Return to Grace Baptist Church

 
By Bixyl Shuftan

It was seven years ago that the Newser reported about the Grace Baptist Church. This Easter weekend, when I was looking for a church to write about, they just happened to be having an afternoon service when I took a look at the place. So I went in. As before, the church was in a brick building with a chapel and two smaller rooms. In the smaller building was what looked like a 50s dinner. This time the pastor was Pastor Michael Boyd (michael Baily). He was giving his sermon on voice, and when I stepped inside, some of the parishioners greeted me as I took my seat. At the end of the service, he turned on the screen and invited people to sing along in real life to the woman singing.

After the service, I spoke to Pastor Michael, whom answered in voice. He was happy to hear I had been there before, explaining I probably interviewed Pastor Bryan Sarjeant (leroy.zoon) shortly before he stepped down. "Brian and I were co-pastors for a while," he explained, saying the man had to stop for health reasons. Brian had been an Army ranger, ended up on disability, and "struggles with a lot of things." He had been ministering on a regular basis until it proved too much and overwhelming for him.

Brian was with Pastor Michael for his first year. He did say if he had a problem, Brian was always available, "He hardly comes on Second Life any more." He does continue to maintain the church's website ans "the behind the scenes stuff." One of the more interesting things Brian does, Michael described, was when he assumes control of the church's bot account, which really does look like a robot. The robot will walk out of it's usual place in one of the smaller rooms and step outside to pay the tier.

Pastor Michael told me he had 22 years of experience in the ministry in real like church. Doing so in a virtual church can be quite different. But on the other hand, it fits into his skills in both ministry and computers. Plus he told me he's not as quite as mobile as he used to be, saying he once had a health problem that led him to almost dying in the hospital. "This is where God led me, and I'll stay here until He leads me somewhere else," he explained.

Of what experiences stood out, Pastor Mike thought for a moment, then recalled "this gentleman who came in" whom was in his 70s to 80s. He ended up passing away, "we had a memorial service in church for him." There was also one lady, Amy, whom offered to decorate the church. But "the all time best, I came one morning, the building was gone!" Fortunately Brian came by to fix the problem. So Pastor Mike could chuckle about it, "Only in Second Life can a building just walk away."

I then brought up the Pandemic, and asked if over the past year many more people have been coming. Pastor Mike answered, "Yes, but not as many as you would think." He told me a few more came, but he didn't get as big an influx as expected. It seems more people are opting instead to see live video over Youtube and livestream, "not so much Second Life."

Boni, one of the parishioners, had a few things of her own to say (also in voice), "The one good thing about this church, they pray for you. They will stop right there and pray for you. ... Prayer is a big thing, it's really important. ... We here, the Bible says pray without ceasing. That's our communication with Him. ... That's the one great thing about this church, outreach ... prayer time after Bible study ...people can submit their prayers.

"I do know one thing, people who can't get out because they're disabled ... for me, it's been great to come to a church that preaches God's word, outreach to people ... at the end of every message, 'You are the church, go be the church.' ... It's helped me in my real life, share on my FB page.

"It's been a great experience here. From the right side of my heart,my own experience. I enjoy coming here. ... There are times I can't come, can listen to a mixer. Three different ways, SL, mixer, and Youtube. On Youtube, a chance to listen to it later. With the busy schedule everyone has, sometimes you have to listen later.

"It's not how full the pews are, but reaching people where they're at. People walk in and out all the time, you never know. ... The mustard seed you plant may get watered by someone else."

Of nonhuman avatars, Boni commented, "I went to this thing one time, Virginia and I went to a place that was all furries," and mentioned they were from a group called Faith-filled Furries, "Some churches will say no furries or ask you to leave for some reason, but not here." She would say the only people asked to leave were ones being disruptive, such as trolls. She went back to the furs, commenting at one prayer one fur asked that someone's mike be turned off, that the group didn't want to use voice.

Virginia, whom was there, had this to say, "I'm so happy I found this church in Second Life.  We're blessed to have this church here.  I was just talking to someone that was here tonight he was so happy he was here.  He's been to a few other churches in SL."

Someone got out a pink hammer that made cute "boink" noise, and they were joking about it being the ban hammer for a couple minutes. Then the people left needed to head out. 

The Grace Baptist Church meets on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 5PM SL time, and on Sundays at both 5AM and 5 PM. They also have a Thursday Zoom Study at 4:30 PM, and a Friday Bible Study at 5 PM SL time. For more information, one can check out their website at http://gracechurch-sl.org , or email them at pastor@gracechurch-sl.us .

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lionheart%20Pumbaa/40/71/29
 
Bixyl Shuftan
 

Cleopatra Xigalia and the Ephesians Four Christian Community

By Bixyl Shuftan

Not long ago, I traveled to the Faravari sim on the mainland to meet up with Cleopatra Xigalia, who wanted to talk about the Ephesians Four Christian community that she was part of. Cleopatra was one of a group of people at the spot I arrived at, a resting place with some pillows and chairs and a hammock under some palm trees. I had been there earlier for a live music event, and Cleopatra welcomed me back. Cleopatra told me that conversations at the place could be in voice, chat, or both. We decided on chat so I could take down more information.

One of the women there offered to record the conversation. Another responded, "need to fix my hair and make up (giggle), just joking." "I haven't started the record. Now.run and make your make up (giggle)." A third girl grinned, "need to put on a longer skirt ... funny in real-life I spend all day filming people. Now ... there is cam crew filming here." A fourth lady commented, "I trust you *name), I am sure you'll make me look cute *giggles*. Okay I'll be quiet (laughter)." More would continue to drop in as we talked.

When I asked Cleopatra where the idea for the group got started, she answered, "I dont know where to start." She had been talking with a friend, "about having Christian hangout sort of place maybe over a year ago. And then someone else I know wanted to also do it. And Ceasar (her partner) and I were led to have one. So there was a group of us who seemed to have the same need, to find fellowship with other Christians in Second Life and have a place to do that. So when the sim was set up, we had no idea what to expect really. Then one by one people came, and we bonded in Christ. We study His word. We get to know each other."

It was about then that one person, Jamiela1, dropped in and greetings were exchanged. Cleopatra told me she "was drawn back in to Second Life, and then found us right after logging back in. It seemed that in Second Life, there are Christian sims. But for us ... um, they didnt meet the full need. We saw a gap, sort of, if you know what I mean. There were classes, bible studies, but not really place for us to meet and spend time together building bonds in such a way as Christians."

Ckeopatra explained, "Here is a passage from one of our studies on fellowship.last week. 'Ephesians 4 is a sim founded on the idea of fellowship.  But what does that word, "fellowship" really mean?  Is it swapping life stories about ourselves?  Is it sharing the Gospel at campfires with visiting nonbelievers?  Is it keeping to our own Christian community, growing ourselves to the exclusion of other believers?' It is a critical part of the Christian life. It is essential for new believers. It is a direct call from God for us to have unity." Jamiela1 commented, "I think this is a Christian Hangout that welcomes fellowship along with Bible Studies and open discussions. We welcome the curious of faith....the new in faith and the experienced in hopes to help us all in our journey of the Written Word (Bible) and to what God plans for us all."

I asked Cleopatra where did the name "Ephesians Four" came from? She answered, "The name came after we had prayed about what to call the group. So the chapter in Ephesians has the essence of what we wanted to provide here. It is about unity and maturity in Christ. How we grow together and use our Spiritual gifts in a unique way within the Body of Christ. We are *one.*" Several others expressed their agreement, "Fellowship with the purpose of also bringing others to Christ. We share our burdens with each other, prayer for each other. We praise God and the goodness he does in our lives. We play games and hang out. We go sailing. We have music ministry too. ... Jamiela leads the Bible studies and coordinates that. Caesar provides the sim for us to use."

Cleopatra mentioned the people in the group were from around the world, the United States, Scotland, England,Germany, Holland, India, France, Philippines, Denmark, Mauritius Island, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, Finland, Israel,Canada, Jamaica, and probably a few others. "We have many discussions with many all over the world," Jamiela1 told me. Cleopatra nodded, "We get some interesting visitors, we have lots of interesting discussions." "Yes, we learn about everyone's experiences all over the world."

What experiences did they have? Cleopatra mentioned, "We had a gigantic dragon visitor." Another answered, "I learned the word 'yuckie' and Jesus is God." After a moment, she spoke again, "not in the same sentence." That caused a few chuckles. Jamiela commented, "... to me so many to name. ... Everyone has an interesting story once they become comfortable" One person spoke, "Sometimes people come here and talk about their problems and we pray for them and with them."

Jamiela1 stated, "We study from the King James Version of the Bible so we have many who come curious, and many faithful." I asked if they used more recent translations of the Bible. Jamiela1 answered, "Many people use different translations, but we follow and are guided by King Jame Version." Cleopatra told me, "We use the NIV too, any translation that helps us understand, also going back to the Greek.  One way we learn is in discussions of the Bible, so usually yeah, KJV is the go-to. Butour style of teaching is more discussion type, Bixyl, very participative. Some people here are very new to their Faith and understanding. Some people have been believers for decades." Jamiela1, "Some other versions give more modern terms and translate to modern usage, but can loose somewhat the true translation. so we always refer back to the KJV."

Cleopatra added, "We learn about God from reading and studying the Word, and from living and gaining experience applying His Word to our lives directly. 2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, we also learn from each other. Proverbs 27: 17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Jamiela stated, "The core of this group sticks to the teaching from the KJV."

Cleopatra moved to another subject, "We laugh a lot too," then smiled. Jamelia1 chuckled, "Eheheh, yes." I asked what gets the most laughter around here. Jamiela1 answered, "We laugh about lots of things, people telling about their everyday, fun things we experience in the same way, just a joy of being together makes us happy." Cleopatra added, "We sing too." One of the others commented, "We are not demure all the time. Sometimes we act like children (smile) and we sing joy joy joy." Cleopatra told me, 'We are singing and laughing now, Bix. (She) right now makes us laugh." Jamiela commented, "And sometimes we are just silly."

Cleopatra then moved on, "Some things we do though are very very serious. People bring real problems to us and issues." One man commented, "We had a woman share her story about losing her children.It was moving to see and her. That's the key in our fellowship to build each other up and comfort each other in the word of God." "It is very real here," Cleopatra told me. "We truly are here for and with each other," Jamiela added. Another stated, "That is the point! We are real and our faith is real. It's not a roleplay."

Cleopatra told me, "We dont have a 'pastor' or have sermons in the church. We are here for each other in fellowship. We aren't a church. We are *the* Church." The man commented, "We are the Church as it was intended originally." One girl commented, "Sometimes we also just hangout without doing something, just sitting around in silence and enjoy not being alone alone ... brothers and sisters in front of God." "We are safe here and are secure in our silence," Jamiela added, "We are together for one another."

Someone commented, "We are by no means Teletubby Christians." I asked if he meant televangelists. He laughed and Jamiela1 told me he meant the kids show, the man going in, "We dont jump in the air and shout how good we feel and how everything is sweet and fine." Jamiela1 added, "Right we live real lives and have real struggles and we come together for each other. And sometimes do things together just for a safe fellowship, hangout, with great people. We have dinner with each other, sharing what we fixed and or eating. We are real, not roleplay. ... We find comfort with each other as we are on our journey with GOD and the real struggles, pain, heartache and joy that comes with life."

I asked about some of the challenges the group has had over time. Cleopatra told me, "We have only been here since May, so we didn't know what to expect. We had to get more chairs for one." She also mentioned griefers, "I think there were seven of them at one of our first events. ... Last night we had a couple trolls." I asked how often they show up.Cleopatra told me, "Less than I expected actually." One other challenge was the group was getting larger in size, "growing kinda fast. So we just take this one day at a time, and look to God's word for what we are to do and how to handle things. We have struggles daily. We look to the word for how to handle them. The Bible gives us instruction on how to handle these." Jamiela1 added, "We seem to be able at the end of the day handle through God what we deal with each day."

I asked what their plans were if the group continues to grow. Jamiela1 answered, "We do have discussions about it, but have nothing set in stone at this time really. As the need comes, we try to deal and discuss accordingly." Cleopatra told me, "We plan to continue to follow God's direction. We will not ask for donations or rent land or take up offerings. We will do as the Bible teaches us, to walk daily with Him and have faith that He wills how us what to do next. If we get too big, God will tell us what to do. We are handling it fine so far it seems.  We deal with things as they come." One man stated, "If the group  at some point will expand we hope to reach more people and be even more  activities  in what we do. That also means more responsibility. ... As our core continues to grow, we will eventually get more ability to spread more activities over more people and therefor we become more effective." Cleopatra told me, "Most people find us from search. Some send their friends and some bring others. As we grow we share the responsibility and work. As God brings more people to us, our core group will grow and more people will contribute their spiritual gifts."

I asked about their more memorable events. Cleopatra told me there was a music concert not long ago attended by more than a dozen that was probably their most memorable, "We also had a great little pool tourney the other night in Ceasar's office, playing secondlife billiards pool table. People just gather and we had someone there from Greece and Brazil." Jamiela1 added, "We have had a few game events where we played pool or chess. We are still so new, we haven't had many, but they have all been memorable." Cleopatra mentioned of the concert, "someone ... told us she was getting baptized the next day."

"If you know what I mean," Cleopatra told me, "in the end it is *all* for God. So we are here for each other, yes, to grow together, but of course in the end our mission is the spread the Word." She pointed to a nearby structure, "The lighthouse is on the sim in the corner. We are here to be light."

Cleopatra would show me around their land, places like a gelato (ice cream) ship, a coffee house, "If you notice, there are lots of pianos, a little garden, we made a lot of smaller gathering places in the sim. We have lessons here too." She also mentioned the boats, "Ceasar's boats are in the harbor and people get taken on rides and stuff. He likes to sail and taking people to the Blake Sea from here." There was also a ballroom, a church, "this is just used for people to sit and pray or meditate onthe word. We dont really have a pastor or sunday services or anything." There was also a Tardis in the area, "The Tardis does bring some interesting people sometimes too."

It was about then that Cleopatra and I parted ways, "I hope you had a good time visiting us."

Faravari (150/85/25)

Bixyl Shuftan

Return to the God’s House of Prayer Church

By Grease Coakes

Just looking over one of my articles, I remember visiting a church at House of Prayer (180/127/33) that I had a positive experience with here in Second Life. I thought I’d pop in and it looks a lot different than about a year or so ago. However one thing struck me as strange is that they asked me to change out of my furry avatar.

Kevin Jones35 Resident who happened to be on the church’s senior staff asked me to take off my furry avatar. I was baffled at first thinking that Jesus and churches would be the last thing to ask someome to change their appearance. However I didn’t want to anger a church over something silly. When I came on later shortly before the bible study at the beach at 6pm SLT I found a newbie human avatar and took off my AX3 fox avatar.

When Kevin saw me in a human avatar he IMed me this response, "We are trying to be a rl church in sl so that was one of the rules."

After taking some pictures I asked him, "But here's a fair question, wouldn't Jesus love someone equally whether someone was a furry or a human being? Perhaps you wouldn't find a furry in a real life church, but I would think a furry would be accepted within God's house."

He replied, "Yes and if it where me I would not have that rule, but being on staff I try to make sure I inform others of the rule and give them time to change their avatar."

Fair enough something to keep in mind if you wear paws and a tail if you visit this church. Even if Kevin didn’t agree with the rule, he still has to enforce it. At least have the decency to respect that rule. When I looked around the area I was surprised that I didn’t see just 5 or 6 avatars but I saw about 20 or so sitting in the seats.

Around 6pm SLT the Rev. Britt AKA Babailey spoke at the front in voice chat. He announced there would be a men’s meeting soon after. Talking about the cold, he asked people to pray for the homeless and shut in/s that they would be able to fight against the cold. He was very thankful for the church and staff and he liked saying he liked Jesus all the time in the morning and night and to pray for other churches in Second Life. It sounded to me that he wanted to cover all the bases to pray for everything. Lots of people were typing amen in main chat and praising Jesus.

That night the Reverend read bible verses over voice chat. That night he read chapter 5 from John verses 1 through 18. After reading the bible verses, he announced that it was in week 2 of a series called "straight ahead." Each week he announced he would address one of four principals. Last week he asked everyone to see everything from the eyes of God encouraging everyone to think like God. I commented, "You mean to see everyone and everything with love?" Willma PAPAPEDRO Resident happened to agree with my statement.

The preacher spoke over voice chat about how people made excuses about how their lives are miserable. He was stating when people take responsibility for their actions and come to Jesus, their lives would change dramatically. He also said rather dramatically with a southern drawl that someone in the crowd was surrounding himself with excuses and didn’t know how to get back up. I wasn’t sure who he was talking about but it was entertaining nonetheless.

After the bible study at 7pm SLT, I was given a landmark for a men’s meeting. I said what the hey so I ported upstairs. Johann Breguet led the men’s prayer in a different room. It was more open discussion on various bible verses such as “Thessalonians 5:16-24 King James Version.” In fact Johann asked me to read this out loud, “I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” He talked over voice how you shouldn’t pray or talk to God angry or bitter. To me that made sense. If I had negative thoughts, maybe that’s something I should stop doing. Positive thinking creates positive results.

Johann was saying in voice he’s used to his masculine voice which may sound harsh to women. I had suggested he could pray to Jesus to help with that. I had also said in voice chat that prayer is important,but you should also work towards your goals. You can’t pray all day and expect $10,000 to show up in your lap.

Johann Breguet was nice enough to pray for me so I said sure. I told him I wanted him to pray for me to write more so he wished my writing to be guided by god’s hand. I prayed for him that he was would find the woman that’s right for him that would accept his strong voice.

All in all I had an awesome and inspiring experience at god’s house of prayer church. I recommend going there if you’re feeling down and out. Even though it has an anti furry law if you show up as a human people there might be able to help you with your problems or anything you would like to talk about.

House of Prayer (180/127/33)

Grease Coakes

Editor's Note: Every church the Newser has previously covered didn't have a problem with what avatar you were as long as you could fit through the door. In fact, checking Grease's previous article about the HOP, there was a furry among them as well then.

Grace Baptist Church of Second Life

By Bixyl Shuftan

Where can one go in Second Life to go to church? One such location is the Grace Baptist Church of Second Life. Located in Lionheart Pumbaa, the location is the setting of an active church on the Grid that has several events every week. The church also has members in a Relay for Life team: Crusaders for Christ.

The church makes it's home in the Lionheart Estates, which Becky Shaman described in an article last year, mentioning it at the end. The grounds are made up of two brick buildings, plus a yard between them. The building on the right (facing west) is the main one, where the congregation meets and most of the official events are held. Besides sermons, inspirational Christian videos are also shown in the chapel area. At the front of the building, one can get information about the church, or donate to a Relay kiosk.

Not all meetings are held inside the building. In the yard area is a circle of chairs, which can be used for discussion groups. The left, or Southern, building is a game room with bowling, carnival, and arcade games, with a teleporter to a paintball arena.

I met up with the pastor of the church, Pastor Bryan Sarjeant (leroy.zoon). So what defines a Baptist church from other denominations? "All Baptist Churches are independent churches joined together to support missionaries," Bryan told me, "We also all believe that (people) can only be saved or born again after they reach that age they truly know right from wrong - so no infant baptism."

Grace Baptist Church is less than a year old, established on June 3, 2013. Bryan informed, "In first life I am a Southern Baptist Chaplain and my associate pastor (or co-pastor) has 15 years experience as a Southern Baptist Youth Pastor." The two had met in August 2013.

Bryan is also a Relay for Life team captain, Team Crusaders for Christ, "I found out about Relay for Life through the Tombstone AZ team, "To Tough to Die" last season. I decided to start a church based team this year and we have members from multiple churches on the team. ... The office/HQ is on the other side of this region. ... My home (real life) church actually has its own team so I am on two RFL teams - one in SL and one in real life. I am a retired army and a disabled vet. So while my wife and kids will walk the track in real life, I will be manning the tent."

Grace Baptist Church has worship services on Saturday at 5AM and 5PM, and Sunday at 6:30 AM and 8:00 AM. Other events include a Wednesday service at 5PM and a Friday Night Bible study at 5PM.

Lionheart Pumbaa (39/72/29)

The New Life Church

Second Life reflects real life in a number of ways. Among them, people coming to church here on the Grid. Among them is the New Life Church, led by Sixgin Ares (Pastor Dan) and Lynne Applewhyte.

Sixgin is a pastor in real life, and has been in Second Life for a few years. In 2008 when interviewed by Second Life Newspaper, he was in charge of the Church of the Living God in the COTLG sim.

Lynne had gotten her start in another Grid, the Opensim New World. There, she learned how to build, and eventually owned two sims there. Forming the "New Life Church," others could join up and get a home there if they asked. The group went from a beginning number of five to 380. Trouble was, she found the place rather unstable.

She had first found out about Second Life in 2006, hearing about it on "Good Morning America." Giving it a try, however, "Everything was gray." A few years later, she had a new computer and was willing to give it another try. She began preaching there as well, finding it more stable. She continued to expand her ministries. She still does some work on Opensim, though is no longer expanding there.

Lynne first met up with Sixgin in 2011, him still preaching at his own church. Soon, he began holding services at hers. "He's pretty handy to have around," Lyne told me, then grinned, "So I married him. Actually, we met in real life. We married in December."

New Life Church in Second Life has several events a week. The Saturday service is at 11:45AM with Sixgin. The Sunday services are 11:45AM with Sixgen and 4:45 PM with Lynne. Tuesday has another sermon by Lynne at 4:45 PM. On Thursday at 4PM is a prayer group. On Friday, there is a Bible study group at 5PM.

There are dances at the nearby club every Saturday evening, and a small freebie store close by. There is a movie theater, which can show a total of 11 movies. There's also a 7Seas fishing area.

When asked how many attended services, they answered 14-16 was a frequent number, but it was growing over time. Anyone is welcome to join their church, and those with artistic talents are especially welcome. They sometimes preach at other places and groups in Second Life, such as Sarafina Flow's River of Life Ministries. They also do skits, recordings of some which can be found on youtube. They also have a group in Facebook: New Life Christian Center in Second Life.

Of those coming by their church on the Grid, "We find people come and go fairly quickly." Of the five founding members, "only we and Carpenter are left." They were introduced to Inworldz, but didn't find it as "cost effective" to establish a church as in Second Life, "there was a nice church … but few showed up."

Last Easter, a number of pastors came to New Life Church. Sixgin built a special stage, and the visiting preachers had up to a half an hour each to give a sermon. Their Christmas session had a candlelight service.

Lynne mentioned, "I was ordained a minister in real life. The ceremony was also done in Second Life." She mentioned one of the men from the board that approved her came to Second Life to see the church for himself. He observed things for a couple weeks. The inworld ceremony was about an hour. Sixgin and Lynn also redid their marriage ceremony in Second Life.

They described church services as "Biblical … rather than preach the law, we preach the love of Christ." The chichi is non-denominational, "we have all kinds come here."

Drama is of course not tolerated. So far, there have been no grieving incidents. Sixgen commented, "I feel when we preach the word here and preach in truth … God protects us." They've talked to an occasional troubled soul, once in a while suggesting to the person they go for professional help. Lynn told of a student asking her to pray she did well in college. She told her she would, but told her she still had to study, "We try to give practical advice in addition to praying to God." They brought up the mana from Heaven described in Exodus, reminding although God answered the Hebrews' prayer for food, they still had to go out and gather it, "A lot of people think God's going to do it all for them. … you have to earn it."

Although New Life Church is in a virtual world, Sixgin and Lynn say it's still a real ministry. Their plans for this Easter, during the interview in mid-March they felt they would have a revival. At the time, there was still a little landscaping being done, the current building being a recent one. Their tier was currently being covered by a friend.

Sixgin and Lynn mentioned one tale involving a visiting minister. A writer, he decided to do the pictures in Second Life for one story he was working on, "When he had a scene, he would pull his alt and act out the scene." He later published his story on Kindel. On his website, he included a picture of the New Life Church.

The New Life Church is in the Shelton sim. Porting to (179, 226, 52) will take one just outside the chapel.

Bixyl Shuftan

“The Creation Story” Christian Group in Second Life Performs “Broadway Style” Onstage

One of my friends in Second Life recently told me about a “Biblical production” performed onstage, “dance, music, narration ... special effects ... exceptional production.” I had never known this particular friend to express any religious feelings, so my interest was raised, and hopped over. The notecard of the event read, “Unity Production Presents ‘ The Creation Story, ‘ A full length Broadway style performance based on the story of God, as Creator, from the angels perspective.”

The sim was crowded when I got there, so it took a while for the stage, and the actors, to rez. The actors portrayed God and the Devil, Adam and Eve, and various angels. The show was all in dance and gestures, with no words. Once it was over and the audience gave their applause, they changed to their normal looks and chatted with anyone who wanted to talk. Some just had a little fun with gestures, such as **Under the mighty hand of God!!** which squished an avatar flat on the ground.



My friend introduced me to Pet Karu, whom was the head of Unity Productions. Asking Pet where they got the idea for the play, she told me she and her friends were part of a “meditation group,” but it was different than most as listening to music and certain styles of dance were considered one of the ways people could meditate. One day when they were listening to songs, someone brought up theater and they talked about going out to see performances on stage, “lets see how this song looks.”

Eventually, they got the idea to do a play in Second Life, a Christian one. When they called for actors, some soon left, but others stayed. The point was they wanted to get the Christian message, “not just from the pulpit, not just from church, but in a new light.” Many of their items had been donated, from the props on the stage to the pillows in the stands. Pet considered the donations, “an example of God’s grace online” and a reason to keep going.”

Pet mentioned others in Unity, such as Liliana Dinzeo, Sixgin Ayres, and Levi Soulstar, who helped make the group what it is, “It’s been fun.” Of Jewel Lordhunter, “Jewel is new to Second Life, but she felt God’s planing.” Liliana was also somewhat new when she first came across Unity.

Unity was officially formed in July 2010, with the group members getting together around May. Pet stated Unity was also “becoming a real-life entity.” They had already registered the name, with plans to build a company outside virtual reality, looking for actors, “We want to be able to offer a forum ... people who have written books, help them to get published. ... We will be going cross-country ... to encourage, to uplift, to remind of God’s love.” Pet wanted to lift the spirits of, “the downtrodden, the confused, the cancer survivors ...”

“For us, real life and Second Life blend,” Pet told, adding they wanted to appear friendly and approachable to others, “not like the church people they ran away from.” She brought up that Metaverse TV had sent someone to their show earlier, and was happy to have the attention of the press.

Even though the play was on computer screens, Pet reminded the effort put in was hard work, “no one person can do this. It takes the labor of all that you see to bring this together.” They had a few problems in the past, such as having to change roles due to unexpected events. The group had sponsors, as well as a gift ship below the stage for additional funds. The cash is not just for expenses. Unity raises money for charity to the Heifer International group (www.heifer.org). The group feeds the hungry, but in a different manner than many aid groups. Instead of simply giving people food, what they give is livestock, crops, and tools, so they can raise their own food, “better to teach a man to fish than give him one.”

After Unity is finished with “The Creation Story,” Pet explained that they would be doing “Jesus Christ Superstar,” but not how the audience might expect as it would be done, “with a Unity Productions twist.” It will play in spring 2011. They were also planning to do performances in additional venues. They were also invited to perform at one stage, a monthly event with small shows, “It’s amazing what God is doing.”

Pet mentioned the “argue ball,” a ball of emotes people with disagreements sit on and have the option of various gestures such as poke and shove. The purpose of it was to make fighting look silly.

Pet introduced other members of Unity. Ewan Glenelg had once been a pastor of a church in Second Life. He saw the Unity group as a way to both express his faith and use his theatrical background, “It’s been a blessing to help.” He and his wife also run North Bound Marina and Sugar Shore Ballroom.

Guyguy Lemon is also a pastor, “for me it is doing the Lord’s work to bring many to Jesus Christ. (the show) is a vehicle to help people to accept the Lord.” He considered the message of Unity stripped of the dogma and other things that smell like the church audience members try to avoid, “Instead, we’re only after God’s love. No comments about color of skin. What matters is your heart.”

Jewel Lordhunter, “It’s been a blessing living in Second Life. I feel tremendously blessed. People here are very close to me. I’m sincerely blessed to have found a new family. If not for God, I wouldn’t be here. These people are my love and support. We’re available not just to do the show, but to anyone who needs someone to talk to, we’re here for prayer, advice, whatever they like - except free Lindens (chuckle). Second Life has been given to us, not just this virtual world, but a real Second Life. ... Life with the King, we are His family. And for that, we’re spoiled. (grin)”

Pet also mentioned others not present during the discussion, such as Sixgin Ayres, who played Adam, who runs Church of the Living God in Second Life. There were also Lukes LionHeart, Shan Charisma, Miles303 Parkin, and Lycan444 Denfu.

“The Creation Story” performs over North Bound Marina every weekend this January, Fridays at 6 PM, Saturdays at 2 PM, and Sundays at 4 PM. The location is at North Bound Marina at ( 22, 37, 1142). They also have a website at www.unity-productions.org. They are currently raising funds for Heifer International.

"The goal of UP is to portray that Christians are not the intolerant fuddy-duddies or bigots that has been portrayed globally for centuries. We aspire to share the love of God with all who will listen; using various mediums - the arts. traditional bible study, inter-faith discussions. Anyone can open a church, but UP provides us the latitude of presenting our Creator in a fashion that is comfortable and removes the ho-hum from a starched sermon. We try not to pound the Bible into your head, but instead to drive hard the point of the unfailing vastness of God's love to mankind."

Bixyl Shuftan