- FileThe Bethel Baptist Chuch is among those churches that have launched websites.
Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16 verse 15).
THE above scripture has been used by many Christians as the 'great commission', given by Jesus Christ directly to His eleven disciples before his ascension to heaven. This mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ has also been entrusted to every and anyone that believes in Him.
In the olden days the word was preached orally and being face to face with the recipients of the word was a prerequisite. Then there came a moment in time when men where able to preach the gospel to a lot more people via television and radio.
However, since that there have been further advances in technology, now at the press of a button information can be given and received. A massive communication medium, the Internet is now available.
It goes without saying that the secular world has benefited from the use of the Internet. However the question is; has the church gained?
Well most churches abroad have their own websites and in Jamaica the trend is spreading like wildfire.
While the Internet cannot replace the regular Sunday or Saturday services in the tabernacles, it is the view of a few local pastors that in this day and age that the Internet is a most appropriate tool to aid in the fulfilment of the great commission.
"It really facilitates communicating the gospel, it is a tremendous tool and I think more churches ought to use it," emphasised Bishop Couvator Holdsworth, pastor of the Greater Grace Temple (Shiloh Apostolic).
He told The Sunday Gleaner that the launching of his church's website in the year 2000 has helped to expose their work. As a result of the Internet, their ministry has received financial help, mainly from individuals overseas.
"So far we have had correspondents from as far as Russia, so this is something we are trying to promote," reasoned Bishop Holdsworth.
While these websites help to fulfil the task at hand - ministering to the world - many church leaders say that they first ran with the idea of a website to communicate with its members who had indefinitely boarded the 'iron bird' for overseas destinations.
Patrick Smith, the head of the communications ministry at the Bethel Baptist Church which launched their website three years ago said; "The website was launched because we have a large group of people who have migrated and we wanted them to be able to stay in touch with the church."
Mr. Smith reiterated that while the website is used to share the beliefs of his church, it is not the primary aim. "It is not the place where you go to get the message,' he stated. "The message is preached at church."
Several of websites visited by The Sunday Gleaner were used as a medium to send greetings, especially from overseas and to check up on members. There were also photo galleries and chat rooms that facilitate conversations on-line.
The complete Bible in several different versions is located on the Greater Grace Temple website, which facilitates the searching of the scriptures.
The Bethel Gospel Assembly has 'Real Player' software installed on their website so as to facilitate the listening of music that they provide. If the user logging on to the site does not have Real Player they can download it from Bethel's website.
Several of the churches also use their websites to offer video and audio cassettes containing sermons and songs done by their ministers and choirs respectively. Then there are also weekly newsletters, updates on church plans and information on the progress of different ministries.
Colin Lecesne, administrator for the Kingston Church of Christ, said that their website is in its fourth year. He said a careful evaluation of the site has revealed that it has served as a map to many individuals. "Our website shows our places of worship, so with one click you will know if there is a branch near you, both locally and overseas."
While these websites might not be enjoying as many hits as some of those from the secular world, they are by no means at the bottom of the pile.
Ann-Marie Stenneth from Greater Grace Temple told The Sunday Gleaner that their website has had an estimated 2,400 hits since its 2000 inception. Since January 2002, she says they have an average of 80 hits per month.
Boasting a bit more success is the website of the Granville Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which had a recorded number of 2,223 hits since March 6, 2001.
While the majority of churches are interested in having websites, there are certainly quite a lot which still do not have any.
The Holy Rosary Church is one example of a church without a site. According to Monsignor Stanley Shearer, they have not launched a site simply because they cannot afford it.
Having a website might be definitely advantageous but it can cost an arm, a leg and probably a rib, depending on the number of functions and hyper-links the site will have.
A source that deals with web development attested to the fact that setting up a website can be quite costly. He said, however, that an individual or organisation requiring a website has a choice on how much they are willing to spend.
A website with just the basic links and minimum pictures can cost anywhere from $20,000 - $30,000 to get off the ground. Included in this cost would be an initial hosting cost of $10,000, which is then paid monthly or annually. Also included is a fee to design the web page, which is usually charged on an hourly basis. With all things taken into consideration, it would take at least ten hours to complete the design of a site at $1,500 per hour.
These costs exclude maintenance costs, that is, the cost to continually upgrade and maintain the site. If the domain name of the site ends with '.jm' then individual or organisation does not have to pay, however those that are connected to an international Internet service provider (e.g.: '.net' or '.com') will have to pay a fee.
While setting up a website maybe expensive, it is a tool that has the potential to deliver the gospel to the masses with ultimate ease. Billions of people surf the worldwide web on a daily basis, therefore it goes without saying the Internet is good medium to help evangelise the world.
