A church in Wales is making headlines because in addition to having a service where the congregation can “worship” God, they also offer the congregation free Wi-Fi access, presumably to fill in the dull times of the service.

Headline Reuters: Prayers are answered for distracted congregation

LONDON (Reuters) – British telecoms operator BT Group Plc has wired up a church in Wales to allow the congregation to hook onto local high-speed Internet connections when they want a break from the sermon. Britain’s largest fixed-line telecoms operator said on Tuesday it had installed a Wi-Fi wireless network access point, known as a hotspot, in Reverend Keith Kimber’s St John’s Rectory church in the city of Cardiff.

“The church has to move with the times and I wanted to make St John’s a sanctuary for everyone, including business people with laptops and mobiles,” Kimber said in a statement issued by BT. “I have no problem with people quietly sending an email or surfing the Internet in church, as long as they respect the church.”

There is a time and a place for Internet access. Our church has a Wi-Fi network. But I don’t quite understand how Rev. Kimber can expect people to surf the net during a sermon and respect the church at the same time….