Several years ago PJ, Derek and I set out to start a reading group where we were challenging each other to read Gods Word on a consistent basis.  Along with reading together, we also wanted the ability to share thoughts with each other on each section. Initially we would text each other once we were done with the reading. However, as we started to add more people to the group, texting became to difficult to follow.

Thankfully we found the GroupMe application which allowed us to send a group message to a large number of people in a simple way that was very easy to follow. We have been using the application for a few years now and it has been great! But there is one problem. We didn’t realize there was a maximum of 50 people per group within the application.  Soon our reading group will exceed that maximum number.  So we have decided to move the group to Google Hangouts!  Google Hangouts is an excellent communications tool.  You can use it for messaging just like the GroupMe application. You can also use it for video calls within the group. Hangouts allows for a larger number of participants and is still very simple to use and easy to follow.

I have provided instructions below on how to download and setup the application.  You can also find out more information about the application by visiting this website, https://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/

Step 1) You need to have a google (gmail) account. You can do that by going here. If you already have a gmail account you can skip this step.

Step 2) Download the application.  You can click one of the links below or just search for google hangouts within the iOS App store or the Google Play Store.

iOS   Android

If you use Google Chrome as your web browser you can download the Google Hangouts web application. Chrome Web App – http://goo.gl/cr3XE

Step 3) Send your gmail email address to PJ or me and we will add you to the Hangout!

That’s it!

If you have any questions please feel free to email one of us.