1st Presbyterian Church of Second Life - Vision & Purpose Statement

Who We Are
'''We are a group of Presbyterians meeting in the virtual reality world of Second Life, exploring ministry that is uniquely Presbyterian, but also unique to the culture and nature of Second Life. We currently meet for conversation & prayer, but aspire to eventually incorporate service, evangelism, education, and worship into our activities.'''

Our Commitments

 * To explore evangelism, education, service, worship, and church planting in an online context.
 * To be a presence in Second Life that helps people cope, discern, and wrestle with whatever they may be working through.
 * To grow in community, nurturing relationships with each other through fellowship, conversation, and shared experiences.
 * To draw together, connect, and help Presbyterians new to Second Life and virtual reality.
 * To support Presbyterians and others already engaged in various ministries in Second Life.
 * To do ministry in a way that honors both our Presbyterian heritage and our Second Life context.

Weekly Prayer Service

 * Sundays @ 7pm SLT (7pm Pacific / 8pm Mountain / 9pm Central / 10pm Eastern)
 * Approx. 45 minutes, followed by fellowship and conversation in the skybox for anyone who can stay longer.
 * Format based on the Book of Common Worship, and occasionally with elements from Taize.
 * This group will more fully explore developing a full-fledged worship service in Second Life.

Weekly Conversation Group

 * Wednesday nights @ 7:30pm SLT (7pm Pacific / 8pm Mountain / 9pm Central / 10pm Eastern)
 * Approx 1 hour, although in the past, discussion has continued into 2 hours (leave when you have to).
 * Meets in member "homes" in various places each week - but a sign with a link to the location will always be posted in front of our regular meeting house.
 * Unstructured Leadership -- come with something to talk about, and we'll follow the Spirit's lead.
 * This group will more fully explore our call to service, evangelism, and education.

Monthly SL Orientation Class

 * Meets the 2nd Saturday of each month to teach basics of Second Life: getting around, clothes, finding things, etc.
 * Leadership (from our SL veterans) varies from month to month, and so the time will, too -- but will always be advertised.
 * Field trips are part of the class, but we will generally start out at the 1PCSL Meeting House on Xenia to cover a few basics with those who are really new.

Monthly SL Project Teams

 * To be organized by interest and as needed, meeting on a monthly basis
 * Once organized, will meet either Tuesday or Friday nights @ 7pm SLT
 * Some Projects we'd like to get started (and could use your help) include:
 * Planning/Organizing a "Meet the Moderator Night" with Bruce Reyes-Chow
 * Planning/Organizing for SL General Assembly 2010 Event
 * Planning Service Project Events to raise awareness and/or funds for various causes
 * Planning/Organizing Ecumenical gatherings and/or events with other groups and causes in SL
 * 1PCSL Leadership meetings

Other Gatherings

 * Members of our community are encouraged to support and participate whenever possible in the gatherings of our Sister Ministries in Second Life:
 * Church of the Dawntreader meets for worship Tuesday nights at 7pm SLT
 * Koinonia meets for worship Wednesday nights at 6pm SLT
 * Within the Vine Hosts ecumenical conversation with various SL religious communities Wednesday nights at 7pm SLT

Our Leadership
We currently have no official leadership structure, although Neill Loxingly (SL) / Neal Locke (RL) serves as our point of contact with the denomination, and as a facilitator for our gatherings. We hope that leadership emerges organically from our time together, and will revisit the issue of leadership in September, 2009. We have also agreed that, in the future, anyone from our community who serves in a pastoral role or has responsibility for others, must be open abut her or his real life identity and connection with an actual church.

Our Relationship with the Presbyterian Church(USA)
While we are welcoming of all people, especially those who share our Presbyterian heritage, we have a special relationship with the PC(USA) Office of Evangelism & Growth, which contributes to our financial operating costs in Second Life and serves us in a supportive, advisory capacity.

Our Relationship with Other Second Life Ministries
As part of our commitment to "support Presbyterians and others already engaged in various ministries in Second Life," the following are some existing ministries we hope to contribute to and collaborate with.


 * Church of the Dawntreader. Founded by real-life Presbyterian minister Ben Fraummann (SL Pelagius Friend) The Church of the Dawntreader is, in their own words, "an outpost of kindly Christianity and hope to a virtual world that needs it desparately...and INTENSELY does not want it. We attempt to be a reference point of sanity in a world gone slightly mad."  In their ministry to SL residents who are or have been at odds with the church, the Dawntreader is not explicitly Presbyterian in worship or ministry style, but definitely "part of the family."  Worship is Tuesday nights at 7pm SLT.


 * Within the Vine. Within the Vine is an ecumenical, interfaith community with roots in the Presbyterian/Reformed tradition. Members work for the advancement of Peace, Perception, and Production through their various traditions, as they "discover, understand, and cope within the vine."  Malachi Hissop (SL) is the community organizer.


 * Koinonia Community. Koinonia is the name of both an actual worshiping congregation in Second Life, and the multi-region sim that hosts their church, ours, and several others. The founder of Koinonia, Sophianne Rhode (RL Kimberly Knight) has articulated a vision for a "zone of spirituality" in Second Life that encompasses a variety of communities and promotes conversation and dialogue among people of faith.  While Koinonia itself is non-denominational, we are in relationship with them both as our gracious hosts, and as long-term partners in achieving this vision.

Shortened Link to this Page

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