Zoom Connections
Visitors, travelers, attenders, and members who are unable to worship on-site are invited to enter into worship through video-conferencing. Embrace the stillness and silence, as you would when entering the worship room. Observe the practice of an unprogrammed meeting for worship, as if you are there.
 
Worship begins well before the appointed time, when the first person enters the room. As a result, no technical assistance is available before or during worship. You will be muted by the hosted when entering. Here is some information you may need to prepare.
Prepare  ‒  Suggested Tips  ‒  After the Rise  ‒  Set-up  ‒  Quality of Silence
 
Zoom Link to Worship and other hybrid activities:
1. Click on the hyperlink below to join Zoom Meeting
      https://zoom.us/j/8046446617
2. If asked, click on "allow" or “Join a Meeting”. and provide Meeting ID, 8046446617
3. When asked, enter the password 425895

For dialing in by any phone:
1. Dial +1 301 715 8592 US
2. Enter the Meeting ID: 8046446617
3. If asked, enter the password 425895
4. Follow directions, and join the meeting


Prepare to reduce distractions:

1. Arrive several minutes before the appointed time, observing unbroken silence. If you must contact the on-line host, please use the chat (the on-site system is not monitored closely).

2. Mute your device before entering the worship room and remain muted unless offering vocal ministry or at the rise of meeting, when everyone is invited to share. During worship, only the on-site meeting room stays unmuted, so that Zoomers can hear as vocal ministry is offered. Follow the same practices in speaking into the silence as others hold, being sure to observe others standing or speaking, giving time to listen to their message, and only then speaking gently into the silence with your own. Return to the silence—muting your device, as the meeting re-settles.

3. Be aware of your camera position on your own device, in keeping with the stillness of the worship room. A large screen in the meeting room allows on-site worshipers to see the gallery of Zoomers during worship. All appreciate seeing you (video image or picture as well as your name) but not the distractions of movement on screen. If you must tend to personal needs, please block your video camera (found on lower toolbar).

 
Suggested tips:

• Choose the “view” you prefer: Once connected by laptop or iPad, set your “view” to multi-speakers and also pin the meeting view to keep it prominent on your screen. Or you may want to use the “gallery” view at times.

• Use captions (CC) that appear on your screen to help clarify speaking voices, accepting that the sound system has limits. The window for captions can be adjusted or reduced in size with your cursor.

• No technical assistance is available by the on-site or online hosts on Sundays. Please arrange for help at other times, if you need it.

 
After the rise of worship:
During worship, the meeting view remains un-muted—so that Zoomers can hear the worship room. By remaining muted on Zoom, errant sounds (private conversations, house and yard noises, phones ringing, etc.) are avoided. After the rise of worship (typically after announcements), the meeting view will mute itself so that Zoomers may talk among themselves without sharing casual conversations with everyone on site.
 
On the second Sunday of the month, when the on-site meeting holds Food and Fellowship time, the Zoomers often continue casual conversation after the meeting connection ends.
 
Set-up
Any event in the calendar marked “hybrid” invites both on-site and online participation, offering Zoom video-conferencing technology in which volunteers in the meetinghouse set up the equipment, adjust the volumes, and assign a co-host or host before beginning. Often, the onsite system is not monitored during worship. The host or online co-host responds to distractions, re-muting anyone with an open mic. No one interrupts worship with personal messages or technical requests.
 
If technical difficulties prevent anyone from signing in or hearing, prepare a backup plan in advance.

• If the computers on-site are not operating, then Zoomers can worship together online for the entire service (as we do on Wednesdays)—if so, please continue in Zoom worship. (If the interruption is temporary, the host or co-host will use the chat for updates.)

• If individually you cannot connect with the Meeting, one alternative may be to connect to another meeting worshipping online—consider other Meetings in the Quarter, for example, or perhaps Pendle Hill’s daily worship (8:30-9:10 AM ET)—and keep that worship information on hand. As with Gwynedd, knowing who is joining is helpful and you may want to “sign their guestbook” in advance, if possible.

• If you cannot connect via technology, remember that your worship is shared at the allotted time by other Quakers wherever they are. As always, trouble-shoot later. Share with other Friends when opportunities arise.

 
Quality of Silence
The quality of a shared, expectant silence survives the distance and is enhanced by the use of video-conferencing—after all, what walls can hold it? Worship by Zoom can carry special significance, depending on the openness of a centered heart. Knowing others are there can in itself change the quality of your silence and the depth of your listening within.