Elbert
Hubbard
And, no,
I’m not going to get metaphysical with you with this post. Believers know that
God is everywhere even in virtual worlds.
(Think about that next time you’re having one of your escapades inworld.) Non-believers just shrug and go about their
business. (Not having to be
self-conscious about their inworld escapades.)
I’m
writing today about a community in Second Life (SL) who are believers and who
have brought their faith in God with them inworld. They worship together in SL and return to
Real Life (RL) where they practice their faith as well.
This
community is not role-play but an actual virtualization of their faith and beliefs. I’ve written about SL communities
before. But, those were either groups
who came together inworld for things they might not do in RL (like ride
dragons or go to nudist
beaches) or just hang out inworld. The “fourth wall”
wasn’t pierced. In what I blog about
now, an eighteen wheeler is driven through it.
The
community I’m blogging about is the First
United Church of Christ as they go by in SL. In RL, they are a ministry of the Southern
California Nevada Conference of the United
Church of Christ (UCC) and are staffed by UCC ministers and a
group of lay staff and volunteers inworld.
I became
aware of First UCC when I met Becca (“Bec”) Kellstrom
from SL via my social
media efforts with Twitter. (All
that work is starting to pay off with new friends!) Bec is a pastor at First UCC.
After
tweeting for a while, Bec was kind enough to agree to meet with me for an
interview about First UCC and the role of religion inworld.
At the
time of appointed meeting, I rez into the arrival area of First UCC and
Conference Center and meet Bec for the first time. We talk about our respective faith based
journeys. (For the record, I do believe
in God. He may wish that I don’t
advertise this fact. I belong to an
organized religion. Although, I disagree
with them on just about everything. The
only reasons that I can think of for them not throwing me out is charity on
their part and the desire to keep the seat occupied.) Apparently, Bec and I had been altar servers
for the same organization once upon a time.
We swap stories of candles, incense, bells, and passing out. (You had to have been there to appreciate.)
After
reliving old times, Bec and I get down to talking about her and the First
UCC.
Bec begins
by saying that her family started attending a United Church of Christ
congregation back home when she began high school. She began to recognize a
call to ministry in college, and after seminary, served a church in a small
town. Jerome
(“Jer”) Newstart, pastor of First UCC, arrived as a nearby
colleague two years later and they became friends. They kept in touch after he
attempted to retire, Bec grins as she says this, and then Jer began talking
about SL and its potential for ministry.
While some think of SL as a
game, Bec explains, Jer discovered people live whole, full lives here, and want
opportunities to explore their faith. With so many religions and other
Christian traditions represented, he felt strongly about adding a UCC presence
back into SL. Bec answered the call
because she had some free time and as Jer is one of her absolute favorite
people, she figured she'd give it a try.
First, UCC is a real
ministry Bec continues. She and Jer both
hold clergy standing in their respective UCC conferences. They are both seminary trained and were
ordained by their home congregations.
I ask about First UCC’s
mission.
Bec explains that they began
as a way to serve and reach out to people who identify as gender diverse and quickly
discovered that's only part of it. There's a huge educational component about
the fact that there are religions, never mind Christians, who accept and affirm
God working in and through the lives of people of various sexual orientations
and gender identities. The LGBT
community is part of a diverse inworld congregation served by First UCC.
In addition, in RL, they are
now sponsoring a student through Children International, and it is believed they’re
the first SL congregation to make an effort like this.
Bec finishes saying, “We
worship, we have fellowship, and we educate.”
One other piece Bec
discovered is that people are surprised they're not out to convert everyone, to
anything. Respect really is key for First UCC, where ever a person is in their
beliefs on a wide range of subjects and faith perspectives. She’s had conversations with atheists who
appreciate that they're not trying to convert them, who are pleasantly
surprised by First UCC’s progressive views.
Next, I ask about First
UCC’s status with ICC in RL.
Bec explains that they are
an in-world ministry of the Southern California Nevada Conference of the United
Church of Christ. They are incorporated
as a non-profit in California with a board of directors that includes Bec in
RL.
Jer is friends with the
Conference minister, too, Bec adds, and will talk about SL at the next big
Conference meeting, which brings together RL church members and pastors. Conferences are groups of churches around the
country.
The UCC has a congregational
form of operating, which means local churches get the last say in all their
decisions. The General Synod and the
national office of the church are definitely very progressive. In RL,
congregations run the gamut.
Basically, Bec continues, some
are what we call "Open & Affirming" of folks who identify as
LGBTQIA, etc., and that was a vote the individual congregation took. Others have not made such a declaration. Some
will, and some won't.
Bec states that this
ministry was started as an "open & affirming" one, which makes them
a bit different. What's great, she says,
is that this ministry is getting support and recognition by people from their
RL churches.
I ask Bec
about her duties as pastor and the challenges of caring for a congregation and
its needs inworld.
Bec
replies that there is quite a bit of pastoral care. She also spend quite a bit of time with our
members who are gender variant. They have church members who are in various
places on their journeys of transition, as people who are transgender, so she
listens. Bec offers support for where
they are, what they are growing through, praying with and for them. She continues that they offer a comfort and
welcome for people who can't be their authentic selves in RL.
And, in
her spare time, Bec connects with and communicate with the people who show up
here, or who find her on Twitter or Facebook. She’s in charge of the church’s
social media.
My final question to Bec is about First
UCC’s plans for the future.
Bec lists
sponsoring one more child through Children International (since the one we have
will turn eighteen in February), adding worship services suitable for multiple
time zones so that their friends around the world can come together, and
continuing to love and educate people about what the church can be at what she
feels is the very best of their faith.
Not
wishing to wear out my welcome with this very busy woman, I thank Bec and take
my leave.
As I said
earlier, this is not my usual type of story.
People here are freely going back and forth across the virtual divide
practicing their religion either by prayer or by works. The Metaverse as
once imagined in the very early days of SL seems very close to realization
here.
For anyone
traveling on their own journey of faith and who may seem lost or seeks some
companionship, I would encourage them to drop by First UCC and meet with either
Bec or other members of the ministry and talk.
The
grounds of First UCC are beautiful and in addition to the church buildings
there are gardens and pathways to wander in if you’re seeking a place a quiet
contemplative place for prayer or meditation.
There are also donation bowls where maybe some may wish to make a
contribution to help First UCC in their ministry work and to defer the costs of
the sim. (This is my suggestion not
theirs.)
Also,
please remember that this sim is a religious site so proper attire and conduct
is expected. (If I have to explain to
you what this means, don’t even think of going there until we speak.)
There are
regular services and events at First UCC.
Details may be obtained at www.firstuccsl.org for inworld and www.ucc.org for RL.
(Or follow Bec on Twitter!)
I’ve
included links to pictures from my visit but these don’t do any justice at all. Go and see for yourselves. You’ll be glad you did!
I’d like
to thank Bec again for taking the time to meet with me and answer my
questions. I’d also like to thank Jer
Newstart and Josh for taking time from their busy schedules to meet with
me.
I wish all of them and their colleagues and congregants well in their ministry!
As always, I’m grateful to
all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who
was passing through their lives.
My Twitter handle is @webspelunker. Please feel free to follow me and I’d be
happy to follow you.
I welcome feedback from
readers, please either comment on my blog or
e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com
.
If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.
If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.
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