Fancy a job that pays you to send text messages to your friends? The hours are long but the rewards are guaranteed to last forever.
Cathedral team member Andrew Lim has discovered the wonders of modern technology when it comes to maintaining and building ministry contacts.
"I've got my laptop set up, I’ve got web SMS happening, I’ve got my mobile phone plugged in, I’m connected to my online personal network. It’s like Darth Vader’s bathroom over here," he says.
Andrew Lim isn't just indulging a sweet tooth for the technologically trendy.
He is building an electronic community at the heart of his ministry to Asian city dwellers.
"Australia, in terms of technology is a little behind. The Koreans and the Chinese have the absolute latest in everything," he says.
Sydney may seem high-paced to Sydneysiders, but Mr Lim says the average Asian would disagree.
"In Singapore things move at the pace of a nanosecond. Decisions are made in a moment, and if people don't like the group they're in, they can just as quickly decide to move somewhere else."
That is where the technology comes in.
The Cathedral's Asian Bible Ministry uses technologies like SMS, MSN and webmail to daily contact dozens of people and invite them to church services, Bible studies and social events.
"Today's generations are all about making last minute decisions," Andrew explains.
"Generation X and Generation Y leave things to the very last minute. That whole "keep my options open' thing is what people do in the SMS and emailing world."
"We find if we SMS someone at the beginning of the day that something's on, we're much more likely to see them walk through the door."
Andrew says evangelists can't afford to ignore today's technology when social groups can be based around mobile carrier networks.
"Whole Bible studies are on the same networks. They find out who's got the best "free call' credits and they go there so they can keep in touch," he says.
Joining an electronic network of friends makes keeping in touch easy and affordable.
"These three minute conversations help to keep building the relationship in those pockets of time where you’re not really doing anything anywhere.
"In queues, at the traffic lights, walking from appointment to appointment " we need to make use of those three to five minute gaps by keeping in touch with those people we are concerned for."
But does all this electronic communication actually detract from personal relationships by allowing the "user' to keep Christian inquiries at a distance?
"SMS and email will never replace face to face personal communication," Andrew agrees. "But these messages complement my ministry and help me to keep in touch with a large community of people from a very mobile background.
"Asian workers or students may find spoken English a challenge but their comprehension of text can be far higher. So it’s where they feel more comfortable. The whole point, though, is to get them to meet us for Bible study."
Andrew is hoping the Cathedral will spring for Blackberries next " not an alternative to the business lunch, but a way of doing email on the go.
So what's the goal?
"I’d love to be the one who could say they were the first to see someone converted over SMS," he laughs.
