IT was a jaw-dropping sight for passers-by as their 800-year-old cathedral was turned into a giant computer screen for the evening.

Diocesan web programmer the Rev Simon Rundell and diocesan webmaster the Rev Sandy Matheson at the launch

A launch video and web pages were projected onto the west wall of Portsmouth's Anglican cathedral as part of a re-launch of the Portsmouth diocese's website.

Crowds of onlookers cheered as the video played to thumping music. People emerging from local pubs stopped and stared at the spectacle.

The Diocese of Portsmouth's website - www.portsmouth.anglican.org - was re-launched to tap into the spirituality of a generation that may feel more comfortable on their computers than in church.

The diocese, which embraces 140 parishes in south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, will use its website to interact with people who don’t normally come to church. It is thought to be a pioneering move that has not been attempted by any other diocese.

Churchgoers and non-churchgoers can now:

- ask worshippers in churches around our diocese to pray for their needs;

- use online prayers and meditations themselves at home;

- find out answers to their spiritual queries;

- read the gospel story about Jesus in up-to-date language;

- find out which is their nearest church;

- read real-life stories about people with faith from around our diocese; and

- find out how the church can help them with life events, including births, marriages and bereavement.

The thinking behind the new website has come from the diocesan webmaster, the Rev Sandy Matheson, who is also vicar of St Paul’s Church in Sarisbury. The Rev Simon Rundell, curate at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Southsea, has written much of the programming, and Mark Rodel, an ordinand from St Jude’s, Southsea, has created the new design.

It is being dubbed the ‘mission-shaped website’ as it echoes much of the thinking recently published in a Church of England report entitled ‘Mission-Shaped Church’ that advocates new ways of being Church. The report was put together by a working group chaired by the Rt Rev Graham Cray, Bishop of Maidstone.

It also fits with the theology behind the Portsmouth’s diocese’s Kairos process, which was launched by the bishop in February. As part of a radical review of the diocese’s mission, ministry and resources, it suggests that the Church should be helping people to engage with their spirituality wherever they are, rather than simply hoping they might come to church services.

The Rev Sandy Matheson said: “There are thousands of people in our diocese who would never dream of setting foot inside a church building, but that doesn’t mean they are not interested in spiritual things. If they feel more comfortable in front of a computer screen, why shouldn’t we provide them with the chance to engage with their spirituality right there?

“For some people, it might involve praying one of the prayers from the website at their desk. Others might want to read part of the gospel story. A few might actually ask us to pray for them. As far as I’m aware, no other diocese is using their website in quite this way, so I believe we are pioneers.”

And the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Kenneth Stevenson, said: “This was a jaw-dropping spectacle that really made people stop and stare.

“The new website is a prime example of bringing Christ to where people already are and helping them to engage with their spirituality in a way they feel more comfortable with. It therefore fits in both with the Kairos process that I initiated in this diocese in February, and the thinking of the Church of England nationally, as expressed in the visionary report ‘Mission-Shaped Church’ published earlier this year.”

The information from the existing website - news, dates, liturgy, bishop’s sermons and so on - will all still be available, but will not be the first items that people come to any more.

Instead, the home page will offer people a choice of reading about Jesus, stories of faith, life events or frequently-asked questions about faith; looking at prayers; or searching to find their nearest church.

Our diocese has secured permission to use extracts from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible, The Street Bible by Rob Lacey and Jesus by J John on the website, meaning that information about Jesus’ life will be available in the most up-to-date language.

Additional features for churchgoers will include booking and paying for diocesan training courses online, and subscribing to online mailing lists.