DUBUQUE, Iowa - The moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is a busy person.

Requests for an appearance by Moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow go through the Office of the General Assembly, but that's only an in-person appearance.

Reyes-Chow and the Synod of Lakes and Prairies worked out an audio-visual interactive appearance last month during the first-ever regional Collegiate Ministries Conference, organized by the synod and the Office of Collegiate Ministries of the PC(USA), at the University of Dubuque here Nov. 10-12.

According to Reyes-Chow, his interactive appearance at a conference over the Internet was a first. "We need to let others know how this can be done," Reyes-Chow said.

Using free Skype software - www.skype.com, a webcam, headphones, a projector and an Internet connection through the university, Duane Sweep, associate for communications at the synod and a coordinator of the conference, connected with Reyes-Chow, who was using the same software at a Presbyterian church in the east.

Reyes-Chow, who appeared on the projection screen at the conference, greeted cparticipants and then engaged in more than 20 minutes of questions and answers with collegiate ministers and chaplains.

Sweep blogged about the moderator's appearance at www.myspace.com/synodoflakesandprairies.

Even though the synod's request for a moderator visit at the conference had been declined last summer, Elona Street-Stewart, the synod's associate for racial ethnic ministries and a coordinator of the conference, had the opportunity to visit with Reyes-Chow at an event in Louisville earlier in the fall. That's when Reyes-Chow suggested "Skyping" the visit.

"I had heard of Skype," Sweep said, "but I had no idea how it worked or what would have to be done to make it work on our end."

Sweep said the software and equipment are easy to use with any sort of previous computer use. "It had to be simple," Sweep said. "I'm far from being a leader in technology."

He added, "I can see a lot of possibilities for putting this type of technology to work for the church. How well we can make it work could well be dependent on the comfort level of those using the technology."

No responses to this article yet