Sunday, April 27, 2014

Expanding Mission Through Skype Church Service

By Essie Osborn


Ministries have turned to technology to reach out to every member regardless of location. This has enabled them to save on travel expenses yet still minister to people who are not physically present. Skype church service enables individuals to experience real contact and give feedback as well. The elderly or sick persons who cannot travel are enabled to participate.

Technology has brought congregants, cultures and countries together. Students in colleges that are located far away from the parish or elderly people in hospices and home are able to participate. Parties serving in conflict zones or out on humanitarian missions are brought on board.

Ministries have found an incredible way of reporting progress in missions to their members. A single call will give a live feed to worshipers. Centers of a single parish are able to come together in worship. It reduces the need for travel and other logistics when celebrating community days.

There are technical issues that enhance or weaken the quality of your communication. It is important to be aware of the bandwidth which your receiver is using. Slow internet connection causes problems with buffering and reduces the quality of communication. The stream will not be consistent with very low sound quality.

The computer and the webcam being used should have quality specifications as well. The CPU should be fast enough to support live calls. The webcam to be used should either be IEEE 1394/fire wire or USB 2.0 enabled. A digital video camera may replace the webcam or a fire wire converter. These are the accessories that will capture the images for broadcast.

Experts recommend that the cable being used should be six feet or more. The webcam should face the speaker during the conversation. Extra lighting is required in order to improve the quality of images being broadcast. This is mostly important when the conversation is taking place indoor. This will give very clear images on both ends.

The positions of your microphone and speaker determine the quality of sound sent and received. This is crucial if seamless communication is to take place between the two parties. It allows both parties to understand each other. Special settings are provided when the conversation is taken on big screen.

Webcams have been replaced by laptop cameras in some instances. This is guided by the resolution and strength, which also eliminates the need to have additional accessories. Video card and fire wire converters are used to send the feeds.

The quality of sound determines the kind of experience you will have. The microphones, speakers and screens enhance the interaction. The conversion of sound on both ends should be such that the quality is maintained. The listener should clearly hear what the person is saying on the other side.

The Skype experience will be determined by how well the technicians setup the apparatus. Mastery of audio and visual settings makes the experience possible. This is a technology that allows ministries to reach out to congregations in any part of the world. The community remains one since they are in regular contact. The ministry or parish is connected at all time and able to share in a single mission.




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