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BY CHRISTOPHER J. TROILO

Today, Google has quickly become a household name and even an officially recognized verb. Now the search-engine giant's newly acquired online video channel is one of the fastest growing Web sites on the Internet. Even the United Methodist Church is taking part in YouTubemania.

YouTube.com was founded in February 2005 by three former employees of PayPal, an online money-transfer system. The idea behind YouTube is that anyone in the world can upload a digital video for all to see online. The videos are tagged with specific words or phrases that make it easy for users to come to the site and find the content they are looking for, via a search engine.

According to a 2006 survey, about 100 million clips are viewed daily by more than 20 million visitors a month. This is the result of YouTube's user-friendly navigation system and the ability to stream videos, meaning that most watchers can view what they want to see almost instantly without waiting to download content.

The video content on the site is as varied as the Internet itself. Users can find old music videos, commercials, movie previews and clips from TV shows. But the real gem about YouTube is that anyone can become an amateur filmmaker overnight, by posting their own homemade videos. Even some United Methodist churches are finding new and clever ways to take advantage of this technology.

Most churches these days have some events they are especially proud of, whether they are concerts, special services or even weekly socials. Now, thanks to YouTube, these happenings can be shared with the entire church community, as long as someone has a digital video camera and an Internet connection. It's a fantastic way to share memories from any type of gath-ering, especially for church members who weren't able to attend or those living abroad.

Education is another fantastic way YouTube can be utilized. If from the main site (www.you-tube.com), a user types 'History of Methodism' in the search bar, the first result is a seven-and-a-half minute video of the Rev. Steve Petty offering a brief narrative of the history of The United Methodist Church, from its founding by the Wesleys to modern-day highlights. With churches having such rich and colorful histories, this might be a fun model to emulate, perhaps as an orientation video for new members or old members who want to know more about their church's past.

Finally, for churches wishing to grow or raise funds for a specific event, YouTube provides a fantastic way to get the word out. For example, in Georgetown, Dumbarton UMC is currently running a Capital Campaign for Renewal in order to raise money to help fix their parsonage and sanctuary. It is one thing to hear about the repairs needed, but when you can actually visualize the work that needs to be done, the message really hits home, and this is exactly what Dumbarton has done.

When one searches for 'Dumbarton United Methodist Church' on YouTube, their online video is the first result. Watching it, users will be taken on a virtual tour of the Dumbarton church and grounds, highlighting specific structural and aesthetic concerns that are in dire need of attention and restoration. This is proving to be a wonderful way to raise awareness about the growing needs for funds in order to sustain the church. Other churches could follow this example in order to raise awareness for all types of issues, events and happenings within their community.

YouTube, simply put, is a wonderful piece of technology. It truly can bring together media and people at the click of a button, especially church communities. If you haven't been there, go take a look, especially at some of the creative ways other United Methodist churches have chosen to broadcast themselves. Maybe you'll get some ideas of your own and unlock your filmmaker within!