Surfer's church allows tattoos but no booze

A new church started by a surfer in Brazil allows tattoos and has no dress code but condemns alcohol, cigarettes and pre-marital sex.

The Snow Ball Church, created in 1999, has its HQ in the neighbourhood of Perdizes in Sao Paulo and has 5,000 followers so far.

Services resemble rock shows with lots of giant screens and songs with lyrics like: "Happiness is not brought to you by a hair straightener, not by a high heel but by your own heart."

The pulpit has a surf board on the top which is highlighted at the end of services, reports Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.

Rinaldo Luiz de Seixas Pereira, 31, who started the church, says he named it Snow Ball because he wants it to get bigger and bigger as it rolls on.