Meeting for Worship

     “Worship is at the heart of all Quakers do and are. From their beginning, Quakers adopted worship practices with a minimum of planned events, instead relying on direct revelation by the Holy Spirit to the worshipers gathered in silent expectation. Quakers call their services ‘meeting for worship’.

     “The community gathers together in a waiting, expectant frame of spirit. Worship is in silent waiting upon insight from God. A participant may feel led to share a message with those present. There may be many, few, or no such messages, which Friends call “vocal ministry”. The meeting concludes when the person with responsibility for closing the worship discerns that the meeting has drawn to an end. Worship usually lasts about an hour.”

 Beliefs in Action

     Quaker spirituality is both inward and outward. Friends have always expected the Holy Spirit to transform individuals and then guide them into ways to transform society. The mystical stream in Quakerism has a profound ethical dimension. In worship together Friends have experienced not only wordless union with God but also practical leadings to engage in concrete actions. Friends have always held dear the belief that the Light would bring them into unity.

    At the June 2009 Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival, the Mid-Ohio Valley Friends hosted a booth where 125 participants voted on their priorities for how the federal government should spend our tax money. To read more about this project and the article which includes the results of this survey,
click here
"Multi-Cultural Festival Article"