Parishioners surf at holy hotspot

A church in Cardiff has installed a wireless broadband hotspot so that busy parishioners can surf the net at the same time as worshipping.

Vicar Keith Kimber wanted to offer his congregation in St John’s in Cardiff city centre a quiet corner to send or receive emails or browse the net.

BT and Cardiff city council, who have jointly funded the roll-out of BT Openzone hotspots across the city, have installed an Openzone ‘node’ in the church itself.

Rev Kimber said: “The church has to move with the times and I wanted to make St John’s a sanctuary for everyone, including business people with laptops and mobiles. I have no problem with people quietly sending an email or surfing the internet in church, as long as they respect the church.”

“All we ask is that they respect the church environment and do not to use loud mobile ring tones or play music on their computers.”

The vicar, who publishes the times of services and details of forthcoming church events on the church’s website (cardiffcentralparish.org), says he regularly writes his sermon on his laptop.

There are 100 BT Openzone points in Cardiff city centre and parts of Cardiff Bay following the agreement between Cardiff council and BT Openzone.