Online Meeting for Worship

1) To connect to our Sunday worship, you can find the link in our weekly e-group announcements.  If you are not signed up for the e-group, please contact Brad Bussiere-Nichols or Jennifer Frick. If you are new to Zoom, we encourage you to sign on starting at 10:15 am on Sunday to make sure we can work out technological glitches before 10:30. You can also join by phone at the numbers below.

2) Please make sure to mute your microphone unless you are speaking – this helps limit the weird internet sounds that are produced by background noise.

3) We’ll continue to have Joys and Concerns around 11:25, and limited announcements.

4) Don’t know how to use Zoom? Click on the link above. It will ask you to download Zoom if you haven’t already. Scroll down for more tips from NEYM, or click Here for tips.

5)  Still having trouble connecting? Feel free to call Brad at 207-756-5586, Luke at 617-512-1927, or Maggie at 978-382-1850 for help. 

Please join us if led! We look forward to worshiping together.

Brad Bussiere-Nichols & Jennifer Frick, co-clerks

Here are some tips and creative ideas for worshipping at a distance:

  • Worship in place at a specified time. Just knowing others are worshipping at the same time has some satisfaction. If the meeting has an email list, Friends can share their reflections afterwards.
  • For those who don’t have a computer or choose not to Zoom, a one-on-one phone call with some silent worship can help maintain a connection
  • Considering offering one “high-tech” and one “low-tech” worship option; for example to worship via Zoom or to observing the same hour of worship without Zooming in
  • Create prayer partners to phone each other weekly to reflect on your worship experience
  • If some Friends want to participate in online worship but no one at the meeting would like to lead it, consider visiting another Meeting (see a list of possibilities here)
  • Set up a recurring meeting so the link for all worship opportunities stays the same
  • If you are sharing your Zoom access information broadly, review these tips for preventing inappropriate sharing. At a minimum, ensure that the settings are such that users need the hosts permission to share their screen (this prevents unwanted images from being shared with the group)
  • Remind Friends that using technology for worship does not change expectations about maintaining respect for others’ privacy. If in your meetinghouse you would never photograph worship or record vocal ministry without special permission, be clear that recording or taking screenshots of virtual worship is not permitted without everyone’s consent.
  • Ask someone in your Meeting who has experience with Zoom to be available 15 minutes before the beginning of worship to orient Friends to the basic features
  • Invite far-flung members and former attenders to “visit” you for virtual worship
  • Considering using the breakout rooms feature for small group conversation, fellowship, worship sharing, or offering First Day School.
  • After worship, give people a five minute break to get a cup of tea or snack and then allow for fellowship or afterthoughts
  • If your group is larger than about six, you probably want to ask everyone to mute their microphone when they are not speak
  • There is a slight time lag when using Zoom, making singing difficult. If everyone sings together it can be a mess–but a joyful one! Another option is to mute everyone except the songleaders mic and to have everyone sing along with the leader. If the song has hand motions, everyone can do them.
  • If you can do it safely, have one person Zoom-in from the meetinghouse so that the familiar space is the background.

Online Meeting for Worship

Dear Friends,

For the second week in a row Portland Friends Meeting will have a virtual Meeting for Worship via a Zoom call online tomorrow morning from 10:30-11:30 am.

I would encourage us all to treat this as an opportunity to explore and practice our faith in a new way. By expanding our perspective of community and what love is, we will all be enriched and strengthened. We must also be mindful that there are those who would like to participate yet simply can’t. I would encourage everyone to reach out to those around you who are isolated and may need a call or a prayer.

1) Here is the link to the Zoom meeting – If you are new to Zoom, we encourage you to sign on starting at 10:15 am to make sure we can work out technological glitches before 10:30. You can also join by phone at the numbers below.

2) Please make sure to mute your microphone unless you are speaking – this helps limit the weird internet sounds that are produced by background noise.

3) We’ll continue to have Joys and Concerns around 11:25 but because we’re pulling this together at the last minute we will have limited announcements.

4) Don’t know how to use Zoom? Click on the link above. It will ask you to download Zoom if you haven’t already. Scroll down for more tips from NEYM.

5)  Still having trouble connecting? Feel free to call Brad at 207-756-5586, Luke at 617-512-1927, Maggie at 978-382-1850 or Jay at 774-313-0881 for help. 

Please join us if led! We look forward to worshiping together.

Brad Bussiere-Nichols is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

  • Topic: PFM Meeting for Worship 3/22/2020
  • Time: Mar 22, 2020 10:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/413141517
  • Meeting ID: 413 141 517
  • One tap mobile +16465588656,,413141517
  • # US (New York) +13126266799,,413141517
  • # US (Chicago) Dial by your location
    • +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
    • +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
    • +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
    • +1 253 215 8782 US
    • +1 301 715 8592 US
    • +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
    • Meeting ID: 413 141 517
    • Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/ab3UNWI6dO
  • Brad Bussiere-Nichols, co-clerk

Tips for using Zoom

If this is your first time using Zoom, join a test meeting so you can get familiar with it: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-How-Do-I-Join-A-Meeting-

Make sure everyone is using the same version of Zoom. https://zoom.us/download

You will have the best audio with a headset that has an attached microphone.  

You will have the worst audio with a laptop computer that has a built in microphone and speakers.

You will have atrocious audio if two or more people are in the same room connected to the same Zoom. If that’s the case, it’s best to share one computer.

How to join and test audio and video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/HqncX7RE0wM?rel=0&autoplay=1&cc_load_policy=1

Troubleshooting

If a participant is having problems such as audio cutting in and out or video lagging, the problem is likely their internet connection.

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362463-Wireless-WiFi-Connection-Issues

Audio Echo

Generally, if you are hearing echo, it means that there is a device out there that is channeling your audio back.

To determine which participant is the issue:

  • Host can mute the attendee one at a time
  • Host can mute all, and unmute one at a time
  • Attendee can mute him/herself
  • The source of echo can also be from: 
    • Speakers (such as TV or soundbar) that are too loud
    • Echo cancellation has failed (device or performance issue)
    • A bad microphone

Causes of audio echo:

  • A participant has both the computer and telephone audio active
    Fix: Leave the computer audio
  • Participants with computer or telephones speakers that are too close to each other
    Fix: Leave the audio from one of the computers or hang up one of the phones
  • Multiple computer with active audio in the same conference room
    Fix: If you are in a conference room with multiple devices, please disconnect computer audio from the other devices. 

To leave the computer audio: Click up arrow next to microphone icon at lower left of screen

Brad Bussiere-Nichols, co-clerk

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