Kingdom City Church: Spreading the Gospel of Christ in a Pixelated World – Josh (Thomas1 Bellic, Reporting)

SecondLife a Virtual World creation from Linden Labs is known for its art, entertainment, building designs, fashion, theme parks, bars, dance halls, brothels, alternative life-style sims, and open-air forests.

But without a thorough deep dive into SL, you might well miss another side to life on the grid:  The Spiritual.  Today’s guest is Samuel James, pastor at Kingdom City Church.  Unique, even among other churches in SL, Kingdom City Church is, according to Samuel, inspired by God, and provides a place for the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to be made available to people who might not otherwise have access, or simply choose not to attend, mainline RL churches.  With Kingdom City Church being a fairly new arrival on the SL scene, I caught up with Samuel who agreed to share his vision with SL Enquirer readers.  What follows in his story.

Josh (Thomas1 Bellic) (JB):     Hello, Samuel.  Thanks so much for agreeing to meet with me today.  To start things off, please share with us how you decided to establish a Church in SecondLife?

(Samuel James) (SJ):     I saw a need, I felt that the way I envisioned church is SL was not available, I saw no real live worship in the churches and poor quality 96kb sermons on 40 dollar microphones, I’m not trying to sound mean here, I just felt like there needed to be the same standard we give to worldly things, like SL music/DJ scene, given to the things of the kingdom, and I have the equipment.. I have the zeal, so I took a page of Isiah's book, literally, here I am, send me.

JB:     I understand you are an ordained Minister of the Gospel. Isn't it quite a leap from RL ordained Minister to SL Church Leader?

SJ:     I am not ordained in that sense.  To be ordained, you have to go to a Baptist church or an Anglican church, recognized by a top-down hierarchy of promotion.  There is no high educational degree that makes you a pastor, no board of directors in a city has sanctioned my ministry. It is true that I have served as a pastor at 2 different RL churches and have been in ministry for over 10 years but, that was through "showing myself approved" to those local church bodies who were non-denominational and did not have a pope-like hierarchy to answer to…the word “ordained” is an archaic word that means older men gave me permission to do this.  God gave me permission, not a man in Rome.

JB:     Do you do this full-time, or is this a supplemental job for you?

SJ:     Ministry is a full-time lifestyle.  To pay my bills, I perform shows all around the grid, but that is not my job, its simply what I do to eat and live.  My job is to be about my Father's business, and that is the business of Kingdom Building

JB:     Have you done this on your own?  Or have you had help?

SJ:     Thanks to God I have a team of Godly people who started this with me, starting with my Wife Esther, and my two wonderful friends, Mandy and Zelly.

JB:     How big is your congregation?

SJ:     At the moment, we have around 10-20 coming as of our 2nd week, our building seats 72 with room to expand

JB:     I noticed your attire is a bit different from what is normally worn by pastors.  Why the difference?

SJ:     Yes so, lol, we are not interested in being what society deems as fancy.  I preach barefoot. I do not care about labels, expectations or dressing like an upper middle-class bank manager.  I was born in dirt. I come from the side of the tracks you don’t take your children to for picnics. I’m Australian… but I am what Americans would call "white trash".

JB:     I saw some other buildings on your property when I visited.  What are they for?

SJ:     So, we have lots of things on the KCC land, including two cabins, with general seating areas for activities such as bible studies etc.  We also host a podcast from the location called the Kingdom Think Podcast, as well as an entire area dedicated to games such as put-put golf, skippo and much, much more.

JB:     Are you on any other Social Media Websites?

SJ:     As a matter of fact, we are.  Please check us out at the sites below:

·         Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kingdomcitychurchsl/

·         FaceBook:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588822524101

·         TicTok:    https://www.tiktok.com/@kingdomcitychurchsl

·         YouTube:   https://www.youtube.com/@KingdomCityChurchSecondLife

JB:     Is there anything else you would like to share with our SL Enquirer readers?

SJ:     The kind of church God wants to build will make children laugh and adults angry, it makes demons scream in shopping centers, it loves people away from their suicide game, it invokes the ancient dream of Eden, it could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday, and it wouldn't even notice the difference, it is dangerously, obsessively, undeniably Jesus.  He will breathe out and we will breathe in.  I’m not interested in building a hangout sim; I mean to change lives, period.  We live as if it all depends on us but pray as if it all depends on God.

JB:     Tell me, Samuel.  How is your church different from other churches here in SecondLife?

SJ:     For one thing, we have real actually live worship with High Quality, along with the words on stage so all can see just like RL church.  Secondly, we have cameras in our church like other churches, but they are not for show, we stream live to YouTube.  Also, one of our missions is to build up leaders.  The obvious question to me is why haven’t I led worship at other churches in SL before now? The answer is most churches don’t want the help, the leaders log on… preach... log off.  They have no intention of raising up secondary pastors, preachers, worship leaders and ministers, and they certainly are not open to how things can be done differently, not that I’ve observed.  I tried going to many churches before I started this, and not one pastor ever had the time of day to have a coffee and a chat or sit among the people and fellowship.  It was always to log on, tell us how to think, and log off.  Even their bible studies are carefully curated mini sermons with no room for exploration or creativity.  We mean to break each...and every...one of those rules.  I wanna see hungry men and women of God with that Jeremiah fire that I can raise up to preach as I glorify God in their gifts.  I mean to see anointed worship leaders step into God’s calling for them.  I will be there to explain sound production to them and walk them through how to give God the best we can give with excellence and zeal.

So there you have it, folks.  Straight from the Pastor’s mouth.  If you are tired of the other options available here.  If you are looking to renew your faith…or perhaps build your faith or even if you have none…..Give Pastor Samuel James and King City Church a try.

And when you do, tell ‘em “Josh sent ya.”  You’ll be glad you did

Be there!  Aloha!!

JB

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kingdom City Church Services

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kingdom City Church Launches Sunday Services in Second Life, Offering Live Worship and Gospel-Centered Community

Second Life's Kingdom City Church (KCC), a Christ-centered, non-denominational church, is now welcoming attendees to its weekly Sunday services in the virtual world of Second Life. The church invites all to join its gathering every Sunday at 2:00 PM SLT for a time of authentic worship, biblical teaching, and spiritual community.

Kingdom City Church is devoted to the inerrant Word of God, the saving grace of the Gospel, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. With a mission to know Jesus deeply, live out His truth, and reflect His love, KCC emphasizes the proclamation of the Gospel, intercessory prayer, and sacrificial love as the foundation of its ministry.

“Our heart is to create a space where people can encounter God in a real and personal way, even in a virtual world,” said the church’s lead pastor, who brings over a decade of ministry experience to the platform. Along with already being an established SL Live Singer he comes with 15 years of worship leading experience “Second Life gives us a unique opportunity to reach people where they are and build a genuine, faith-filled community.”

Each Sunday service features live, authentic worship led by a dedicated worship leader, along with biblically grounded teaching designed to encourage spiritual growth and deeper faith. Kingdom City Church is supported by a committed, God-given team passionate about fostering connection, discipleship, and a welcoming environment for all.

Whether individuals are exploring faith, seeking community, or looking for a place to worship, Kingdom City Church offers an accessible and meaningful church experience within Second Life.

Service Details:

What: Kingdom City Church Sunday Service

When: Every Sunday at 2:00 PM SLT for Sunday Service

        Every Tuesday 3:30PM for Bible Study

        Every Wednesday 5PM for Prayer Meeting

Where: Second Life (location available upon request)

Message from the Pastor:

        I'm not your usual pastor, I preach barefoot, sometimes shirtless, I'm not interested in religion, I'm interested in Jesus, people think he hung around sinners, that's not accurate, he went where he was welcome, just so happens the only people that welcomed him were the hurting, the dirty and the dying, I'm not interested in a prosperity gospel or slick haired preachers with 3 point sermons about a God they don't know, I'm interested in the proclamation of the gospel, intercessory prayer and sacrificial love. The message hasn't changed, its been the same for 5 thousand years.. come all who are weary and beaten down by life, in me you will find rest the bible rest, in a world of plastic what the world needs is authenticity. 

        Its fascination that Jesus chose the Samaritan woman at the well as the first person who told that he was the Messiah, he was surrounded by loyal followers and yet he chose a broken woman with nothing left, he picked her outside time and multitudes and said.. I'm a tell just her.. it'll be our moment, and he did it alone, the story comes across as clinical in the scriptures because the disciples weren't around to hear it and the only thing they knew is what Jesus told them in passing, meaning, it was none of their business, every detail she and he shared, was none of their business, he needed them to know, that 1. he chose her and 2. he didn't care what they thought about it.

        I'm also not interested in watering down Gods truth to appeal to the world, the truth is people don't want another lie.. they want something real, they don't need a friend.. they need a father, in a world many many people have been abandoned, thrown away and abused by many calling themselves father or mother, the bible says he is father to the fatherless. They don't need another church catering to make them comfortable, they need to be reminded that they were born to be sons and daughters of light, nowadays, we council out what the old church use to cast out, people don't need a friend, they need a future and a hope, they are sick n tired of a world that lies to them. They wont find lies here.

For more information, updates, or to connect with the Kingdom City Church community, interested individuals are encouraged to reach out in-world.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KingdomCityChurchSecondLife 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588822524101 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingdomcitychurchsl/

Landmark: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tulsa%20Time/191/174/21 

Discord: https://discord.gg/x6ZWmkhHWg 

Media Contact: Samuel James

Kingdom City Church

Second Life Username: Samueljames87

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