BLOOMINGTON - A woman named Christina, who is from Moscow, recently attended a Bloomington church service.

What made it interesting is that Christina joined the service from Moscow by way of the Internet, a practice that could provide a glimpse into the future of religious interaction.

"We are exploring technology to spread the message of Jesus," said computer consultant Brad Bryant, a missionary with Community of Christ church. The church meets at the American Red Cross of the Heartland, 1 Westport Court.

"Anything that helps us understand that Christ came for the whole world is a good thing," said the Rev. Joseph Culpepper, pastor of Centennial Christian Church in Bloomington and leader of the Twin City Ministerial Alliance.

He doesn't know of any other Twin City church that uses similar technology. Community of Christ uses Skype, a free Internet program that lets users join video conferences, talk via computer microphones or use traditional landline phones.

The program, with few exceptions, can be used to connect people anywhere on the globe. Sometimes, though, users lose connections or are unexpectedly disconnected.

Bryant is learning as he goes, but he has a head start on many because of his job as a technology consultant with Hewlett-Packard. For the recent church service, Bryant used his laptop to connect the local worshippers with Christina, the 27-year-old Russian woman.

"Hello, Christina. This is Brad. We'll get started as soon as we can," Bryant announced shortly after Christina appeared online. Moments later, the music started and Christina listened to a service conducted half a world away.

The church has used Skype just a couple of times. The first time, in early June, drew participants from Mexico, China and the United Kingdom.

"When you open the doors of the Internet, you never know who will respond," Bryant said.

"I think it's great. It gives you worldwide coverage," said Larry Snively, an elder of the Bloomington church.

Bryant discovered Skype earlier this year, and said other churches are watching with interest.

The Internet is a way to get a Christian message beyond the four walls of a church building, Bryant said. "This is ideal for someone homebound," he said.