ChurchPond, based in Atlanta , Georgia , was launched in March 2002 and is one of the top three sites for hits on the Google™ and Yahoo™ search engines for the keywords, “live church service.”
The site began as a way for Adventist students on secular college campuses at the Atlanta University Center to have a Web site for prayer requests, testimonies and announcements for those Sabbaths they could not attend church services.
“The Holy Spirit impressed upon Urick LaDonis to post sermons online from the Atlanta Berean Church. “We received a good response. And if the students couldn't get a ride to church, they could go online and get a sermon.”
ChurchPond started with archived sermons then added live sermons, which now include churches from across the United States , as well as the Bahamas , Jamaica and Bermuda , each of which provides a monthly remuneration to have their sermons broadcast. ChurchPond has had queries from as far away as India and Australia .
One of the extra special features of ChurchPond is Pond TV. This feature allows users to listen and/or view sermons of some of their favorite pastors. Since this feature has become so popular, churches have partnered with ChurchPond to have their services streamed live over the Internet. Church members who are convalescent, on maternity leave, away in college, or whatever reason, are able to listen or view the church programs live on the Internet.
ChurchPond has made it possible for the message of Jesus Christ to reach into the homes of those who would not otherwise step foot into a church, which makes fulfilling the gospel commission more of a reality than ever before.
LaDonis and the supporters of ChurchPond have been pleased to see the rapid growth of the Internet site over the llast few years. “Our goal is to win souls through the Internet,” he said.
