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The Church in Wales is encouraging social networking platforms to spread the word and provide more care for the church community.

Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph, has praised the Internet for its ability to link people at the click of a button. He says it will allow the church to teach the gospel, answer theological questions, while providing instant support to its members when needed.

Cameron, who already uses Facebook and microblogging site Twitter (@llanelv), said that social media allows the clergy to connect with their flock. So far Cameron has posted 21 tweets and has 19 followers, and on 14 June he tweeted: 'Start of Bench of Bishops Meeting today. Please pray for wisdom among the bishops!'

Cameron demonstrated his trust in social media to aid religious activity, tweeting: 'I'm sure St Paul would have been a regular blogger had the technology been available to him.'

It is not only Cameron that has joined the social networks, Bangor Cathedral is signed up to Facebook and uses the site to post updates about upcoming events. Its most recent wall post read: 'Final preparations are taking place for the Family Fun Day on Saturday 18th June at the Cathedral. Please join us at 11am for a Fun Packed day.'

The church has embraced other media channels such as Flickr so it can share photos of church life. Cameron hopes this drive towards social media will 'serve those who surf'. Guidelines have been published so that users will understand the consequences of thoughtless comments online which can all too easily go viral. But he mainly wants social media to be seen as a positive step to create an even bigger community, whether it be online or offline.

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