These resources are here to guide you to other locations that we feel are appropriate sources of information to help you in your daily Christian walk, and to help keep you and your family safe while online. As well, we're recommended
Online Christian Resources
The following are a series of web sites that are excellent resources of Christian material and related information.
Organization
Description and Web Site Address
Gospel Communications Network
This site offers a wide range of Christian material and resources.
Ten years after its launch, Gospelcom.net has grown to become the most popular Christian website in the world. From its 1995 inception with 10 alliance ministries, Gospelcom.net has mushroomed to now include over 300 individual online ministries working to use technology and the Internet to reach the world with the message of Jesus Christ. http://www.gospelcom.net
BibleGateway
The Bible Gateway is an excellent resource for looking up Bible passages and other references. http://www.biblegateway.com
Our church is affiliated with the BCOQ
The BCOQ believes in the importance and primacy of Scripture. They share the conviction that all people can know God directly through Jesus Christ, and that God calls all people to Himself. This century-old commitment which created the BCOQ is demonstrated in the diversity in worship and service. http://www.baptist.ca
Staying Safe Online
The following are our recommended tools for helping to keep you and your family safe while online. Please note that we do not control, or offer any support for these products - we are simply providing these links for your convenience.
Program
Description
AVG Anti-Virus
Every computer needs virus protection, and AVG offers a free version intended for personal home use. Viruses can get into your computer through a variety of ways - the most common of which include downloading unknown software from the Internet, installing or running infected programs contained on floppy disks, CD's, or flash drives, or by receiving an infected email. To protect yourself from potential virus threats, anti-virus software catches and deletes the virus before your computer can be infected, and also removes any existing viruses you may already have. Download the AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition here.
Cobian Backup
A powerful, free backup utility that allows you to schedule regular backups of your valuable data. Download Cobian Backup here.
Google Toolbar
The Google Search engine (www.google.com) is one of the best search engines available, and provides a feature called "SafeSearch" which filters out inappropriate or explicit content including web sites and images. We recommend using Google for online searches, since it will help to protect you and your family from inappropriate material. The Google Toolbar allows you to install a toolbar for Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox that lets you search directly from within your browser.
To use the Google SafeSearch options go here.
To download the toolbar for your browser, select from: Toolbar for Internet Explorer or Toolbar for Mozilla Firefox.
Microsoft AntiSpyware
For users of Microsoft Windows, a free anti-spyware program is available directly from Microsoft, and offers the best level of protection against spyware. Spyware is a specific type of software that can be installed on your machine whice deliberately attempts to collect information about you from various files on your computer, and transmits that information to specific locations on the Internet where it can be used for a variety of purposes - some are perfectly valid, but others can be used for unethical purposes, such as adding your email address to mailing lists without your consent. Spyware is not considered a virus, so many anti-virus programs don't catch spyware. Download Microsoft AntiSpyware here.
Parental Filter
An Internet filter that blocks web sites containing offensive material and are therefore considered unsuitable for you and your family. The blocking features can be user-defined to block certain words or sites, and the program can be password-protected for additional security and accountability. Download Parental Filter here.
Picasa
Picasa is a great photo-management program that lets you organize, view, edit, print and email your digital photos. It doesn't protect you from anything online, but it's a great way to manage your pictures to help you keep in touch with friends and family who may only be easily reachable through email, so we thought we'd include it. Download Picasa from Google here.
Other Recommended Software
The following are our recommendations for free software alternatives to existing, common commercial products. We can't offer any support for these products, but they are a great alternative if you want to be compatible with other standards.
Most, or all of these programs are cross-platform, making them available for Windows, Mac OS, and Unix/Linux.
Program
Commercial Product
Description
GIMP
Adobe Photoshop
For graphics professionals, nothing beats Adobe Photoshop. However, the GNU Image Manipulation Project (GIMP) offers many of the core features available in Photoshop, including extensive file support, graphics layers, and plug-ins. Download GIMP here.
Mozilla Sunbird
Microsoft Outlook
Where Mozilla Thunderbird leaves off, Sunbird picks up, offering the Calendar and Task capabilities of Microsoft Outlook. Sunbird's advanced functionality allows you to enter appointments and events, and even share calendars with other members of your family. When combined with Thunderbird, Sunbird offers most of the functionality that is available in Outlook, at no cost. Download Mozilla Sunbird here.
Mozilla Thunderbird
Microsoft Outlook
For people who aren't satisfied with the limitations of Microsoft Outlook Express, which is included with Windows, or who aren't willing to pay for the full version of Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird offers many powerful email features including junk mail protection and the ability to set up multiple email accounts, with a great price tag - it's free. Although Thunderbird doesn't offer calendar or task functionality like Outlook, it does have excellent mail and news capabilities, and is far more flexible than Outlook Express. Download Mozilla Thunderbird here.
OpenOffice
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access)
For those of you who are familiar with Microsoft Office, but can't afford (or don't wish to pay for) the Office suite of products, which typically includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook, the OpenOffice suite is a great open-source alternative. This product is completely free, and offers many of the features available in Microsoft Office.
Although the OpenOffice suite does not include an alternative product for Microsoft Outlook, it does include word processor, spreadsheet and presentation programs. For an Outlook replacement, see the "Thunderbird" and "Sunbird" options on this page. Download OpenOffice here.
TightVNC
Symantec PC-Anywhere
A tool for people who often support other people's computers through remote connections like PC-Anywhere. Great for the computer expert that's gone away to college, leaving parents behind who need computer support. Tight VNC allows you to establish a remote connection to another person's computer, and control their keyboard and mouse. The software needs to be installed on both systems, just like PC-Anywhere, and is completely secure. Download TightVNC here.
