DOVER, N.H. (AP) – The Hope Community Church is spreading the word it has a new Internet address – one not linked to pornography.
Pastor Steve Spearing said Friday that a pornography company bought the church’s old domain name without the church’s knowledge.
He said the sale happened a few weeks ago when the church changed Internet service providers and changed its web address.
He said he didn’t realize the site had been sold until he got a call from a Massachusetts woman who was interested in moving to the area and was doing research on the Internet about local churches.
“She asked what kind of a church we were and then she said, ‘Do you know that your Web site is connected to a porn site,’ and I said, ‘No, ma’am,”‘ Spearing said.
He said the incident was more troubling because the church had just handed out fliers with the old web address at the Dover Harvest Festival.
Spearing said the old Internet service provider offered to sell back the old address, but the church declined.
The company told him pornographic sites often like to buy addresses once used by churches, Spearing said.
“They will target ministries as an embarrassment, and they did a good job,” he said.
Spearing was able to have some humor in the incident.
“It will be interesting to see who shows up to church now,” he said.
The church’s new web address is www.hopeacc.org.
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