a person who is 'truly unable' to leave the home or on vacation, as well as those who are intimidated in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. by services. ``It gives the power to the viewer. They can select the time or place they view it. There's no restriction,'' Imani said. Robert Cargill, adjunct adjunct (aj´ungkt), n a drug or other substance that serves a supplemental purpose in therapy. adjunct professor of religion at Pepperdine University Pepperdine University is a private institution of higher learning affiliated with the Church of Christ in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States. The university's location overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is adjacent to the city limits of Malibu. , said online services are an effective tool for congregations. Archived services allow people to replay sermons, send them to friends, or simply to decide whether they like a preacher's style. But theologians also see a downside Downside The dollar amount by which the market or a stock has the potential to fall. Notes: You might hear someone say that the downside on stock XYZ is $10. What that means is that the stock could fall by this amount if things got bad. to the technology. ``It certainly does de-personalize the church experience. If a church is a community of believers that meet together and worship together, if all they did was view sermons on the Internet, it's no different than watching it on television,'' he said. Religious institutions should heed the warning that while it is an effective tool for disseminating dis·sem·i·nate v. dis·sem·i·nat·ed, dis·sem·i·nat·ing, dis·sem·i·nates v.tr. 1. To scatter widely, as in sowing seed. 2. and archiving information, the Internet should not be a substitute for traditional worship, Cargill said. He cited both the good and bad long-term effects of televangelism on Christianity. ``Has it allowed religion to reach more people? Absolutely,'' he said. ``But has it encouraged or fostered the growth of the community? Maybe, maybe not.'' Those who have used the technology are certain it will only enhance worshippers' religious experiences. ``I think that regular church attendance will never be replaced by 24/7 virtual church,'' Geli said. ``But I do think it's bringing religion to where the rubber meets the road. ``A lot of people have viewed religion as something so heavenly-minded that it has no earthly earth·ly adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of this earth. 2. a. Terrestrial; not heavenly or divine: earthly existence. b. good, but through the Internet you can reach people and give them a message of comfort and hope.'' Naush Boghossian, (818) 546-3306 naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The Rev. Elizabeth Talbot of the Truth and Spirit ministry in Glendale says the Internet helps reach a world community. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer |
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