Has Andrew Lloyd Webber Lost The Plot?

[naomi24]

Andrew Lloyd Webber has said churches across the country should be fitted with Wi-Fi in a bid to make them a more integral part of the community. He said ''I want to get every church in the country on Wi-Fi. 'Once you do that, the church becomes the centre of the community again. They should go back to the medieval traditions, which is that the nave of the church is always used for local businesses.“

Asked who would fund the project, he said: ''Well, I am going to get involved, but the Government have indicated that they would pay for the idea of putting the Wi-Fi in.''

I can't imagine many businesses in this day and age taking advantage of the facility. He’s lost me.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11324246/Every-church-should-have-Wi-Fi-says-Andrew-Lloyd-Webber.html

[sunny-dave]

I thought that Jesus threw the moneymakers out of the temple?

[sunny-dave]

Or was it moneychangers?

School RE was a long time ago :(

[ToraToraTora]

Sounds very sensible to me and the church can fund it, they are loaded anyway and it's not a lot of money to put WiFi in a building. About time these buildings had a use beyond religious bigotry.

[naomi24]

You must be joking, TTT. Individual churches have to raise the money to fund themselves. Our little village church (14th century) doesn't even have a toilet!

[ToraToraTora]

WiFi is £16 per month.

[snags]

''I want to get every church in the country on Wi-Fi''

... and install a Starbucks in every Vestry...

[sunny-dave]

That's only because the CofE decides to present its finances in a deliberately skewed way, Naomi. The riches of the centre are buried deep in the vaults with no danger of them actually being used for purposes which would actually help anyone except the Church Oligarchy.

The myth of the 'struggling local church' is a useful one to reduce expectations that their vast wealth might actually be put to a decent use.

[naomi24]

Dave, precisely because the vast funds aren't put to use the struggling local church isn't a myth. It's a reality.

[Baldric]

Could be a good location for these Guys

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQxMpsz7whIyll3XDZdpqrAT-OMtvOX1S2dZp9dDBEnL3FnEhQC

[AlwaysConfused]

The advantages of wi-fi in a church: online bible studies, link a congregation to a large countrywide prayer metting, allow people to link to free Christian dating sites. Ultimately it could attract younger members of the community to the dying church. If the church wished to exist in 50 years time, it needs to pull something out the bag and quick. Why not wi-fi? Sounds like a good start to me.

[weecalf]

And get the saints a multi coloured coat. Aye andy sure tell us about it .Next he be doing awful talent shows on the telly .

[sunny-dave]

I could have expressed that better - I mean that having a (genuinely) strapped-for-cash local organisation deflects the public from noticing the wealth of the centre.

It's an accountants' fiction - they are all part of the same organisation, but choose to keep the public facing elements 'skint'.

A bit like Amazon hiding all its profits in Luxembourg and being on the breadline here ...

[ToraToraTora]

the vicarage probably already has a WIFI in most cases anyway and they are usually adjacent.

[naomi24]

Quite.

[naomi24]

^That was to Dave.

TTT, vicarages have wi fi, but the intention here appears to be to encourage businesses to operate from churches. Can't see that happening.

[retrocop]

sunny dave
Sounds a bit like the running and financing of government. :+)

[Cloverjo]

I thought he wanted to get teenagers in by giving them free Wifi, not trying to get businesses in to conduct their transactions.

[mushroom25]

//Can't see that happening. //

the church near where my daughter lives has just removed all the pews. they did this for precisely the reasons mentioned, ie to create a large space that could be attractive for potential hiring organisations.

[retrocop]

First time I ever entered a synagogue was to attend the barmitzvah of a friend's stepson. Whilst waiting some considerable time for the ceremony to commence with a chapati perilously perched on my head loads of the men were wandering around the congregation and there were lots of animated gestures and conflabs. Our friend explained it was like the Stock Market where business was discussed regularly. The start of the ceremony was almost an inconvenience to these gentlemen.

[naomi24]

Mushroom, I take it that minus pews, the church is no longer a working church?