From: gslade@cyberstore.ca (Greg Slade)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Christian Telecommunications
Date: 5 Jan 93 08:22:21 GMT
Organization: Cyberstore Online Information Systems Inc.

Christian Telecommunications Toolkit: Discussion Paper #1
 
 
Introduction:
 
One of the most important things which churches deal with is
information: whether it be internal information tracking members,
visitors, activities, etc., or information exchanged between the
church and its denomination, mission board, seminary, or other
support organisations.  The sheer volume of mail, newsletters,
faxes, etc. going into and out of the average church is immense. 
Aside from the usual problems with filing, finding, and using all
of this information, there is an increasing concern with the impact
of use of resources like paper and pen in an increasingly stressed
environmental situation.
 
Industry has long sought a way of taming the volume of paper.  The
term "paperless office" represents an ideal where all the
information coming into and out of an office is in electronic,
rather than paper, form.  In this way, many letters can be filed on
a computer disk, which takes up as much space as one letter, and
they can be sorted, copied, retrieved, re-edited for other uses,
all with existing computer software.
 
Unfortunately, some organisations have found that computers, rather
than reducing the paper load, actually increase it.  Since
computers make it easier to create documents, more documents are
created.  The computer printer spits out, if anything, even more 
paper than the mailbox.
 
 
Networking computers:
 
Such does not need to be the case.  It is perfectly possible to
exchange information between computers without paper.  After all,
it is not the paper itself we want the recipient to receive, but
the information printed on it.  Within one office, it is just as
easy to send an electronic message over a LAN (Local Area Network)
mail system as it is to write up a note on a piece of paper and
direct it to the recipient.  The electronic message won't get lost
under a pile of paper.  Between sites, say between a church and the
denominational office, it is possible to use modems and  computers
to exchange information by means of electronic mail.
 
This linking together of computers within a building, and linking
together of computers in different buildings, even in different
cities, is called "networking".  As more and more nodes are
connected together by means of electronic communication, a map
showing the electronic links ends up having so many lines on it
that it begins to resemble the mesh of a fishnet (See figure 1).
 
  A---B---C---D---E---F   Figure 1: A stylised representation of
  |   |   |   |   |   |             a computer network.  The
  G---H---I---J---K---L             letters A-X represent nodes
  |   |   |   |   |   |             (either computers within a 
  M---N---O---P---Q---R             Local Area Network or sites
  |   |   |   |   |   |             within a Wide Area Network) 
  S---T---U---V---W---X             and the lines represent the
                                    links between nodes.  Note
         Figure 1                   the resemblance to a fishnet.
 
In fact, some people take advantage of this terminology to indulge
in the love of puns which seems to be common among computer users. 
One of the denominational computer networks in the United States is
called "FishNet", playing up on the network terminology and Jesus'
promise to the Disciples that they would be called "Fishers of
men."  (Mk. 1:17)
 
This document will discuss several of the current attempts to
create Christian Electronic Communication networks.  In addition,
it will suggest ways in which a Christian Communications Toolkit
can aid the effectiveness of current networking efforts by enabling
Christians to work together.  The purpose of this discussion paper
is to gather opinions on the need for and possible format of such
a toolkit, and to gather information to be included in it. 
 
 
Types of Networking:
 
For clarification, here is a brief rundown on the different kinds
of computer networks.
 
- LAN: Local Area Network.  In a LAN, several computers within the
same building are linked together, either through existing
telephone circuits, running special network wiring, fibre optic
cable, or assorted "wireless" network systems using radio waves or
infrared light.  Typically, LANs are used to enable several
computers to share high cost peripherals, such as printers,
scanners, disk storage, and sometimes modems or faxes.  Some LANs
have other services added, such as electronic mail between
computers, client-server applications, or "workgroup" applications,
in which several users can work collaboratively on a project.
 
- WAN: Wide Area Network.  In a WAN, computers or LANs at different
sites, and even different cities, are linked by high speed leased
data lines or satellite links, which can make it appear to the user
that another computer or user is right next door rather than across
town or across the country.  Typically, WANs are run by large
corporations, as the means of linking sites can be quite expensive.
 
- Information Services: In this system, a single computer is set up
to accept calls via modem.  Users call in to the system to send and
pick up messages, or exchange files.
 
- BBS Networks: In this system, each BBS in the network is set up
to call another system at a set time to exchange mail.  For
example, a BBS in Vancouver might call another BBS in Calgary every
night at 1:00 am, and send all of the new messages it has received
during the previous day.  In return, the other BBS sends its new
messages.  That other BBS might be connected to another, and so on. 
In all, there may be anywhere from a couple of dozen BBSs in one of
the smaller networks, to 14,000 in Fidonet, the largest network. 
The message areas are called "echoes" because any message entered
on one BBS is automatically relayed to ("echoed" on) all of the
others carrying that echo.
 
- Internet: Internet started as a link between universities and
government agencies in the United States.  It has grown to include
corporations and BBSs offering public access to Internet, and is
now the largest network in the world in terms of the number of
users, and nobody actually knows how big it is, because new hosts
(computers or LANs) are added all the time.  Estimates are that
there are at least 4,000 hosts in the Internet, with anywhere from
one to several thousand users at each host.  Internet carries over
a thousand public message bases (called "news groups") and provides
for private mail, file transfers, and even logging on to other
computers through the network.
 
Barriers to Networking:
 
There are several reasons why networking has not progressed as far
as it might have in churches:
 
- Lone Ranger Syndrome: Baptists especially have a tendency towards
what I call "the Lone Ranger Syndrome", where we seem to have the
attitude that anything which happens outside our own congregation
has nothing to do with us.  (Although my Anglican priest friend
assures me that this syndrome is alive and well in the Anglican
Church too.)  Christians don't seem to be very good at talking to
one another, and this leads to a lot of duplicated efforts, where
people try to "reinvent the wheel", rather than taking the trouble
to find out what others are doing in the field, and then joining in
with an existing effort and therefore making it that much stronger. 
What we have now are a number of efforts at networking which are
incompatible with each other, and frequently are unaware of each
other's existence.  (As many of these networks as possible are
listed later in this document.)
 
- Holy Wars: Of course, not all efforts are totally oblivious of
each other.  Some networks are aware of each other, but have
theological differences.  "I'm not going to have anything to do
with those heretics!"  While sometimes there are substantive
differences between churches which would make it difficult for them
to work together closely, and there are some groups which most
churches would have difficulty recognising as "Christian" in any
real sense.  Surely there is a place for those denominations with
similar doctrine and polity to work together on a communications
network.  Common efforts like the Canadian Foodgrains Bank give me
hope that churches may eventually work together in some areas. 
Perhaps electronic communications will be one of them.
 
- Cost: Many people take one look at the cost of a modem, or usage
on an online system, and say "that's an expensive frill we can't
afford!"  While it's true that spending hours in "chat mode" or
browsing for files on a pay-by-the-hour system can a costly item,
responsible use of the modem for electronic mail or file transfer
can frequently be cheaper than traditional alternative methods, as
well as faster.  For example, it costs 42 cents to send a 30 gram
first class letter within Canada.  It is possible to squeeze up to
5 sheets of paper into the 30 gram weight limit before having to
move up to the next level of postage.  After 11:00 pm, it costs 27
cents to place a two minute long distance call between Vancouver
and anywhere in BC or Alberta.  (BC Tel has a 27 cent minimum
charge per call.)  In those two minutes, a fax machine can send up
to 12 pages of text under ideal circumstances.  A modem could send
200 pages of text, or a combination of text, graphics, and even
database or spreadsheet or graphics files.  For less money, it is
possible to send more information electronically and that
information will arrive at the destination much faster than by
mail.
 
- Technopeasantry: One of the new terms of this decade is the label
"technopeasant".  It refers to someone who is unaware of, or even
afraid of, high technology.  The reason some people do not get into
electronic communications is simply that they find the technology
involved too bewildering or threatening.  This discussion paper is
designed to be the first step in making the technology easier to
deal with.
 
- Sloppy computer habits: Moving to a paperless office is only
effective if people can find the files they need on their computer. 
I have found that many people, when naming a file in order to store
it, give their file a name which is too short to be of any use in
saying what is contained in the file.  For example, a letter to Don
Anderson might appear on a disk as simply "DON", or possibly
"DON.LTR".  But when was it written and what was it about?  Getting
people to use meaningful filenames like "DON-JOT.APR" would be a
big improvement in letting them keep track of information on disk
instead of paper.  In the same way, most people do not make full
use of the hierarchical nature of hard disk systems in storing
files.  All modern operating systems allow users to create
directories or folders on hard disks, and to nest related
directories or folders within one another.  Nevertheless, users
quite frequently keep all their word processing files in the same
directory as the program, or possibly have a "files" directory with
all their word processing files in one place.  There is value in
developing an understanding of "file maintenance" and how to create
different directories for committee minutes, church correspondence,
Bible Study notes, sermon preparation, or whatever other categories
are necessary.  Files stored on computers are subject to being lost
for a variety of reasons.  It is therefore important to make what
are called "backups".  This is a simple procedure whereby the files
from a computer are stored on a second and subsequent media. 
(These media could include other hard disks in a LAN, so that
different computers can backup each other, or floppy disks, or
removable hard disks, or tapes.)  Without a proper backup
procedure, done regularly, a disk crash can turn a "paperless
office" into a "useless office".
 
Using Faxes:
 
One step many churches and other Christian organisations have taken
into the field of electronic communications is the use of a fax
machine.  Later in this document, there is a recommendation for
making use of this technology to tie churches a little closer
together than they are now.
 
Advantages of faxes over modems:
 
There are several reasons people prefer faxes over modems:
 
- Familiarity: When people receive a fax, even if it was generated
from a computer with a fax card and has never been committed to
paper before, they usually end up with a piece of paper which they
can hold in their hands, pin to a bulletin board, photocopy, mark
up, and generally treat in a manner they have been used to doing. 
On the other hand, when people receive electronic mail via
computer, they are not used to dealing with it on screen in a
computer format.  They may be able to write documents on a
computer, but they may not be used to reading them on a computer. 
Thus, many people choose to print out electronic mail and read it
from the paper, simply because it is a process more familiar to
them.  (Thus, they negate the "paperless" benefits of electronic
mail.)
 
- Ease of use: Since most fax machines are easy to use, they appeal
to technopeasants who can slap a sheet of paper into the feed bin,
press a button just like they do on a photocopier, and walk away,
knowing that the message will "magically" appear someplace else. 
(Of course, someone has to program in those numbers, but once they
are programmed, the fax is very easy to use.)
 
- Popularity: Many more organisations have fax machines than
modems.  (When's the last time you heard someone say, "Send me
E-mail" instead of "Send me a fax"?)  Because "everyone else has
one", people tend to assume that faxes are the best way to go.
 
- Signatures: Faxed documents are accepted as legal copies,
including signed documents, such as contracts.  Except in certain
circumstances (such as EDI) files transmitted by modem are not
legally binding.  (Although some organisations prefer that "hard
copy" or paper documents be sent by mail or courier to follow up on
and confirm the faxed version.)
 
Advantages of modems over faxes:
 
But faxes, while popular, and appealing to people who are
uncomfortable with technology, are not necessarily the only choice
for churches.  There are several advantages to modems over faxes:
 
- Cost: Since a fax sends a message as a bit map (a stream of
instructions to make each dot on the page black or white), a fax of
a page takes up to 50 times as much space as an ASCII file (used by
computers in transferring data by modem) of the same page.  (Most
faxes work at 200 dpi.  A standard character is 1/10" wide and 1/8"
high.  It takes a modem 10 bits to define an ASCII character.  [8
bits for the data, one for parity, and a "stop bit" to ensure the
modems keep in synch with each other.]  But it takes a fax 500 bits
[200/10x200/8] to define the same character.)  Group III fax
machines use a process called file compression to compress the data
before sending it, but many computer networks also use data
compression to save time.  In actual practice, the speed (and
therefore cost) advantage of using a modem rather than a fax to
transfer data varies from 20 to 40 times, depending on what is
being sent.
 
- Usefulness at the other end: If a fax is being used simply to
pass notes, it doesn't really matter too much how the fax looks at
the other end, as long as it's readable.  But if the fax contains
something to be contained in a report or other document, then
whoever receives the fax has to have it retyped to use the
information again.  With a file sent by modem, the information can
simply be "pasted" into another file and stored in the computer
without retyping.  In fact, database files, spreadsheet files,
graphic files, and even programs can be sent by modem.  Faxes can
only send text or pictures.  (And most fax pictures are grainier
than photocopies, so they are not usually used for publications.) 
Then too, the thermal images some faxes produce are quite delicate. 
Folding, heat, and even bright sunlight can produce black marks,
and the image fades over the course of time.
 
- Two way transfers: Any modem system allows the user to both send
and receive files in the same call, or to send and receive several
different kinds of files (mail, data, programs) in the same call. 
Faxes can only send or receive (if they have a "poll" option) in
one call.  Thus, modems can save both time and money by allowing a
more efficient flow of information.
 
Fortunately, it is not really necessary to choose between the
technologies.  Most new high speed modems have send and receive fax
capabilities as well, and many online services offer the ability to
send a fax message from a modem.  People can have both, and choose
whichever method their intended recipient is capable of dealing
with.
 
 
Existing Networks:
 
As far as this researcher has been able to gather, the following
computer networks are in operation now:
 
- LANs: Depending on the size of the individual church or
organisation, there may be local area networks in place in many
organisations.  (Either that, or a host computer running multiple
terminals, which while technically different in the way it is set
up, can be functionally similar in the services available to the
user.)  Most of the time, such LANs are used strictly for resource
sharing (printers, disk space and software.)  Only rarely have
Christian organisations made use of LAN E-mail, in my experience.
 
- WANs: To the best I have been able to discover, no Christian
organisation is using a wide area network yet.
 
- Information Services: There are several information services
which may have Christian sections available, or may be used by
individuals or organisations to exchange E-mail.  All of them have
either monthly charges or hourly charges or both:
- America Online: America Online is only accessible with special
graphical access software, which is available for free to Macintosh
users or MS-DOS users with EGA or better monitors.  The access
software is bundled free with PC/Geoworks.  Other MS-DOS users can
have access to a similar service from the same company called
PC-Link.
- BIX: Byte Information eXchange.  Run by Byte magazine in New
York, this is a favourite with writers for many technical magazines
whose headquarters are in New York, but the cost of access make it
unreasonable for use by all but the most dedicated infophiles in
other parts of the world.
- Canada Remote Systems: With a large files section and many
discussion areas, CRS is probably the biggest system in Canada, but
again, it is based in Toronto, and the cost to connect from
elsewhere is prohibitive.  There is Internet mail, however, as well
as links through NANET, but I have not been able to determine if
there is any Christian presence.
- Compuserve: Compuserve's "Religion" Forum (GO RELIGION) has
several shareware church management packages in the data (files)
library, as well as some discussion areas which might be of
interest.  Compuserve is extremely large and complex, and is rather
difficult to figure out without a "navigation" program such as
Compuserve Information Manager (CIM) which is available for MS-DOS
and Macintosh computers.  Compuserve also allows users to exchange
mail with Internet users.
- Cyberstore: Based in New Westminster, BC, this has a graphical
access program and a complete Christian files section, but like
BIX, the cost of access from other areas limits its usefulness in
linking churches outside the Vancouver area.
- Ecunet: There is a system based in Louisville, KY called Ecunet,
which is run on behalf of about a dozen mainline Protestant
denominations in the United States.  It can be accessed either with
normal communications software, or a special access program called
Bizlink.  There is no separate files section as such, but files can
be attached to messages.
- GEnie: GEnie has a section called "Religious Roundtable."  Like
Compuserve, GEnie has a "navigation" program called Aladdin for
MS-DOS and Atari ST computers.
- iNet/Envoy: Telecom Canada operates two kinds of information
services.  Envoy 100 is an E-mail service.  iNet 2000 is a more
complete service, but includes envoy-compatible mail services. 
Either service also enables users to send E-mail messages to fax
machines, or to any address via Canada Post's special delivery
EnvoyPost service.  The Baptist Union of Western Canada used to run
a bulletin board service on iNet called Ministry.Net, but the
difficulty in using the system has caused many users to drop out. 
Those who are left mostly exchange private E-mail.  There is a
graphical access program available for $180.00.
- MCI Mail: This is an E-mail service offered by MCI, a telephone
company in the United States.
- Mindlink: Based in Surrey, BC, this has an active religion
discussion area, but like BIX, the cost of access from other areas
limits its usefulness in linking churches outside the Vancouver
area.  Unlike BIX, Mindlink is tied into Internet, so users have
the ability to exchange mail with any Internet site around the
world.
- TELOS: The EcumenicaL Online System.  Based in Stirling, ON, this
is another exclusively Christian system, with its own access
software, but netmail ties to Fidonet.
 
- BBS Networks: There are several BBS networks which are not
exclusively Christian, but have Christian sections or subgroups in
them.  These include:
- Fidonet: The largest network, reaching some 14,000 BBSs around
the world.  Fidonet is divided into six "Zones", one per continent,
and each Zone is further subdivided into regions and networks. 
(For example, Fidonet network 1:153 is the lower mainland of
British Columbia.)  In North America, there is a small group of
BBSs forming a network within a network called "Ecunet".  In
Australia and New Zealand, there is a similar group called the
United Christian Communications Network.  Fidonet as a whole does
not recognise such special interest groups, so finding them to join
them can be complicated.  There are some religious echoes on the
Fidonet backbone (required to be carried in all Fidonet networks),
and more which are carried only between the interested BBSs.
- FamilyNet: A Fidonet technology network which uses the Fidonet
protocols, but is not part of Fidonet itself. FamilyNet consists of
Zone 8, and includes most of North America, Hong Kong, parts of
Australia and New Zealand, and Great Britain.  Unlike Fidonet,
FamilyNet does recognise special interest groups in the nodelist,
and has a "G-rated" rule banning profanity in echoes and
pornographic files, so it has attracted a large number of Christian
BBSs and sub-networks, including the Christian Distribution Network
(CDN), Christian Fellowship Network (CFN), Computers for Christ
(CFC), and the Messianic Jewish Computer Network (MJCN).
- GTNet: Uses protocols exclusive to a BBS program called GT
PowerComm.  It is possible to gate between Fidonet protocols and GT
protocols, but they are not entirely compatible.
- IMEX: International Mail EXchange is also a Fidonet technology
network.  IMEX consists of Zones 7 and 89, both largely limited to
North America.  There is a group of Christian Sysops in Ontario,
and one "Religion" echo.
- NANET: North America NETwork.  Based at Canada Remote Systems,
NANET uses a mail protocol which is not compatible with Fidonet.
- RelayNet: Popular with users of certain BBS programs (notably
PC-Board), RelayNet uses yet another incompatible mail standard,
but is larger than NANET.
In addition, there are several "Christian" BBS networks.  Most use
Fidonet protocols:
- AgapeNet: Agape Christian Network.  Exists largely within the
United States, and has many nodes in common with FamilyNet. 
Dissension has greatly blunted the impact of what should have been
a good network, and many people have pulled out.  Uses Zone 70.
- CIN: Catholic Information Network.  Exists within the United
States, and uses GTNet protocols.  May be defunct, as I haven't
heard from them in a while.
- CMC: Computer Missions for Christ.  Exists in the United States. 
Zone unknown.
- GMN: Global Mission Network.  A semi-private network devoted to
discussing Christian mission work.  Consists of Zone 12, and
reaches around the world.  Some nodes are in countries "closed" to
traditional mission work, so there is more concern with security
than in most networks.
- ICCN: International Christian Communications Network.  Exists
mostly within the United States, and uses Zones 70-77.
- ICDM: International Christian Discipleship Network.  Consists of
Zone 77, and is largely contained in North America.
- NewLifeNet: New Life Network.  Uses RelayNet protocols, and
exists mostly within the United States.
- NWNet: New Westminster Net.  Diocesan network for the Anglican
Diocese of New Westminster in BC.  Due to demand from outside the
diocese, it is likely to expand into "AngliNet" to cover any
diocese which is interested.  Uses Zone 33.
- OCNet: Orthodox Christian Network.  Exists mostly within the
United States, and uses GTNet protocols.
 
- Internet: Aside from having the largest group of E-mail
addresses, Internet has several news groups (public message areas)
which are of specific interest to Christians:
 
rec.music.christian      Christian Music
soc.religion.christian   Christianity
alt.messianic            Messianic Judaism
bit.listserv.christia    Christianity
bit.listserv.notabene    Nota Bene Support (Greek/Hebrew/English
Word Processor)
talk.abortion            Abortion
talk.origins             Creation/Evolution
talk.religion.misc       Religion
 
In addition, there are several mailing lists, or news groups which
are only available to selected users through E-mail, on specific
topics.  For example, snet.misc is a discussion of Christian
mission work.
 
 
Steps to increasing networking: 1. Fax Directory
 
Since many Churches and other Christian organisations already use
fax machines, one important aspect of the Christian
Telecommunications Toolkit (CTT) could be to have a single fax
directory of all such organisations, and possibly vendors with
services to offer to such organisations now.  There are already fax
directories available, but they can be expensive, and they are
intended for a business user rather than a church user.  Part of
the buildup to releasing any CTT could be to compile a fax
directory, and keep it updated at least annually.
 
 
Steps to increasing networking: 2. Email Directory
 
In the same manner, many Churches and other Christian organisations
may already be using E-mail, either through one of the methods
outlined above or others yet to be discovered.  Another possible
part of the CTT could be an E-mail directory, possibly combined
with the fax directory.
 
 
Steps to increasing networking: 3. BBS Directory
 
There are many existing Christian BBSs, both stand alone, and as
part of BBS networks.  One of the parts of the CTT should be to
track existing Christian and Messianic Jewish Bulletin Board
Systems (BBSs), so that people can easily find out if there is one
in their area.  To be included in the database, BBS sysops need to
send me the following information: BBS name, BBS telephone number,
sysop's name, call forwarding line (if the BBS has call forwarding
across calling zones), city, province/state/county (or whatever)
and country.  And, of course, I am always interested in any
comments of interest or import.
 
In addition, for my own use I track the following information:
sysop's voice line, address, postal/zip code, baud rates (low and
high), operating system (eg. MS-DOS or workalikes, Mac, Atari ST,
Commodore 64/128, Apple II, Unix, CP/M, etc.), BBS software,
mailing software, networks and addresses for each (eg. if you're in
both Fido and The NETwork, I'd like your address in each.), CFC #
(where applicable), and which Christ-related echoes or relay
conferences are carried.  If you do not want any of the information
in this paragraph released, let me know, and it will not be
included in the database file.
 
 
Steps to increasing networking: 4. Email Gateways
 
A very important step to improving telecommunications between
Christians would be to encourage existing networks to provide mail
gateways between networks.  Some of these are already in place. 
For instance, there are mail gateways between Internet and Fidonet,
Internet and Compuserve, and Internet and Canada Remote Systems. 
A link between any network and Internet would make it much easier
to route mail between systems, since Internet seems to be the
single greatest link other nets have in common.  At the very least,
networks which use Fidonet protocols should have netmail gateways
between them.
 
 
Steps to increasing networking: 5. Interchurch Network
 
Many of the smaller BBS networks are supported by a single
denomination.  But few churches are big enough to be able to put a
complete network into place.  BBS networks have an advantage over
centralised information systems, since most of the cost of using
the big systems is the communication cost in people reaching the
system in the first place.  With a BBS network, users in Vancouver
don't have to call New York or Toronto, since a BBS can be placed
within their local calling area, and files, echomail, and netmail
traffic can be passed along as needed.  But even so, most BBSs are
run by hobbyists, and soon the cost of the hardware and software,
as well as regular long distance calls, can be so overwhelming as
to put the sysop out of the network.  Capital costs for hardware
and software to run a BBS are about $2000.00.  Monthly costs for
the telephone line and long distance calls to exchange mail can
vary from $40.00 to $200.00, depending on the distance and the
amount of traffic.  No individual can carry those costs for long,
nor could most churches.  But if 
several churches worked together, the cost of running a BBS network
could conceivably be less per church than the present cost of
postage.  If a church sends ten letters a month to other
organisations within the local calling area, and another ten to
organisations which would entail long distance calls, then the cost
of postage alone (not counting paper and envelopes) comes to $8.60,
plus GST.  If all of that mail could be sent electronically, the
relative costs would be as follows:
 
Mail:
 
20 letters a month at $0.43 per letter         8.60
7% GST on postage                              0.60
---------------------------------------------------
Subtotal                                       9.20
Times 12 months                              110.40
 
E-mail:
 
10 local messages per month                    0.00
10 netmail messages per month at $0.25         2.50
per message (standard rate within North 
America for Fidonet mail.)
---------------------------------------------------
Subtotal                                       2.50
Times 12 months                               30.00
 
Of course, the greater the amount of mail being replaced with
E-mail, the greater the savings would be.  Churches which have very
large volumes of mail would save much more.  Church which send very
little mail might not save much at all.  Also to be included in
such calculations are the cost of a modem (if the church does not
already own one) and the cost of good communications software.  The
total start up cost should not exceed $150.00.  (Good 2400 bps
modems are available for less than $100.00, and Telix, one of the
better communications programs for MS-DOS, costs $45.00.)  If a
church has a multi-line telephone system, it would be difficult
(but possible) to connect a modem through the existing system, so
a separate line might be wiser.  Some churches already have
separate fax lines which could be used, others would have to have
one installed.  The monthly cost of a business line in the
Vancouver area is about $25.00 a month, which greatly changes the
tables above, but churches large enough to have multi-line phones
are also likely to have larger mail volumes as well.  In fact, as
the following table shows, at a level of 100 messages per month,
evenly divided between local mail and netmail ("LD Messages"),
E-mail costs less than mail, even when the cost of a separate phone
line is included.  Under the "Remote E-Mail" heading, it shows that
even the long distance costs of calling within B.C. to connect to
a BBS (assuming one call per week) at 100 messages per month is
still less than mail.
 
Mail             Local Messages LD MessagesGST        Subtotal   
Number                        50         50                      
Cost Per Message             .43        .43                      
Subtotal                   21.50      21.50       3.01      46.01
Annual Total                                               552.12
                                                                 
E-Mail           Local Messages LD MessagesPhone Line Subtotal   
Number                        50         50                      
Cost Per Message             .00        .25                      
Subtotal                     .00      12.50      25.00      37.50
Annual Total                                               450.00
                                                                 
Remote E-Mail    Local Messages LD MessagesPhone Line Subtotal   
Number                        50         50                      
Cost Per Message             .05        .30                      
Subtotal                    2.50      15.00      25.00      42.50
Annual Total                                               510.00
 
The annual savings in postage could therefore range from $70-80 for
small churches with light message traffic, to $60-100 for large
churches with heavy message traffic.  (Actually, for large churches
with already existing fax lines, or for other reasons do not need
to install a separate modem line, the potential savings are
substantially greater, as the $25.00 monthly cost of the phone line
need not be factored in.)  Other organisations sending mail to
churches could reap similar savings, depending again on their
message volume.  If it were feasible to expect church members to be
available by electronic mail, the potential postal savings would be
even greater, as churches could use E-mail to distribute church
newsletters, etc.  However, since E-mail users tend to be computer
hobbyists, or people who use computer networks at work, the
potential use there is quite small at the present time.
 
Therefore, if several churches in the same denomination in an area
got together, or if several denominations worked together, it is
possible that a BBS network could link together churches across the
country, and even around the world, at a reasonable cost.  In fact,
if the network is used effectively, the result should be a net
savings over mail, with vastly increased speed of communications.
 
If each church in an area gave $24.00 per year to support the cost
of a BBS, it would take 100 churches to pay the costs of a "worst
case" (highest long distance cost) BBS, calling from Vancouver to
Chicago every night, and carrying enough echomail traffic to incur
long distance charges of $200.00 per month.  (Such was the monthly
cost of a Christian BBS in the Vancouver area which was the
echomail "hub" for B.C. in FamilyNet.  More realistically, with
nightly calls to Calgary, and carrying only the dozen or so most
important Christian echoes the actual cost of running such a BBS
would be closer to $80.00 a month, and accounting for the netmail
fees charged to netmail users, eighteen to twenty churches, sending
10 long distance netmail messages each per month, could quite
easily support such a BBS, and still save money over the cost of
postage, since $24.00 is less than half the amount they could
expect to save at 20 local and 20 netmail messages a month.
 
The Baptist Union of Western Canada has 20 churches, plus a
regional office, within local calling distance of Vancouver.  
Thus, it is possible to support a BUWC-only BBS in the Vancouver
area if all of the churches took part.  However, there are only
seven BUWC churches in the Victoria area, and only two in the
Kelowna area.  Clearly, there would not be enough traffic to
warrant BUWC-only BBSs in those areas.  However, there are other
Baptist churches (FEBC, NAB, BGC, CBC) in those cities, plus Bible
Schools, and an NAB area office.  There are also churches of other
denominations.  While it is possible for a church with very high
traffic to make long distance calls once a week to Vancouver or
Calgary to exchange E-mail and still save money, it is more
realistic to expect several smaller churches in a community to band
together and support a single BBS they can all afford to use.
 
Therefore, one of the auxiliary goals of this discussion paper,
aside from the above mentioned goal of creating a Christian
Telecommunications Toolkit, is to encourage denominations and other
Christian organisations to consider working together to build in
interchurch BBS network to increase communications and save money.
 
 
Feedback:
 
If you  would be interested in helping with or buying the Christian
Communications Toolkit, or want an entry in the fax and/or E-mail
directory, or know of Christian networking efforts not covered
here, or have any other comments to make on this discussion paper,
please contact me at:
 
Greg Slade
#1[6-1675 Augusta Avenue, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 4S8
Compuserve:                72730,2476
Cyberstore:                g.slade
FamilyNet:                 8:7555/100
Fidonet:                   1:153/508
iNet 2000/Envoy 100:       G.Slade
Internet:                  gslade@cyberstore.ca