The idea for the Skype gatherings originated with a Sunday meeting in which one of the believers, Ariel, who owns an internet business in the area, came to the group with the proposition of setting up these remote gatherings. “At first we thought it was a little crazy,” says Barbitta, “but he was so enthusiastic that we decided to start the next Tuesday.”
They did, and since that Tuesday—the second in March 2010—the group has consistently prayed together. An elderly lady, who cannot come to meetings because of knee problems, was enthusiastic about using Skype for the first time, and at the first meeting cried tears of joy.
Barbitta says that he wants this tool to be used not only by his local church, but by believers around the world. “We do not know where God will take us with this Internet tool, but we want to use it to the maximum. We know that it does not replace the importance of meeting... but it helps us maintain our commitment to pray with others.”
Despite the cost and difficulty of travel and the inability of some to gather in one building, God is using technology to bring together the believers in Uruguay to encourage each other and lift their prayers up as a body. After all, Barbitta says, “We believe that ‘church’ means people, not buildings.”