This past week, I participated in a virtual/in person regional meeting held in the Appalachian Region. It originated from Lenoir Community Church in Lenoir, N.C. where a number of delegates gathered to participate in person and about 40 others gathered on Zoom.

These types of meetings have become a necessity as the pandemic continues to keep us in quarantine. Many of our regions and conferences postponed their meetings last year, but the need to conduct the constitution-directed business of our regions and conferences must be met. This meeting went very well, but, as usual, technology had issues and caused headaches. Everyone was patient and we were able to conduct the business and continue to make plans for future ministry. As we move forward dealing with Zoom, webinars or any type of virtual meetings, patience is a must for all participating. Some important points to remember as participants:

• if you are not talking, mute your microphone (background noise can prevent others from hearing)
• make sure your Internet signal is as strong as possible (if you are using Wi-Fi, limit how many devices are using your signal and, if possible, plug in for faster service)
• use headphones with a microphone if you are the only one participating on your computer
• if there are handouts, print them or access them on a separate computer or monitor