Some avatars continue to hide, but others learn to communicate via their real identities, Grunewald explains. “We really encourage people when they take a step toward becoming a follower of Christ to then reveal who they are and not remain anonymous. But, as with any church, people who want to remain anonymous can do so.” 

In addition to LifeChurch.tv, a number of other Christian groups have snapped up “property” on Second Life. British church leaders have bought an island and launched an ad campaign with the slogan “Have a second go at life.” The churches’ advertising network is encouraging young people and others who are not acquainted with Christianity to sign up on Second Life and visit an island built by Andrew Down, a Second Life consultant.

According to the Times of London, the island is a representation of 1st-century Palestine. It has a virtual church known as St Pixel’s and a café, “We Three Kings of Orient Arbucks.” There is a well and pool of fresh water, representing the Well of Samaria. The island is home to Zacchaeus’ Bonsai Shop and a Roman amphitheatre with its own cinema.

A nativity film will be screened in the run up to Christmas for visitors to Second Life. The Christmas campaign will also feature “real life” poster and radio advertisements urging people to enjoy a “second chance at life.”

Once the Christmas promotion ends, according to the Times, the island will be transferred to another Christian group to use as a permanent Second Life mission field.

Larry Transue, pastor of Second Life’s non-denominational Northbound Community Church, also sees the virtual community as a mission field. Transue is involved in evangelism and outreach at his real-world Northbound Church located in Thousand Oaks, California. “We definitely feel the presence of the Holy Spirit there in Second Life.”

Ben Faust of Harrisonburg, Va., is the founder of ALM Cyber Church in Second Life. Faust, an ordained evangelical minister, had no desire to pastor a real-world church or give up his day job programming websites. He devotes his energy to evangelism at his cyber church.

Does all this virtual evangelism work? It did for Diane/Jillian who we met at the beginning of this article. And it did for Troy, a 41-year-old Second Life user who found LifeChurch.tv’s Experience Island while roaming around the virtual world.

In an email to Gruenewald, Troy describes the challenges he has faced in real life and then describes how he began crying when he watched the mysecret.tv videos in Second Life: “After watching and praying with [Pastor] Craig, I raised my hands, confessed my sins and gave myself to Jesus for the first time in my life… What a wonderful feeling to be free of my sins, to find out how to get rid of my bitterness, most of my fears, to understand how I’ve been holding all these dark crazy things inside me for so long and now learning how to follow the path God has for me, to give myself to Jesus.”