Minecraft Church at Kidlington

In a possible world first, the computer game Minecraft was fully integrated into morning worship at a recent local arrangement service at Kidlington Methodist Church.

While we are used to occasional café church services with accompanying activities and discussions, incorporating computer games into morning worship for the whole congregation was something quite new. Minecraft lends itself to this very well. Everyone present who wanted to play Minecraft joined together in the same virtual world. They were able to interact with one another virtually, as well as in person, and everything they created was visible to the whole congregation via the projector screens.

At various points in the service, the whole congregation was invited to respond to the story. In the opening prayers, everyone was asked to reflect on the concept of safety – places where they feel safe, and what makes home feel like home. The reflections could be on paper or through quiet thought, or through building a home on Minecraft and reflecting on what made it home-like. When it came to the Bible readings (Ruth 1:1-18 and Mark 12:28-34), the first was read from a Minecraft book – the Minecraft world includes a Minecraft Village, with a church and a library full of different stories from the Bible.

Later, the congregation was asked to reflect on the point at the beginning of the story of Ruth when Ruth and Naomi set out together to return home. Again, responses could be through a variety of crafts, a Zentangle mindful activity, as well as through discussions. Minecrafters could build an aspect of the story – such as the threat of famine that prompted Naomi's initial journey, or a scary pathway into the unknown.

At all times, the play on Minecraft was an integral part of the service and visible to all. One Minecrafter built a scary pathway with many daunting obstacles. Another built a stony pathway, but with green shoots at intervals. Yet another went exploring alone and ended up lost and unable to return to the others without help, which spoke to some of the ongoing discussions. Another Minecrafter removed all the farmed crops and food stores from a village, leaving it desolate and reminding everyone of the extreme circumstances that can push people to leave their homes. The discussions were wide-ranging and covered the plight of refugees today, as well as the hope contained in the story and the bravery of the women.