Daily Extended Meeting for Worship

Our expectations and objectives for the week.

We meet for worship in waiting stillness, opening our souls to the Light, with the simple desire and trust of receiving the divine ministry that our souls need.
When we worship “in Spirit and Truth” (John 4:24) as early Friends showed us, we pay attention to the roots, to the center of our faith and our lives, to the divine vine from which our branches and fruits receive their nourishment and strength. Then, we can trust that “the Growing Edges of Our Faith” will have power and endurance, will prosper, and not wither.

Some of our hopes for our daily extended meeting for worship are to:

- Offer a meeting place for Friends at the Gathering who seek unmediated, intimate communion with the Divine
- Give Friends an opportunity for collective spiritual devotion, free from the time strictures usually present around corporate worship in modern days - Provide a grounded, centering space, where any Friend present at the Gathering may retreat for spiritual nourishment and solace during morning workshop hours
- Nurture the emergence of a spiritual community, which can provide encouragement and support to Friends seeking to give sustained attention to God’s presence in their lives
- Provide an opportunity for us, today’s Friends, to savor the glory and power of Quaker worship which were felt centuries ago, when religious seekers after the Truth surrendered their human activity and gathered, their souls naked, in complete reliance and openness to the activity of the Light in their midst
- Be a community of devotion where the larger Gathering may be held in the Light during the week.

About the leader :
I have facilitated many kinds of workshops and retreats in religious and secular settings. Still, I see my role as that of a simple host or convener, whose task is to prepare the space, welcome Friends, be present, and join them in God's presence. At times, an ad-hoc “care committee” has emerged from the worship community, with Friends who feel a particular call to participate in the care of the extended meeting for worship community. This committee would gather as needed to assess and identify ways to meet the needs of the community. This has been a precious source of support and counsel for my service through the week.