Benny Dollins
Treasurer/ Blossom Church Of God

The internet and our society are fused together.  It is the best and worst of tools we have available.  I ask for the chance to witness to people and the internet gives me another tool or chance to do so. I try not to coward in fear but face the enemy on this field of battle.  I am astounded at the speed and motion involved in this arena.  I have sent messages to people in California, and thought their response would maybe take a few days, as I do not read my emails daily but they would respond within minutes.  The restrictions of time zones have little limitations on their response.  People are positioned in front of their computers much of the day.  We probably know several people that spend great deals of time in front of the computer daily.   

 Friendship Church believes that the Lord has opened this door of technology in order to meet and minister to today’s culture.  Our belief is that the time is now and the day is far spent, work while it is called day.  This resource lends to the idea of reaching the most people in the fastest amount of time.  This gives wings of opportunities to make available a fresh way of presenting the glorious gospel.  We set a goal of making live feeds of our service to family members, friends, and acquaintances.  We felt that other ministries in our church might also benefit from this endeavor, because we do a considerable amount of work with those coming from addictive lifestyles.  Our hearts leaped when the idea came up that this could be a uniting mechanism.   Family members could be in same service with their loved ones although in different locations.  They could be located almost anywhere and still be in service.  We have already had family and friends join us from Florida, Oklahoma, and various locations in Texas.  Other possibilities include those in hospitals, nursing homes, at work, away from home, and in recovery facilities.  Broadcasts can be made from off site locations, like we demonstrated in Weatherford at the Holy Spirit Conference.  Bill Ratchford and others who were unable to attend the conference for various reasons, were able to tune in and enjoyed praise and worship and the Word. 

Spreading the Word to a lost world is our commission as disciples, and we are trying our best to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in accomplishing this task.  Hopefully we are ahead of the curve in battling what could be obstacles for people. As gas prices continue to rise, incomes are squeezed, and for those with limited mobility the internet could be the economical answer to counter such hardships.  The very real possibilities are there for hard times, but it is also beneficial in good times.  We know that the Holy Spirit empowers us for the end time gathering of the Lord’s harvest.     

Faith comes from hearing the word, and God uses people and can use technology to accomplish His will.

Submitted by Pastor Mark Crawford