"The Reverend Blogs" in Print!

For those who don't live locally (to me), or who don't receive the local newspaper, here's a transcript of an article about this blogsite which appeared in "The News" this evening:

WARBLINGTON: The Reverend Tom Kennar is a thoroughly modern priest who communicates with his parishioners though cyberspace!

Tom, who is curate of the Parish of Warblington with Emsworth and chaplain to Portsmouth College, has set up a blog on his website.

The blog (which is short for 'web-log') contains Tom’s Thoughts for the Day on current topics as well as links to copies of his sermons.

He said: "Links to the sermons gives access to those who may have heard me preach, and want to read or think about what I've said in more depth. People can also respond to what I've said, or argue with me, just by clicking on the link at the foot of each entry."

Tom, who has been passionately interested in the internet ever since it first started, said: "The internet gets used for all sorts of purposes - some of which I dread to think about.

"But it can be used for great good too. As a priest, the internet gives me a fantastic opportunity to talk with people about all sorts of spiritual issues and hopefully give them something to think about."

Tom's blog has only been up running for a few months, but has already had over 1,500 visitors...and the number of daily hits is growing all the time.

He has been contacted through the blog by people from all over the world - seeking advice about a whole range of topics, ranging from suicide, other faiths, and the question of science and religion.

He said: "Some people drop by just to have a good old fashioned debate about current issues. In that sense the blog acts like a sort of cyber-pub".

Tom's blog also has a link to his website, where he has posted some background information for those who want to know more about him. This includes information about his life before being a priest, and some songs he has written, which can be heard online. Tom said, "I've been writing songs for many years, but I don't think I'll ever be a pop-star! But I hope that people enjoy a chance to hear some free music."

To read Tom's blog, go to www.tomkennar.com