i-church ia a new project of the Anglican Diocese of Oxford. They are trying to create a web based community of faith that wiil reach out to people who would otherwise not frequent a church in the traditional sense. They are using the technology of the Internet to reach out to a world that is fluent in its use. As they say on their web site, "The internet church, or i-church , is intended to be a Christian community of the Church of England based in the Diocese of Oxford under the pastoral care of the Bishop of Oxford. Community membership will be open to people of all Christian traditions." What follows is an email inteview with the Revd. Richard Thomas Director of Comunication for the Diocese

What lead you and the Diocese of Oxford to this decision? 

The growing realisation that more and more people want to explore Christian faith and discipleship, but are unable, or unwilling, to take part in the usual Sunday Morning traditional church worship.

You mentioned you may do more of these i-churches, how will you decide to do more?

Much more likely, now, that we will simply expand i-church, rather than start others. We have created, almost without trying, a global brand, and we want to build that brand so that people know there is the option of joining a Christian spiritual community, exploring their own spirituality and discipleship within a supportive framework of others doing the same thing.

How do you see technology (ie the web) changing how me connect (positive and/or negative) with God and each other?

It will make that connectivity more transparent. People are less inhibited when connecting with each other by computer mediated communication.  It is presumed that this is a negative thing when it comes to sexuality, but there is an argument that it is, in fact, a positive thing.  It is certainly a positive thing when dealing with matters of faith / belief / ethics.
 
What would you consider a success for this project?

 To have developed a praying, caring Christian community online.

How important is the local component, is the possibility of face to face meetings critical to the formation of community? 

Not really. There are many different ways that we can meet each other.  In a way, I am meeting you now, by answering your questions, even though this is a rather set kind of dialogue.  Only when it comes to the physical sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Communion, Marriage and Burial do we need the physical meeting.
 
However, meeting people in 'the flesh' as it were is an essential human need, and i-church is likely to create new kinds of meetings simply because its members will want to meet each other.

Is this the future of "church" or Christian community?

I doubt it.  It is ''a' future - one of a number of potentialities that Christian faith and discipleship spin off from time to time.  Just as Christians were amongst the first to use the new invention of printing, so too we are amongst the
early adopters of internet to create community.

What are some of the issues you see giving you the most difficulty with this project? 
 
Time - time to reflect on the many issues thrown up by doing something completely new.  Time to pray about the outcomes, and time to make good decisions.

Is ordination and issue for the leader of this community?
 
Not really.  It is probably the other way around.  Leadership is an issue for those who are ordained and are members of i-church.

Any thoughts you would like to mention?
 
To invite your prayers, and the prayers of your readers. and to say that this i-church is an Anglican community, part of the official structure of the Church of England through the diocese of Oxford, and should not be confused with 'Church of Fools' run by Ship of Fools (though we fully support what they are trying to do).

The Rev Richard Thomas, 56, admitted that he downloaded 119 images, most of which were considered less severe. However, a handful of the pictures were classed as level 5, the most severe category. He maintained he had done it inadvertently.

The pictures were found by detectives from the Hi-Tech Crime Unit, who raided his home in June last year. Most had been downloaded on the same day in June.

GUARIAN.
--FRED ( FRED at GEG dot COM ) on 9/21/2006; 8:45:08 AM