Ministry to the Avatars
Building a Real Church in a Virtual World
by
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My personal background is multi-faceted. I have owned businesses, been a teacher (secondary and collegiate levels) and have earned four degrees, including a Doctor of Ministry. I understand the need to rigorously examine potential solutions. I have done that over a period of years spent in experiencing virtual reality myself. In another sphere of my life I have experience as part of the marginalized as one born Intersex. I have researched gender dysphoria extensively in an effort to understand others experiences and to understand my own. I have come to celebrate what may be when loving and accepting all of God’s children is the goal. I have learned that a church in the virtual world of Second Life, can be a first step toward self-acceptance, healing, and discovering that there are people who like my late friend Fred Rogers, like us just the way we are.
In this book I describe one step that led to the creation of a church that bridges the gap between the real world and the virtual world. I say one step, but actually it is many steps, taken with friends, colleagues, those reluctant to believe a church could exist without a physical address the post office could find, and those who found us, perhaps especially those who found us...
I spent countless hours listening to stories of real life exclusion, discrimination and outright cruelty. One resident avatar I know as Stacey said that life at work had become intolerable. Alcoholic parents had retreated from really being in touch at home, and life seemed utterly bleak. I listened. Listening is what ministers do. I am not a therapist. I could not “treat” a disorder. But I could listen. At the end of a long evening (our two avatars were sitting in a virtual hot tub to chat) I simply asked, “So, what decisions are you postponing?” Weeks went by.
When next I heard from my friend Stacey she had news. She had made plans to move out of her parent’s home into a place of her own. She had found ways to cope with the pressures at work and not let them get her down by being resolute about who she was. I asked her what had happened to help her make the real life changes. The answer came back in two words, ‘You listened.” I heard that. I came to understand that in that simple answer perhaps I was hearing something else. I became convinced that I really was meant to keep on listening with a purpose.
I have never felt so called to anything in my life as I have felt called to found First United Church of Christ Second Life. You are about to read about how that call, the love and support of friends and colleagues, and God’s grace have established a real church in a virtual place.
Our journey into the formation of First United Church of Christ Second Life will take us in several directions. It is important to understand at the outset that what I provide in these pages is a snapshot in time. I also share what led to that snapshot. But I cannot predict all that will happen in the future. I have some ideas, and I will share those, but ultimately I know that this virtual world church is a very dynamic thing. It will be shaped by those who love it and have chosen to be part of it. God will be in that journey, step by step, wherever it may lead.
First United Church of Christ is founded on two United Church of Christ maxims: “No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” We take that very seriously. We also believe in the concept of “extravagant welcome.” Visit us in Second Life and you will find that folks will warmly greet you and do what they can to make you feel absolutely welcome. You will find gentle curiosity about who you are, and encouragement for your individual journey if you need some that day. In other words, you will find a caring community.
In the context of that community, I will describe our ways of worship and celebrating God’s presence; I will show you that mission means more than one thing; I will invite you to witness the wonderful things that can be achieved when service to others transcends the real/virtual boundary; you will see how we take time to celebrate laughter, the joy of companionship dancing with our friends; and we will describe the necessities of economics and organization that have also shaped the church. Finally, virtual crystal ball firmly in hand, I will peer into the future.
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About the Book
The world is changing rapidly, and perhaps the most compelling evidence of this change is found in the way people use technology to access services that formerly required an in-person visit. Now, for the first time, a real church with denominational standing is as close as one’s computer.
In Ministry to the Avatars: Building a Real Church in a Virtual World, author and reverend Dr. Jerold A. Garber shares the transcendent story of First United Church of Christ Second Life—a virtual church designed and built in Second Life, a 3-D virtual world with over thirty-six million individual accounts and over one million active users each month. While it began as an experiment in faith and inclusivity, First UCC SL today has full standing in the Eastern Association of the Southern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ, and it is the first church in a mainline denomination to achieve full standing while owning no physical property.
Since its founding, First United Church of Christ Second Life has grown into a multifaceted, vibrant ministry with a 365-day-a-year presence in Second Life, and it is also a member of the Open and Affirming Coalition of the UCC, an association of churches affirming the full inclusions of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons in the church’s life and ministry. Come and witness the wonderful things that can be achieved when service to others transcends the boundaries of reality! Visit the First United Church of Christ Second Life website at http://www.firstuccsl.org and Second Life’s 3D virtual world created by Linden Lab at http://www.secondlife.com.
About the Author
Jerold A. Garber has served real-world UCC churches as both an interim and settled minister. Ordained in the United Church of Christ, he founded First United Church of Christ Second Life in recognition of the needs of marginalized groups who are in Second Life to find places of faith that are genuinely welcoming of everyone. Garber is a former teacher, public broadcasting executive, and radio newsman, and he lives and works in Southern California’s Mojave Desert.