Vernon Young used to spend hours scouring the internet to find the best Christian news sources from around the world.

Then one day he decided to create a website that would bring them all together.

Believersview.org was set up quietly last year with help from George and Ritu Botelho, of Advanced Services, a web design and development company.

It provides access to Christian news and is also a space where people can post what’s going on in their community, share their own testimonies and prayer requests, listen to faith-based podcasts and connect with other believers.

Q: What inspired Believers View?

A: Believers View was born from the idea that the Christian worldview is not necessarily an all-encompassing concept in the Western world. Believers View works to challenge typical Christianity by presenting content that invites readers to examine the deeper, spiritual implications behind a rapidly changing world.

Q: How long has this project been in the works? From your end of things, what went into getting a site like this off the ground?

A: The idea for the site was birthed in 2013. Once the design and layout was finalised, including upgrades to existing features and the addition of several other components, it was finally launched in 2014.

Q: What sparked your fascination with reading and following Christian news? Where do you typically get your Christian-based news from? Do you think many Christians know where to get this information from?

A: I have always been keenly interested in world events. I have always fantasised about the secret details or the inner workings, which eventually brought about major world events, like 9-11 or other man-made events that capture world attention and headlines.

It wasn’t until I began to look at the world more through the lens of scripture that things made sense. From there, I selected an array of news stories from a handful of sites, which when put together, paint an accurate picture of what is really going on in the world — how God is at the centre of these events and how the word of truth is accurately being played out in the narratives.

This website brings together all the top stories in one location, weaving a broader picture of the world in which we live from a Christian perspective. I make it a point always to identify where I pull my information, complete with a link back, so readers are aware of the origin of all content, and can visit the source site if they choose.

Q: Why was this website so important to make? What are you hoping people will get from it?

A: Believers View brings about awareness where there is very little. We do not shy away from presenting more in-depth information on important issues, which are perhaps downplayed in other media outlets. Readers who visit the site will know what some of those issues are. Believers View attempts to connect current world events with an accurate understanding of what is reported about those events.

It cannot simply be news for the sake of news. We want readers to look at what it means and how it applies to them.

Q: There are so many different features of the site. Can you talk me through why you wanted to give people a space to share about their prayer requests and testimonials in particular?

A: The prayer requests and testimonials sections were simply devised as outlets for people to share what’s on their hearts privately, but openly. Whether it is good news about what God is doing, an encouraging word or even a prayer request, everyone is welcome to express themselves through those forums. Postings are open for everyone to see.

There is even a community page designed after Facebook where Christians and even non-Christians can add friends, photos, videos and chat or Skype online, without the drama that Facebook entertains — no cursing, gossip, or offensive status updates and images are allowed. It’s a Christian-centred community where people can also discuss content that they see right on the site itself. If the community page becomes successful, Believers View will develop it further and eventually create an app for smart phones.

Q: What do you hope this website will accomplish, in Bermuda and elsewhere?

A: I would like for Believers View to set, and be the standard for, news and views within the Christian community in Bermuda. The site is fully equipped specifically for that purpose, complete with a blog, which is open for guest columnists, as well as audio and visual components to listen to and watch sermons and informative videos.

Churches and community organisations can also utilise the site to post their community and church events. We also do news stories by request from those groups and organisations that would like their events to be publicised for readers to see after the event is finished.

We are currently working to add a feature which would allow for online donations to assist missionary efforts, as well as persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

For more information e-mail: Believersviewbm@gmail.com