Church by Zoom

MORNING PRAYER

DON is leading Morning Prayer online every Sunday during the “Stay at Home” advisory until further notice.

ALL Services currently will be at 2:00 PM  (NOT 10:30!) each Sunday.  We will be using the online platform ZOOM.

SIMPLE STEPS

Don will join the meeting early, so plan to sign in 5 to 15 minutes ahead of the Service. 

  • Sign in on your computer or phone — this means clicking the link and putting the meeting ID and password, then adding your name
  • Due to security concerns, we will be sending the Meeting ID and Password via email. If you did not receive this info, please Contact Us.
  • Have the Meeting ID and Password ready.  You will have to call, email or text Jessie or Don or another church member to get the Meeting ID and Password (or phone number) before the Service.
  • Once you sign in, make sure your microphone is on if desired, and you have tested it.
  • Make sure your camera is on if desired, and you can see yourself.
  • you have adjusted your cameral to just show your face – preferably with no window behind you and enough light in the room that others can see your face
  • If the host does not mute the entire meeting, be sure to mute yourself once the Service starts or before if you are still getting settled, or anytime you are not speaking.  EVERY sound in your home can be heard even if you cannot hear it!  Chewing, talking, background noise are all elevated. Good to know!
  • Create a recurring event in your calendar and put the Meeting ID and Password on for every Sunday, or tack a note in another obvious place – Refrigerator? so you don’t have to go hunting anxiously just before 10 am.
  • If you are unable to join the video conference via a computer, tablet or smart phone, you may dial in old-fashioned style, using your phone as a phone!  The number to call is included in the info.
  • VOILA!

Many of you may have heard about ZOOM, but don’t know how to use it.  We don’t want anyone to be left out because they think they are not “techy enough.”  You can do this!

Help is on the way.  If after reading the tips below you are still confused, ask for help.  It is best to come early to the Service.  Don will be on at 9:30 or before to answer any questions or walk you through the tech.  

Some of you may be prompted to download the app. – esp. if you have a Mac. Unfortunately, there are LOTS of apps out there for Mac and especially iPhone, containing the name “zoom,” So for the Mac Computer: Go here. https://us04web.zoom.us/pricing and choose FREE.
For: iphone and ipad: https://zoom.us/download The icon you want to look for is a white video camera on a blue background. This will let you know you have the right app.

You do not have to have a Zoom account to attend a Zoom meeting or interview. You will be prompted to download the software, once you have clicked on the link that you have been provided. You may also wish to create an account, but that is not required to participate in a Zoom meeting.  If you want your face to show up even if your video is not on (always nice), you can do that by creating a Profile in Zoom.  That is a good reason to create a Zoom account which involves entering only your email address and a password of your choosing.  Then you can upload a photo of yourself, if desired. You can see Maximillion’s profile picture below, that the rest of us can see even if her video is not on.

Zoom comes with some potential perks as well as snags.  Let’s go over some TIPS to deal with some of the snags ahead of the meeting.  If anyone has questions, just email or text me.  

Find the tool bar – it might be at the top, side or bottom of the page once you click the link to join the meeting.  On a Mac, it is at the bottom as in this shot.  

This is where you can mute yourself – which you should do when you are not speaking if the host has not muted the whole group.  Look for the microphone symbol and the video camera symbol.  A slash means you are muted or blacked out.

You have to choose “join with Audio” if you want to be heard, and separately choose “join Video” if you are willing to be seen.  You enter your name when joining the meeting and your name will come up as a participant on the screen even if your video and audio are on mute.  Others would like to see you as, I’m sure, you would like to see and hear them. But you may choose to mute your audio or video during the Service (say if you are still in your PJ’s!) or just when you need to –for example, to deal with something in your space — dog, child, phone call, etc. 

In the next image, notice the bright green toolbar at the top of the screen where it says “You are viewing Don Youse’s screen.”  See “View Options” right next to that?  That is where you can choose “Gallery” view to see all or many of the participants with one having a brighter border when a person is speaking – as in Don’s picture above. Or “Speaker” view, as below when Don is sharing his screen to show the Service text.

IN SUMMARY
Don will join the meeting early, so plan to sign in 5 to 15 minutes ahead of the Service.  

  • Sign in on your computer or phone — this means opening the app and putting in the meeting ID and password, or clicking the link and putting the meeting ID and password, then adding your name
  • You may be asked to download the ZOOM application.  If so, it is the Zoom cloud app. (see above)
  • Due to security concerns, we will be sending the Meeting ID and Password via email. If you did not receive this info, please Contact Us.
  • Have the Meeting ID and Password ready.  You will have to call, email or text Jessie or Don or another church member to get the Meeting ID and Password before the Service.
  • Once you sign in, make sure your microphone is on if desired, and you have tested it.
  • Make sure your camera is on if desired, and you can see yourself.
  • you have adjusted your cameral to just show your face – preferably with no window behind you and enough light in the room that others can see your face
  • If the host does not mute the entire meeting, be sure to mute yourself once the Service starts or before if you are still getting settled.  EVERY sound in your home can be heard even if you cannot hear it!  Chewing, talking, background noise are all elevated. Good to know!
  • Create a recurring Calendar event or tack the Meeting ID an Password in a convenient place.

It was such a blessing to see the faces and hear the voices of Emmanuel on Zoom during the Service!  We can still worship together and it is powerful! 

 GOOD LUCK and GOD BLESS!