Welcome to
Meeting for Worship
at Fifteenth Street Friends’ Meeting
If this is the first time you are joining us—or even if it is
not—you may be interested in the following questions and answers about Quaker worship
as it is practiced here.
Q: Who or what do
Quakers worship?
A: Quakers worship God: the
same God who is recognized by Christianity, Judaism, and Islam and worshipped by billions
of people throughout the world. Quakers believe that God is a living Spirit who can be
known and worshipped by anyone.
Q: What sacraments, forms, or
rituals do Quakers use in their worship?
A: There are different kinds
of worship services at different Quaker Meetings. The kind we practice at Fifteenth Street
Meeting is called “unprogrammed worship” or “waiting worship.” Its
premise is that God’s own Spirit will guide us in how best to give God the worship
God is due. Therefore we do not plan any ceremonies or rituals or prepare any hymns,
sermons, readings, or prayers of our own devising. We come together in silence and wait
for the moving of the Holy Spirit.
Q: What do the worshippers
actually do?
A: We try to quiet our
minds, open our hearts, and listen to the Spirit. There is no prescribed way to do this.
The key is an attitude of expectant waiting and a willingness to obey whatever inner
promptings God may inspire. We are also alert to hear the messages that may come to us
from God through our fellow worshippers.
Q: Is there a minister or
priest in the Meeting for Worship?
A: Potentially, all are
ministers. Vocal ministry occurs during unprogrammed worship when someone present feels
deeply moved by God to offer a message to the assembled Friends. The words of the message
may be words of praise, thanksgiving, comfort, reassurance, moral challenge, or spiritual
insight.
Q: What is the difference
between “vocal ministry” and other kinds of speaking?
A: Speaking that does not come from a sense of
leading by God is not ministry.
Discussion and debate are not ministry. Friends do not “answer” each other’s messages during worship.
There is no strict limit on the length of messages, but usually “less is more.” It is easy to
“outrun the Guide” (the leading of the Spirit) when giving lengthy messages.
A period of silence between messages offers the needed space for reflecting on what has been said and for
continuing to wait on the Spirit. Therefore those who speak in meeting should be careful
to respect the silence and not to speak too quickly after someone else has spoken.
Prepared
by the Ministry and Worship Committee
April 2004