The ancients communicated by the spoken word. Then came about the written word on stone tablets. Eventually paper became the medium of choice and aren't we glad-can you imagine carrying home your class notes on stones? Now let's fast forward to the Internet Age where you can instantly communicate to anyone, anywhere, anytime. So our church website is intended to be a blessing in meeting the needs of our congregation and even others who encounter us as they surf on the information superhighway.

The church website tells what our church is all about-our purpose, our style, our faith. It has a timeline briefing of our historical beginnings. Say, did you know that the first worship service was held on March 3, 1985 in a rented school auditorium in Hacienda Heights and that Sunday School classes were held in the school classrooms?

The website has listings and some details of the various programs and ministries, such as the Sunday worship schedule and fellowship groups. Recent news, coming events, and announcements are readily available. More details will be added as the website work expands. For those computer experts and web designers, we can use your help.

If you have friends you want to invite to church, direct them to the church location page. It gives the details about our church (and most importantly the parking!) and is available in both English and Chinese. For those who are visually oriented, there is a pictorial map. For those that prefer written instructions, they are just a mouse click away.

Want to witness and bring salvation to your friends but need another means? Do it via the web. Just send them a brief personal email and attach the web link. A brief salvation message and prayer is available on the "What is the Good News?" page. Click on the "Good News" link from the home page of the church web.

The English version can be accessed via <www.fcbcwalnut.org> and the Cantonese version via <www.fcbcwalnut.org/cantonese>. We also have a website for Fairway at <http://www.1555fairway.org>. It is our hope that a Mandarin one can be developed in the near future.

Did you know that the sermon outlines and PowerPoint presentations of the Cantonese Sunday Service are available? Also available are the Chinese Daily Bible study guide and a search function of the Bible in Chinese among many other great.

I recently perused the Fairway website and it contains a lot of interesting items and is very active. It has listings of "ways to connect" to one another in your Christian growth. It has a very extensive forum platform of various categories such as prayer, testimony and worship, Fairway sermon discussions, and serving. Within a particular category such as serving, there are topics. In the early part of September, they were "Teaching younger kids" and "union rescue mission, anyone?". In the Union Rescue Mission forum, a few individuals who recently served gave a brief impression and asked if others would also be interested in going. Then postings followed which expressed various thoughts and views. As a result, the when, where, and how of three different service opportunity days were made available.

Possible future website developments include making the website more interactive, such as with a message board, chat-room, Q&A sessions, and video clips. We will have the Walnut Newsletters made available electronically on the internet in the near future! In conclusion, I personally prefer a newspaper that is printed on real paper. I love the feel of paper and black ink on my fingers in the morning. But to each his (her) own!

By Larry Hong, Staff Writer