Austin UM delivers daily
devotions to cell phones

By Claudia M. Williams
Staff Writer
An Austin United Methodist is taking advantage of text-messaging popularity to spread God’s word.
Wayne Roche, 49, a member of Bethany UMC, Austin, launched God on the Go last month. It’s an Internet-based national messaging program that sends devotionals daily as text messages to cell phones, personal digital assistants and pagers.
Messages are delivered at 8 a.m. in the subscriber’s local time zone. A special ring tone—a chime—announces the message. It’s a quotation from the New King James version of the Bible, including chapter and verse citation, sometimes chosen specifically to mark a date on the calendar.
Although the service is still in its infancy, Roche said he expects it to appeal to people who wants to grow in the Christian faith—particularly teenagers and young adults.
Text messaging is “the only way they communicate now,” Roche said.
God on the Go serves not only as a daily inspiration for subscribers. Roche said it has opened the door for discussions about Christianity.
One subscriber was having breakfast with a man who has lymphoma when his text message arrived, Roche said.
“He wasn’t sure of this man’s walk,” Rocha said. “Delivery of the text message opened up discussion.”
As it happens, Roche said, “the message of the day was about God taking you by the hand and leading you through fear.”
God on the Go is designed for more than subscribers. It can also be used as a fund-raiser by churches.
When people subscribe to God on the Go through its Web site, godonthego.com, they have the option to select a church they want to support. The church then receives half of the $4.99 monthly subscription fee, at no cost to the church.
When churches apply to be listed on the God on the Go church selection database, they agree to promote the service to members.
Roche said he consulted his pastor, the Rev. Tom Deviney, when he was ready to launch God on the Go.
“I wanted to get his input,” Roche said, “to make sure we’re not tripping up some place. He liked it.”
But Deviney is waiting until “we get all of the bugs ironed out” before he puts a link to God on the Go on the Bethany UMC Web site, Rocha said.
God on the Go is an ecumenical program. Roche said the church database currently includes Bethany UMC; a Presbyterian church in Delaware, Ohio; and a Congregational church in Sierra Madre, Calif. But potential subscribers can’t view the church partnership list until they begin the subscription process.
Roche developed the program with his God on the Go partner, Brad Nease, who lives in California. Daily devotionals come from a database Roche and Nease have built.
“When we first started, we were doing it one on a daily basis,” Roche said. “Then we got smart. Scriptures are just sitting there now waiting to be delivered. All the verses for June have already been entered.”
While Roche and Nease pay cellular communications providers a fee to use their networks, God on the Go’s $4.99 subscription fee does not include any charges subscribers may incur under their own cellular service plans. Subscriptions are automatically renewed monthly until subscribers choose to end them. The subscription fee is charged monthly to subscribers’ credit cards.