During the lockdown periods of the Covid 19 crisis, we ran the majority of our regular meetings online using Zoom. During this time we saw the benefit of being able include those not able to get out to meetings, and also others in need of fellowship including various ones from around the globe. It is therefore our intention to continue to broadcast the Sunday morning meeting via Zoom, at least for the forseeable future. If you are personally known to one or more of us, then you are more than welcome to join us . To do so, please either contact someone from our congregation or go to the Registration Page.
Initial Preparation
In order to use the facility, you will need to install the Zoom app beforehand by the appropriate method from the following list. You do not need your own Zoom account.
- On a computer go to https://zoom.us/download, download and install the program. All major platforms (Windows, MacOS and Linux) are supported.
Useful hint – On most major web browsers (including Chrome, Firefox & Edge) Ctrl-J will take you to your downloads.
N.B. On Windows, Zoom is not automatically added as a desktop icon. To make it readily available, find it on the start menu (Windows 7 or 10) and open it. Once open, right click the Zoom icon on the taskbar (normally along the bottom of the screen) and select ‘Pin to Taskbar’. It will then remain on the taskbar for easy access next time. - On a non-Apple (i.e. Android) tablet or phone, download the ‘ZOOM Cloud Meetings’ app from the Google Play Store (or the Amazon App Store in the case of a Kindle Fire).
- On an iPad or iPhone, download the ‘ZOOM Cloud Meetings’ app from the Apple App Store.
Joining a Meeting
In order to join a particular meeting, you will require a unique 9/10/11 digit code (referred to as the meeting ID from now on) to sign in and the code for each meeting will be emailed to everyone concerned in advance. It will also be displayed against the given meeting on the diary pages of the web site, provided that you are logged on to the site with a username for a member of the congregation. After entering the meeting ID you will be prompted to enter a passcode. This will have been emailed to you along with the associated meeting ID.
Run the Zoom app and follow the instructions. Click here to see some more detailed instructions with screenshots.
Connecting by Phone
It is also possible for people without computer facilities to phone in and join a meeting. Those concerned will need to be contacted with the necessary information. If you are helping someone in this position, then here are some points to note:-
- The access number is 0330 088 5830, which is chargeable at local rate within the UK. It is important to remember however that many people are on a tariff in which the first hour is free, after which the subscriber will be charged for the whole call (i.e. not just the additional minutes).
- On calling this number the person will be asked to enter the meeting ID followed by a hash (#).
- After this the person will then be asked to enter their participant number followed by a hash, or otherwise just press hash. Select the latter option.
- Passcodes (see above) are not required for dial-up phone connections.
- Once connected it is possible for the user to mute/unmute themselves by pressing *6 on their telephone keypad. On doing this they will hear a recorded message to say whether they are now muted or unmuted.
Points to Note
If you have a camera connected and the meeting is running with video, then don’t forget that everyone else can see you and the room in which you are situated. You may therefore want to think about your backdrop and make any necessary adjustments. Also if you video image appears dark, it can often help to turn on the main room lights, even during the daytime.
The following will help reduce bandwidth/congestion issues:-
- Restrict connections to one per household wherever possible. If you do need more than one connection however, please ensure that they operate in separate rooms to avoid problems with feedback.
- Avoid having too many devices (particularly anything that is streaming) running concurrently on your home network.
- If you have the choice, run on a wired rather than a wireless connection.