Maintaining Community

We have purchased a software licence for a video conferencing solution called zoom. This application allows us to run up to 10 different groups at the same time. Our first step will be to get our home groups to use technology. But in time we would like to see the ladies and young men’s Bible studies use it, and even the Sunday School. We are going to trial some online Bible readings with the inhouse Bible teachers as well, which everyone in the church will be able to follow as a streaming video on Youtube. There will be social events as well – online coffee mornings and even board games are all possible.

We’re acutely conscious that many of our members are not used to this world of online communications. Please don’t worry about that. The telephone will still be our primary means of contacting you. But we would encourage you - in fact, we really need most of you - to embrace this technology.

Below are a number of videos to help you set up Zoom on your tablet or PC. Those of you who are more technically savvy should make a point of offering help to those who can just about use Google. And make a special effort to phone those who are elderly and alone. Pastoral care of the most vulnerable must be our primary responsibility.

iPad Users

If you would like to watch the pre-recorded Sunday Service video using an iPad

We are looking to introduce Zoom, a video conferencing service to enable you to join with members of the church for bible studies, prayer times and home groups. The Zoom service requires you to install an application (also referred to as an App on to your iPad).

The next set of videos show you how to join a Zoom meeting for the first time.

Joining a Zoom meeting for the first time (without the APP downloaded) – includes instructions on how to download the APP

Joining a Zoom meeting after APP downloaded

Once you are into your Zoom meeting you may want to mute your microphone, to reduce confusion if everyone tries to talk at once, or just so that you can watch and listen and not interrupt anyone. The tutorial also shows you how to switch on and off your video feed (so that you decide if people can see you or not) and it explains how to leave the meeting.

Audio and video Zoom controls within a meeting

When you are in a Zoom meeting you can alter the view that you have, either by having the speaker on a single screen or by having a view that lets you see everyone that is in the Zoom meeting. This short video shows you how to change the screen views.

Changing screen views in Zoom meeting

PC Users

Please use the following videos if you are a Zoom host and have a laptop PC

If you want to schedule a Zoom meeting as a host you can either do it from your Zoom account on your browser, from the Zoom Application on your PC, or if you have downloaded and installed the Zoom Plugin for Outlook from your Calendar.

If someone is having difficulty joining the Zoom meeting, or has lost the invite, or you want to bring someone new into the meeting that wasn’t originally invited to the meeting you can invite them using invitation icon within the Zoom meeting.

The next two guides are some hints for hosts to explain how to use the controls for yourself and also in the second video some more advanced controls that you can use during a meeting to manage the participants within the meeting.

Sunday Morning Service

Accessing the Sunday morning service (PC Users)

The next set of videos show you how to join a Zoom meeting. You can join the Zoom meeting from the email invitation that the meeting host sent you informing of the meeting.

Zoom From an Email

Joining Zoom from email invite

If you use a calendar on your PC and you accept the email invitation from the Zoom host you will have a meeting entry in your calendar. This instructional video shows you how to join the Zoom meeting from a calendar entry.

Joining Zoom from a calendar