Ministry Resources
This page provides some resources to members of the vestry, commission / committee chairs and/or conveners of parish life groups to help us continue doing God's work through our parish as we also attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. As Jewish Rabbi, Yosef Kanesky, pointed out we need to work extra hard to stay connected while practicing "social distancing":
"One of the brand new terms that has entered our daily conversation is “social distancing.” It is shorthand, as we know very well, for the practical physical precautions that we all must take in order to protect ourselves and others. But I’d humbly suggest that we use the term itself sparingly, if at all. Language is a powerful shaper of thinking. And the very last thing we need right now, is a mindset of mutual distancing.
We actually need to be thinking in the exact opposite way: Every hand that we don’t shake must become a phone call that we place. Every embrace that we avoid must become a verbal expression of warmth and concern. Every inch and every foot that we physically place between ourselves and another, must become a thought as to how we might be of help to that other, should the need arise."
Here are some tools that will help:
Zoom is a web conference client that works well on PCs, Macs, Tablets and Phones. It allows video, voice and screen sharing as well as dial in options for those without a device. You can sign up for a free account here. A free account will let you have up to 100 people connected to a conference lasting up to 40 minutes and 1:1 conferences of unlimited length. There are great getting started resources here.
You should be able to use Zoom with your device pretty much as it is. However, you can enhance the experience with:
A headset / microphone: if you are using your smart phone, you likely already have a headset that connects wired or wirelessly. Use that to allow yourself to take part in the audio and look at the screen (you can also just put it on speakerphone). If you are looking to add a headset to your PC or Mac for better sound quality, check Amazon for something with good reviews and that is in stock (they have been selling out a lot recently so I won't make a specific recommendation).
A video camera: again, your smart phone or tablet likely already has one as do many PCs and all Macs from the last decade or so. If you find yourself on a device without a camera, again take a look at Amazon for something with good reviews and that is in stock.
Google Drive / Google Docs is a free online storage and office application set. You can share files such as word documents, spreadsheets, and powerpoint presentations and work on them remotely together. Trinity has a Google Docs Non-Profit license so we can set up groups and give people access to that shared space if you want something that isn't part of your personal space. Contact Chris Kelley if you want to get something like this setup. Google provides some great getting started training here.
We should be looking for ways to continue our regular gatherings through technology and also look for new things to ensure we are staying connected and not letting "social distancing" turn into isolation. Some great ideas are being shared already: