@ChurchLive: Church of England partners with Twitter to broadcast services globally

The Church of England has partnered with Twitter UK in launching @ChurchLive to broadcast Sunday services globally.

Services will be broadcasted through the Periscope app, enabling local church services to be viewed by global audiences.

Canon Andrew White, the Vicar of Baghdad, will lead the first service to be broadcasted this Sunday at The Point, a Fresh Expressions Church in West Sussex.

The CofE hopes the accessibility of services will engage more people with the Church. They hope Twitter could be "the first taste of Church for those unfamiliar with church services and an introduction to the best worship, preaching and prayer."

Whilst also attracting those who have not been involved in church in the past, the project aims to enable those who are too ill to physically attend church services to remain engaged.

"This is a project designed to bring Church of England services from Malton to Miami, Middlesbrough to Milan and Manchester to Mumbai.

"Those who may not make it to church on a Sunday for all sorts of reasons will have the opportunity to be part of a service. The ability to join in worship shouldn't be restricted to geographical constraint.

"We know that Periscope users are a global audience and we expect that there will be as many watching services broadcast via Periscope as are physically present at the services themselves," said Rev Arun Arora, director of communications for the Church of England.

Julia White from Twitter UK commended the Church's use of social media: "It's great to see the Church of England taking the best of what they have to offer and using Periscope to show it live across the world."

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