Christian missionaries have found a new (virtual) mission territory

Religion Christian missionaries have found a new (virtual) mission territory July 2, 20264:06 PM ET By  Fiona Murphy Geoffery Powell, a 28-year-old multimedia artist and computer scientist, said he was drawn to VRChat for its imaginative potential. Via Geoffery Powell/Photo courtesy of Geoffery Powell hide caption toggle caption Via Geoffery Powell/Photo courtesy of Geoffery Powell (RNS) — Ten figures stand in a circle inside a Japanese-style penthouse. The lights are low. A white stormtrooper huddles beside a large, orange cat, who bows his head and clears his throat. "Father God, just thank you for this opportunity to go and reach out to people who need you," said the cat, in the voice of Curt Curtis, a Christian missionary in his 60s from Texas. The room is virtual, but the prayer is not. "Guide us and direct us to people who have a need in their heart," Curtis continued. For three years, Christian missionaries with the evangelical organization Cru have gathered every Friday in VRChat, a popular social platform where millions of people from around the world interact through avatars resembling anime characters, animals, robots and humans. Users can explore thousands of virtual worlds where they talk, flirt, play games and, in the missionaries' case, spread the gospel. Sponsor Message As more people build friendships and spend significant portions of their lives in virtual spaces, Cru's missionaries are adapting familiar evangelistic practices to reach them. "At first we were like, what is it like here? Who comes here? Why are they here?" said Frank Kuligowski, the digital strategist for Cru who led the idea of Cru missionaries purchasing VR headsets. After praying, the missionaries pull up their virtual maps and choose a world to enter, which Kuligowski described as an art of its own — 20 users is the sweet spot, he said, enough activity without chaos. Once inside a world, the missionaries split up and seek out small groups chatting in quieter corners. They b...