Mark the Evangelist has adopted the ‘Zoom’ online conferencing platform as a means of enabling ourselves to continue with meetings, study groups and other ‘get-togethers’ during the period of the COVID-10 lock-down. You will need Zoom to connect to these ‘gatherings’, although not for the worship services, which will come via another means.

Zoom is easy to set up and easy to use once you are set up. MtE has purchased a subscription for congregational activities, which means MtE events can run as long as we need them to. Participants don’t need a subscription to join. You can also run your online online meet-ups for up to 40 minutes without a subscription.

You also don’t need to sign-up with Zoom to join meetings but it’s probably useful to do so (should you want to arrange your own get-togethers; entering a meeting with your own account also means your name and not only your email or location appears under your image on the screen). Sign up here. It’s free and requires, as usual, a password.

Zoom can be used on Android and iOS phones and tablets which have a front-facing camera (they almost all do!), or on a laptop with a webcam (most do!) or a desktop computer with a web cam (you might need to purchase one of these if you’ve a desk top computer. HOWEVER, you can join in by audio only, without the video — you’ll see the others but they’ll not see you; this can be useful if your connection is not strong — the audio requires less than the video). The laptop/desk top arrangement has the advantage of the larger screen, meaning that you can see most of the participants; with the phone you can usually only see the person who is currently speaking.

To set up Zoom on your phone, PC or Mac, see the guidelines on  Zoom’s ‘Getting Started’ page. Once you’ve attempted the set up, you can test your success with a test meeting here; follow the instructions and, all being well, you’ll connect and see yourself on the screen!

We understand that this won’t be easy for everyone, and so we are setting up a couple of help sessions — details of these have come in the email which directed you to this web page. If you’re still having trouble, contact Rod or Craig.