As host, you will be responsible to open the meeting at 9:30 am and allow people to enter the Google Meet room.
Except for emergencies, meeting are hybrid and hosted on-site at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington, KY
Hosting Sunday Sangha at Church
For Meditation and Sangha
Thank you for volunteering to host at the church!
These instructions explain how to set up the Meeting Owl and Chromebook in the Purple room at the church. This is a separate job from “Tech Hosting”, which can be done at the church or remotely. It is strongly recommended that if you are Tech Hosting from the church that you bring your own computer.
Instructions:
Before Sunday
1. Make sure that you have the door code to get into the church. You can get this from the office or Amy Pemberton (alp@alumni.caltech.edu or 502-417-4225).
2. You will need the login information for the Sangha Google account. The account is set up on the Chromebook. Please email Amy Pemberton or another sangha member to get this.
3. If you are already logged into your personal Google Account click on the small circle with your initial or profile photo in the upper right hand corner. Or log out and log back in as the Sangha.
• (For assistance using multiple Google Accounts, click here:
https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/1721977?hl=en)
4. Before Sunday please check to make sure you can login to the Sangha account. If you can not, please text me at 502-417-4225.
On Sunday Morning
5. You should arrive at church well before 9 am, in order to have enough time to set up before meditation starts. Especially if it is your first time, try to get there by 8:30.
6. Enter the church through the door next to the office (in the admin wing). The key box is next to the door, on the left. There are two keys, an internal and external one.
7. Open the door you enter and leave it unlocked (check it before you enter).
8. Use the internal key to open the Purple room. (It may not be locked).
9. Return the keys to the key box once everything is unlocked. It’s best to do this ASAP so you don’t accidentally walk off with them or cause them to be mistakenly reported as missing.
Meeting Owl Set-up
10. The Chromebook, Chromebook charger, Meeting Owl (in the yellow case) and tripod are in the cabinet. (Full list of streaming equipment below.) There are chairs, zafus and zabutons in the room as well.
11. Set up the Meeting Owl first. Plug the power cord and the USB-C cord into the base. Make sure the plugs are all the way in.
If you are using the Chromebook you will need to use the USB-A to C cord. If you are using a different computer you will need to confirm whether it has a USB-A or USB-C connection. Cords are provided for both with the Meeting Owl.
12. Set up tripod and mount the Owl on the tripod. (You will need to screw in the tripod adaptor if it is not already attached.) Plug the power cord into the power strip and plug the USB cord into the Chromebook. After a minute or so the Owl should hoot to let you know that is it on.
13. We use the television mounted to the wall. Plug the Chromebook into the HDMI cable attached to the television.
13. Plug the Chromebook charger into the power strip. The connections should look like the picture below (the microphone may be plugged in to the other side of the Chromebook).
15. Turn on the television using the button under the lower right-hand corner, underneath the TV.
16. Turn on the Chromebook. Log in using the sangha login. The Chromebook screen should be mirrored on the TV. It it isn’t go to Settings > Device > Displays and make sure the Mirror my Screen option is selected. Sometimes you have to restart the Chromebook.
16. Open Chrome and join the sangha meeting. (The link is in the favorite bar.) Make sure that the Speaker, Microphone and Camera options all say “Meeting Owl”. Use the drop down arrow to change them if they don’t.
15. Set up the zafu, zabutons and chairs. They should be close enough that the Meeting Owl microphone can hear everyone. The camera will have a panorama view and will also follow speakers so it is not necessary to get everyone on screen at once.
16. There are two ways to control the volume:
Download the Meeting Owl app onto your smartphone (from “Owl Labs”. The logo will look like the one on the yellow case.) When you open the app it should find the Meeting Owl, named “Priestly”. The “eyes” of the Owl will blink while it is connecting. There will be volume controls and a mute button, as well as options to control the camera (we don’t normally need these for the Sangha, but you are welcome to experiment with them.)
There are physical buttons on the base of the Meeting Owl for volume and mute.
After Sangha
(It’s usually OK to wait until after church to put everything up, unless RE needs the space.)
Log out of the meeting, and shut down the Chromebook. Unplug the Chromebook from the TV and the powerstrip. Unplug the Meeting Owl from the Chromebook. Put the Meeting Owl, its power cord and the USB cords back in the yellow case. Put the Chromebook, its charge, the tripod and the Meeting Owl in its case back in the cabinet. The HDMI cable can be left plugged into the TV and the power strip plugged into the wall.
Shut down the TV.
Put up the zafus and zabutons if you didn’t do that after meditation.
Generally, put everything back the way you found it :-).
If you are cleaning up after church go ahead and lock the door next to the office and purple room, unless they are still being used. If you are cleaning up before church leave them open.
Meeting Owl Equipment List
In the Yellow Case (stored in cabinet in Purple Room)
“Priestley” the Meeting Owl
Power cord and adapter
Cord to connect Owl to computer (three)
USB-C to USB-C cord (6 foot)
USB-C to USB-C cord (12 foot)
USB-C to USB-A cord (6 foot)
HDMI adapter (for computers that have a USB-C connection but no HDMI connection)
Outside the Yellow Case
Tripod (stored in cabinet in Purple Room)
HDMI cord (12 foot) (currently plugged into wall-mounted TV in Purple Room)
Power strip (stored in cabinet in Purple Room)
Hosting Instructions
For Meditation and Sangha
Thank you for volunteering to host!
To host the meeting, you must be logged in to the Sangha Google Account.
This is essential to grant access to the meeting for some members of the group.
As of Spring 2023, tech hosts are not expected to share the reading during the Sangha, since we are using personal copies of the reading (with one copy at the church which can be shared).
Instructions:
Before Sunday
1. If you do not already have Google Chrome, you will need to download it. You can click here to download it: https://www.google.com/chrome/
2. You will need the login information for the Sangha Google account. Please contact Amy Pemberton (alp@alumni.caltech.edu or 502-417-4225) or another tech host to get this.
3. If you are already logged into your personal Google Account click on the small circle with your initial or profile photo in the upper right hand corner. Or log out and log back in as the Sangha.
• (For assistance using multiple Google Accounts, click here:
https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/1721977?hl=en)
4. Before Sunday please check to make sure you can login to the Sangha account. If you can not, please text me at 502-417-4225.
On Sunday Morning
5. You will need to login to the Sangha account no later than 8:45 am. You can then enter the meeting as the host by following the link on the website's home page.
6. To prepare for meditation: Open the meditation YouTube video in a separate Google Chrome tab. You can do that by clicking here: https://youtu.be/CUEvf2aw3wY Once it is open, pause the video.
• (For more information about how to present in Google Meet click here:
https://support.google.com/meet/answer/9308856?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl =en&oco=1)
7. Some of the attendees will need you to grant them access when they attempt to join the meeting. A pop-up box will appear on the screen asking you to "Allow" them to join. Click on Allow.
Meditation
9. At or shortly after 9:00 am you should begin meditation. To do this you will need to present the video by clicking on "Present Now" in the lower right hand corner. Choose "A Chrome Tab." A list of the open tabs will appear on your screen, select the one that says "25 Minute Meditation." Make sure to check the box to allow audio.
10. Remind everyone to take turns reading aloud the text at the end of the meditation.
11. Now play the video and expand it to full screen. (As the host you cannot view the meeting tab and the video tab at the same time. You will have to toggle between them as needed.)
12. Read the "Flame Offering" at the beginning of the video then mute your microphone.
13. If you have begun the meditation late you can choose to fast forward the video to a point that will allow the video to end at 9:30.
14. After the video ends, let everyone know that you will see them back at 9:45 for Sangha Discussion.
15. Continue to grant people access to the meeting as needed.
Sangha Discussion
16. The discussion leader will begin the meeting.
17. When the meeting is over leave the meeting as you normally would.
Tech Hosting From Church
There are two possibilities for tech hosting from church. The Chromebook running the Meeting Owl is logged into the Sangha account and can be used to admit remote participants.
(Recommended) Log into your own computer into the meeting, turning your camera, microphone and speakers OFF (otherwise you will get dreadful feedback). Use your personal laptop to host the meeting - admitting people and sharing the meditation video. The Chromebook with Meeting Owl will allow everyone in the room to be seen by the remote participants.
(Not Recommended but possible) Tech hosting and church hosting using the sangha’s Chromebook. Besides the issues with #2, the sangha’s Chromebook does not have a lot of processing power or memory but the church’s good WiFi does offset some of that. Can be done in an emergency and may be a good option to share the meditation video, if the regular tech host can’t make it.
Link for Meditation video: https://youtu.be/CUEvf2aw3wY
Link for Flame Offering and Five Mindfulness Trainings : Meditation Readings