An extension of the Ship of Fools, The Church of Fools, sponsored by the Methodist church in the UK, is an interactive website that allows the user to use an avatar to enter church. Once in the church, the user can explore the virtual reality of the church by participating in services, chatting with other members, praying and even ringing the bell.
According to the BBC news the Church of fools is believed to be the “first virtual church” and launched in the Spring of 2004 as “part of a scheme to reach people who would not normally step inside an actual church.” The BBC article notes that the preacher and members of the congregation are real and that the overall intent is “to appeal to people who cannot get to church, people who do not want to go to a church building, or those for whom going to church on a Sunday is not enough.” According to this news article on the Church of Fools website, their objective has been successful and within the launch of the virtual church, 41,000 visitors in one 24-hour time period entered the church, including Satan and other less-than-religious types. As a result of these unexpected visitors, the Church had to shut the church down temporarily and police it's visitors.