April 9, 2020

We’re so glad you are willing to participate in our Zoom Meeting for Worship. While less-than-ideal, we find this a helpful way to gather in spite of our need to keep our distance. We try to make our Zoom Meeting reverent and as similar as possible to the meetings in our Meetinghouse. Note: you will need a password and we’ve sent this out via e-mail. If you don’t have it, please ask another member of the meeting.

To join you will need the following information:

• Meeting Link        https://zoom.us/j/2814426094
• Meeting ID           281-442-6094
• Password            Ask a Friend if you don’t have it or send e-mail to dougb@earlham.edu
• Phone number     301-715-8592, or 929-205-6099, or 312-626-6799,
• or: 669-900-6833, 253-215-8782, 346-248-7799

To Join by screen:

• Click on the meeting link
• Allow the page to open zoom.us.app
• Enter the Durham Friends Zoom Meeting password (ask a Friend if you don’t have it)
• You will be put on hold until you are admitted by the Host

If you have trouble trying to join by screen

• If you receive a prompt that says “This Meeting is Authorized for Attendees only” it means you have a Zoom account but are not logged into it. Click “Sign in to join”
  • Enter your email address and the password associated with your Zoom account
  • Enter the Durham Friends Zoom Meeting password (ask a Friend if you don’t have it)
• If you receive a prompt that says “When prompted, select Open with and then OK,” click OK or Download here.
  • Work through a series of prompts to install software. You may need to provide your computer username and password (the username and password used to access administrative features on your computer).
  • After installing software automatically, if the Zoom Meeting doesn’t automatically launch, find where the software is installed on your computer and double click it to launch (On a Mac use Finder to find it in Downloads or in Applications. On a PC use Explorer to find it in Downloads or Programs)

To Join by Phone:

• Dial 301-715-8592
• When prompted enter the meeting ID 281-442-6094 followed by #
• When asked for the Participant ID, enter #
• Enter the Password when asked (ask a Friend if you don’t have it)

Timing:

Join the Meeting anytime after 10:15am on any Sunday. Like entering our Meeting Room in Durham, this is quiet time unless absolutely necessary to speak up because you are having some sort of technical difficulty. The Meeting will formally begin around 10:30, opened by the Meeting Leader. The Meeting will typically end around 11:30 followed by informal and un-moderated fellowship time for catching up with each other.

Your name as it appears to others:

Please write your first and last name when joining. To change how your name appears after the meeting has started, open the Participant list by clicking the participant icon at the bottom of the scree, find yourself on the list and mouse over your name, click more, click rename.

To Unmute:

All are muted upon entering the meeting. To unmute if participating by screen, press the space bar on your keyboard or unmute yourself by clicking the microphone icon in the bottom left of your screen. To unmute if participating by phone, press *6 to unmute or mute.

To Raise Your Hand:

By screen, raise your hand as usual. Make sure your Video is unmuted.

By phone, press *9.

There are times when raising a hand is not necessary to speak. Use your judgment. If people are waiting to be called on, it is the Meeting Leader who calls on people.

Chat:

By clicking the Chat icon at the bottom of your screen you can send written messages to the whole meeting or to specific people. Phone participants don’t have access to these chat messages. If you want something to be conveyed to the whole meeting, raise your hand and say it out loud.

Hymns:

When it’s time for a hymn someone will play it on piano for all to hear. Words will be provided in advance or on the screen. You are encouraged to sing along but only if you are on mute. It doesn’t work well for anyone to be singing unmuted because it overrides the piano. If you are singing unmuted, the Host might mute you.

Roles:

Meeting Leader (also know as Care of Worship)

• Opens and closes the meeting
• Says when we’re doing what
• Handles announcements and calling on people as needed

Host (also known as Zoom Support):

• Serves as Zoom Host
• Let’s people enter the Meeting
• Handles muting and unmuting people as needed
• Activates and de-activates break-out rooms as needed (such as children having a meeting in another “room”)
• Shares and un-shares words to hymns at appropriate times (someone needs to share a words-to-hymns document with the Host in advance).

Uneasy about Zoom?

Before joining our Zoom Meeting you can do a test Zoom Meeting here: https://tinyurl.com/y3p2v4db. Also at this website are answers to many questions about Zoom. If you have additional questions or troubles, please contact Craig@Freshley.com.

UPDATE 3/19/20: Sunday Worship will be conducted via ZOOM until further notice.

Meeting link:     https://zoom.us/j/2814426094      Click here to join by video and audio
Phone number:     +1 301 715 8592    Dial this to join by audio only
Meeting ID:    281 442 6094  

You will also need a password that has been sent via e-mail. If you don’t have it, ask another member of the Meeting.

Together with every other organization and community across the globe, Durham Friends Meeting is faced with questions about what to do with the threat of possible Coronavirus infection in our midst.  Some of the answers will have to be made together, and others are for each individual or family to answer on their own.

We are a worship community.  Gathering together is what we do.  We gather for worship, for prayer, for study, for support, for fellowship and for fun.  In normal times, we gather strength from gathering together.  But in the current situation, we may do each other harm. 

The situation is likely to change.  We’ll be learning more about the risks and best approaches.  We expect that the current situation will last at least until the end of May.  Members of Ministry and Counsel, together with the Clerk, will monitor the situation and make decisions.  We’ll send out information on e-mail, and we’ll try to see that those who do not receive e-mail receive phone calls. 

For the present, here is how we will proceed. 

• We will have 1^st Day Worship each Sunday as regularly scheduled.  Please attend via Zoom.  As always, someone from Ministry and Counsel will be responsible for Care of Worship.  There will be a prepared message most Sundays. And someone will provide tech support for our use of Zoom.

Various committees of the Meeting are gathering using Zoom, but all other events have been cancelled.

We need to care for one another.  Please stay in touch by phone, e-mail and other means.  By all means ask questions of M&C if you have them, and we will try to answer them or point you to someone who can. 

With God’s love and strength, and with support from one another, we will get through this.

Martha Hinshaw Sheldon, Co-Clerk of the Meeting

Sukie Rice, Co-Clerk of the Meeting

Doug Bennett              Tess Hartford

Renee Cote                 Joyce Gibson

Brown Lethem            Wendy Schlotterbeck

By Hassan El-Tayyab, FCNL, January 3, 2020

From the Friends Committee on National Legislation

Last night, the Trump administration assassinated Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the military commander of Iran’s Quds Force. This is a dangerous escalation of the confrontation with Iran, one that will lead to more bloodshed, and expand conflict and instability throughout the Middle East.Stop the March to War with Iran

As a Quaker organization we hold firm to the faith that war is not the answer. Our lawmakers have repeatedly failed to stop the march to war with Iran and return our nation to the path of diplomacy. This moment calls for political courage.

The House and Senate have introduced bills, H.R. 2354 and S. 1039, that would ensure the president cannot take military action against Iran without congressional authorization – except in response to an attack on America or its armed forces.

Congress has the power to prevent war with Iran. It must exercise its constitutional authority now. Urge them to act.

Statement from FCNL: FCNL Condemns Assassination; Urges Congress to Oppose Escalation of Deadly Conflict with Iran

There will be no Meeting for Worship, Sunday School classes, or Monthly Meeting at Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends tomorrow, Sunday, January 20, 2019.

They have been canceled due to the severe weather expected.