I've been wanting to visit a Quaker service for a long time now. Their value for listening to God through silence is also a strong value of mine. I also have several Quaker ancestors, including William Penn, a well-known Quaker and the founder of Pennsylvania.
I got there in time to attend the pre-service introduction for visitors. The man leading the intro explained to me and two other women about the service. It was pretty simple- we would sit in silence for one hour and only speak out loud if lead by the Holy Spirit to share something with the congregation. The service would end when the leading deacon shook hands with the person next to him.
The man asked the three of us what had brought us to here today. I couldn't help but inform him that I was the great great great great great great great grand niece of William Penn. (Where else could I ever brag about something like that?) And he was indeed impressed. ;)
The service was held in a simple room with concrete floors, fluorescent lights, and chairs set in a circle. The service began, and I sat in silence with about 50 other people, mostly caucasian, a variety of ages. Three people spoke that morning during the hour of silence, mostly about something they read earlier in the week and the insight they gained from it.
Overall, it seemed like a very nice, thoughtful group of people. I might go back again sometime because a few people mentioned that every service was different, which makes sense, since different people would be lead to share different things each time.
I was not particularly drawn to it though. I missed spoken prayers, songs and dancing. I also realized how important an inspiring worship environment is to me. Although I don't need a fancy cathedral and I respect the Quakers value for simplicity, I do appreciate something beautiful to meditate on.
No comments:
Post a Comment