Worship & Growth

Worship

Friends come from all walks of life. Some were born into Quaker families while many others are spiritual seekers who have come to Quakerism and found a new home. Many Meeting members and attenders cite Meeting for Worship as a place of deep personal growth and spiritual nurturing. Friends believe that the Divine can speak directly to each of us through the Light Within. Thus there is no need for an intermediary or clergy in our times of worship.

Each experience of worship is unique, and each worshipper approaches worship in a personal way. Each person who enters the meeting room joins in quietly, settling into the silence. In the deepening stillness worshippers let go of thoughts and distractions, open their hearts to the Light Within and listen for truths that arise from Divine Leading. Someone may be led to speak briefly out of the silence to share an experience, a thought, a recollection, an observation, an insight, or an idea which should come from the heart and be prompted by Spirit. We acknowledge that it is more accurate to say that a Friends Meeting has no lay persons rather than that we have no clergy. Ministry often comes from spoken messages from those present in Meeting for Worship. In other words, speaking in Meeting for Worship should try to minister to those who are present to hear it.

Time for contemplation should be left between spoken messages. A new message may or may not be connected to a previous message. A totally silent meeting can be a profound and meaningful spiritual experience.

Near the end of the hour, the Friend who has been asked to serve as Head of Meeting for the month will turn and shake hands with the next person, saying “Good Morning.” Everyone in the meetinghouse turns and shakes hands with the persons nearby, wishing them “Good Morning.” The Meeting for Worship is then over. Sitting together in silence has been called “expectant waiting” by Friends. Even in times of spiritual emptiness when unity and fulfillment seem distant, Friends find it essential to be present with others in worship. The community is drawn together by a shared hunger to know the Divine and to care for one another. A space is cleared in our lives for Spirit to enter, speak, heal, teach, and lead. We can feel love and peace and an awareness of our profound connectedness to one another and to the natural world.

We can be opened to repentance, forgiveness, and guidance. We can be renewed for and prepared for greater service in the world. We can feel inspired by new vision and commitment.

At the Rise of Meeting, visitors and newcomers are welcomed, joys and sorrows are shared, announcements are made, and a hymn or two may be sung before attenders leave.