Meeting in community room A. If you are there first please get the key to the room.
Here is what to expect at the meeting on September 27th. This will be an unprogrammed meeting.
Probably the first thing that will happen is a friendly Friend will greet you! Go in quietly, as worship begins when the first person enters the space. Feel free to sit anywhere you like.
Settle your mind and body into the silence along with your fellow worshippers. If you would like, you may bring some spiritual reading (or anthing really, I brought a Benjamin Lay book one time), a notebook, or a quiet fidget to help you center down. At any time, someone may be moved by the Spirit to stand and share a message. It is good etiquette to leave a little silence between messages. Worship will last for around 30-40 minutes (time can vary) and is over when a person shakes hands with their neighbor. Shake hands with those seated near you.
Friends may worship entirely without words, but usually there will be some brief spoken contributions. This 'ministry' is intended to express aloud what is already present in the silence. Anyone may feel the call to speak, man, woman or child, Friend or first time visitor. There is a very wide variety of sources of spoken ministry and the acceptance of them is an important part of Quaker worship. Since the Society of Friends is part of the Christian tradition, people may speak of the life and teachings of Jesus, use words from other sources, or refer to events in daily life. Friends try to receive positively what is said and to look for the underlying truth, regardless of the words in which it is expressed. If Friends are impelled to respond to vocal ministry, they should be very cautious and try to build positively on what has gone before.
There may be time to share joys and concerns, which are different from the messages given during worship. Then it's time to chat with some new friends for the remaining time!
Also check out other Meetups in Springfield.
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