Resources > Encouraging prayer > Prayer groups > Virtual Prayer Walking
Virtual Prayer Walking
We normally do some prayer walking for Ramadan and with COVID 19 lockdown that looked like it would be a challenge. Here is a solution that enables people to pray around town together.
These instructions assume you are using a computer not a phone.
First we will look at preparing a route, then at involving other people.
Open Google in your browser. Go to Google Apps (usually on top right) and select Google Maps.
In the box in the top left write in an address where you might start, preferably a postcode. If you are totally new to this, put your own address in for a trial run.
A red marker will show the address on the map. Using the controls (+/-) on the bottom right, enlarge the map so you can clearly see the streets.
Now, go back to the controls in the bottom right, find the little yellow person. Place your cursor on it and drag it (by pressing and holding) to the address you have chosen. When you release the person, the map will be replaced with a view of the street.
The new controls in the bottom right allow you to turn through 360 degrees.
As you turn your view, note that when you are looking along a road, you will see a white arrow on the road surface. If you click ahead of the arrow, you will move along the road. It takes some practice to manage junctions well, but you will find you can ignore traffic lights, no entry signs and completely forget the Highway Code.
Rehearse the route you want to take thinking about key landmarks you might want to use.
If you find the distances are such that navigating the map is hard work, you can teleport.
Without closing your screen, open another tab in your browser. Open Google Maps and put in a different address. Move the yellow person to spot you want and face it the right way. You can now switch from one scene to the other simply by switching tabs.
Now, make it a shared prayer walk, call a Zoom meeting. Online tutorials are available.
In preparation for your Zoom meeting, close programmes you are not going to need just leaving your browser open. Make sure your browser is open at the start location.
When you have your people together, place your cursor in the lower part of the screen and find the green pop up marked “share screen.”
When you click on this, you will se before you the screens available to you including some extras curtesy of Zoom. Select the browser with the street view. Then click on Share, a blue button on the bottom right.
What should happen next is that you see your start point and your friends will appear in smaller screens to one side. If you have more than four, they may not all fit on at once but you can scroll up and down. Your friends should be able to se what you can see.
You can talk together about the location you are viewing and pray together. When you are ready, you can move on by turning and navigating along the street or by switching the tab at the top.
At the end, place your cursor at the top of the screen and find End Share Screen and your group will be back to normal.
It is also possible to have different members of the group take you all to locations as anyone on the call can use “Share Screen,” but only one at a time.
For more ideas for prayer walking Click here