01: Church of Fools, undertaken by the British Christian magazine, the Ship of Fools, is one of the first fully virtual churches.
Going online for three months starting from May 11, this 3D church creates a virtual sanctuary where people literally from all over the world meet for worship. Upon entering the church, one can choose a character and chat with other people visiting. Or one can discover the church as a ghost. In either case, a visitor can walk around the church’s sanctuary and crypt, and choose special gestures (such as kneeling or typing “amen”) to enhance the worship experience.
Visitors should be warned that this Methodist Church- sponsored virtual church is difficult to enter, especially for the regular thirty minute Sunday service starting at 9 p.m. (UK time). Yet, it provides a unique new church experience available via one’s monitor 24 hours, 7 days a week. (Source: http://shipoffools.com/church/index.html)
— By Sairenji Ayako, a New Jersey-based freelance writer and researcher