Names, Naming Cautions. My Favorites

Here's a list of computer lab names submitted over the years to me at sundaysoftware.com

Church Bytes (*see why this name might be a problem!)
Church Mouse
Bible Bytes
Bible Computer Lab
Bibleland.com
Bible Zone
BC to PC
Bible Quest Biblicalpathways.com
Tech Trek
Bible Tech
Mouse House
Computer Oasis Planet Revelation
Power House Kingdom Computers
Cyber Journeys
"The BDZ" Bible Discovery Zone The E-den, or "Garden of E-den"
"Windows to the Word"
Surfin' God's Galaxy
WorldWideWonders.God
Windows to God
"Grace & Gigibytes"
“Word Wide Web”
‘Information Oasis’
“Church Mouse House.”
"Port of Discovery"
"Paul's Ports"
PC Paradise

The Talking Bush
Computer Cathedral
“Bytes from the Bible.”
The Online Timothy Lab (2 Tim. 3:16)
"The Press Box" in the Salvation All-Stars Sunday School
"Techno Temple"
"Miracle Keys"
The Round Table.Com" (bet they have their computers "in the round")
Technology Tent can be found in Wesley's Wilderness
Kingdom.God
“THE BYTE” that changed the world (probably have Apple computers!)
"Connect to Christ"
The Morning Star
Information Station
GameChrist
MasterKeys
Galilee Gigabytes
"Windows to the Word"
CyberFaith

Bible Bytes
N2Jesus.com
The New Jerusalem
Galaxy@God.com
PC-able Kingdom
Heaven Wide Web Surf Shop "Cast Your Net" with a fishermen theme
Fishers.net
fishersofmen.net
Into the Net Living Water
Keyboard Kingdom
Digital Den
Bitsy’s Computer Café
Disciple's Den Disciple's Digital Den The Digital Den  (den of thieves? or den of iniquity? ha!)
"A Look at the Past from the Future"
goodnews.com
C2C  --"Connected to Christ"
www. GODSLINK .fpc (fpc stands for is first pres church)

"Bible at your Fingertips"
Silas' CyberSounds (computer lab mixed with music time)
dot.God
fish4people.net (sea of galilee room, tables painted like docks)
"Tablet Times" -"because we often create a newspaper about what we've been learning."

* "Bytes" sounds like "bites." "Bites" is slang for "isn't good."

My Personal Favorites:

"The Mouse Trap" -I really like this one and can't recall which church shared it with me. It gives you some images to design with and the word "trap" is funny (the parents will get it too). Years ago I tacked two real traps to the ceiling of my lab and hung dead (computer) mice from them. Folks loved that. Another reason I like it is that we often think of the Church Mouse as a character. In this name, thekids are the characters! How appropriate.

SonScreen, submitted by Craig from Epworth UMC, Huntsville, AL

The Disciple's Digital Den  -But ONLY if you explain what a "Den" is, and never EVER refer to it as "Den of iniquity" or "Den of thieves" ;-)

"The Mouse's Pad" -everything around the monitors looks like the inside of a mouse's home, right down to the little fridge with its shopping list of mouse groceries.  "Mouse House"

"House of the Mouse"

"Fish & Chips" -from Julia at Fondren Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS. This one makes me laugh and both images work on two levels.

"Bug Bytes" from a church who's rotation program is called "God's Garden"

"Fish Bytes" --this is preferable to the double entendre of "Church Bytes" ("bites" in 1970's & 80's American slang means "is bad")

Screen Savior -wouldn't call my lab this but funny!

"Circuit Riders" (a la John Wesley). If I was a Methodist I'd pick Circuit Riders. Several United Methodist churches submitted this one.

My Presbyterian heritage might inspire:

"God's Frozen Computers"
"Warning, Your System is Currently Unstable"
"PC"-USA
"The Presbyterian Blue-Screen of Death"   (alright, no email please).

Lab Naming Cautions

Watch your language... The word "Cyber" is ominous sounding to some folks. The same goes for "Web." To some the word "web" has negative connotations, as in "caught in a web." I'm wondering about the word "Cable" seen in one of the names above. My cables are a mess behind my computer. "Bytes" means "isn't good" in slang. "Techno" will sound cold to some people.

False Advertising? Something in my gut doesn't like web/internet names for computer labs that don't have internet access. However, in some of the examples above, you can see how a few have created a web address that is something quite different (dot.God, Into the Net, etc.)

Obscurity... I got a kick out of the use of HARDWARE components in a few of the names. Mouse works. "Disc Drive Inn" works just because it is funny, --but you almost have to now decorate the room with CDs or mice. Years ago I had two mouse traps on the ceiling of my lab with computer mice caught in them. (The Mouse Trap or Church Mouse Trap are funny sounding names that kids would like). But using "port" in a name, while clever, might not make sense to children (or some adults). Very few people will "get" the double meaning that thre are ports on a computer.

Too Cute...or too "girlie"...  Some names just won't sound right after a while, especially to older kids and teens. Know your audience.

The Importance of Decor Good decor is better than a great name. The best name in the world can't overcome a dumpy room.