iCHURCH - CHURCH ON THE BIG SCREEN

A vision of a church that has been burning in the hearts of a group of Christians in Port Elizabeth for the past two years is coming to a beachfront cinema soon. It is called iChurch and is launching at the Nu Metro cinema at the Boardwalk at 9am on Sunday, 5 August 2012.

Now let's answer the main question on everyone’s lips, what is iChurch. It is all about using technology to advance God’s kingdom and taking the Gospel worldwide. If you Google "iChurch" you get a variety of results ranging from an interactive platform for people to watch live services, to a few blogs talking about how the church is integrating technology into its outreach. iChurch is not an attempt to replace traditional church, but it is part of a move to take church outside of four walls and to make it accessible to an unchurched cyberspace generation that is most comfortable with socializing and accessing information via technology. iChurch is about departing from the conventional and “putting new wine in a new wineskin.” It is a relevant response to the Great Commission, preaching the Gospel in the language of new millennium media. It is a relevant worship experience like no other - using visuals and graphics and new millennium technology to communicate a timeless message of God’s unconditional love. The power of the message of his righteousness breaking out of the limitation of having church with four walls and two doors and two windows. The iChurch presentation includes high-impact worship music videos which are sub-titled so that the viewers can participate, and a preach that is recorded in a studio

iChurch team members will encourage viewers to join small groups which may lead them into more traditional church life. One of the groups that the iChurch team hope to reach are children who spend all day in the Boardwalk entertainment complex on Sundays while their parents gamble in the casino. The parents leave their children with enough money to watch all the shows and we have heard that some of them have seen the movies five or six times. Imagine if we can get into this domain.” iChurch has signed a lease for one of the three 180-seater Nu Metro cinemas at the Boardwalk. The Walmer Park Nu metro cinema is also earmarked for iChurch screenings. The team behind iChurch is open to running with it as God leads. Who knows, a time could come when iChurch will be showing at a cinema near you, wherever you are in South Africa.

God desires a borderless church as commissioned in Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”(ESV)

Psalm 67:1-2 proclaims: “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.

This is where iChurch becomes relevant:

v  In essence a response to “The Great Commission.”

v  Reaching out to the world for change in the spiritual climate.

v  Establishing a global presence with church that's not bound by walls.

v  Making church accessible by taking advantage of technology.

v  Departing from the conventional and “putting new wine in a new wineskin.”

v  Making church available in the social environment.

v  Reaching a city with the excellence of the Word.

v  Preaching the Gospel in the language of a new millennium media.

v  Using cinema to make known the Word in a city and beyond.

v  A new way of being and doing church.

v  Communicating the gospel socially and subjectively to a digital generation that they may ‘experience’ the truth.