Thank you for your interest in attending Meeting for Worship virtually.
Here are a few things to help prepare you before joining us:
Our Meeting for Worship is unprogrammed and silent. When you are with us via Zoom, you will not hear anything until someone speaks out of the silence. Sometimes there are no messages. If that is the case, you won’t hear anyone speak until the person breaking (ending) Meeting for Worship speaks around 10:50am. Sit back, center in, listen to the Spirit Within and enjoy Meeting for Worship with us.
You are welcome to join us any Sunday as you are so led, either on Zoom or in-person. Please note: Most folks find that the Meeting for Worship experience is quite different on Zoom than it is in-person. It can be a challenge to sit in silent worship in your own home with distractions all around. We encourage you to attend in-person (at least occasionally) if you are able.
We also encourage you to treat your time with us online the same way you would if attending in-person. Sit quietly, with as few distractions as possible, attend for the full hour (and stay for announcements and fellowship). If you find that you need to move around, we invite you to turn off your camera/video so it won't be distracting to others.
Please note: When you join us on Zoom, your “square” will be included on our Zoom screen, which is then shown on a large TV in the Meeting room. Remember we can see what your camera/video picks up. If you do not want people to see what you are doing, please turn off your video/camera. You will be able to see us via our webcam, which captures the room at a distance. You will be able to clearly hear each person when they share their message/announcement, but you will not have a close-up view of them. If you want to speak (share a message or introduce yourself during announcements), unmute yourself. When you unmute yourself, we will switch to Speaker View on Zoom, and thus be able to see your full “square” in the meeting room.
For more info on Meeting for Worship and/or hybrid Meeting for Worship, check out these pages on our website.
https://www.charlottefriendsmeeting.org/faq
https://www.charlottefriendsmeeting.org/hybrid-meeting-for-worship
Click here for our “Your first time in a Quaker meeting?” document that you might find helpful.