Suggestions for Leading a Worship Sharing Group
by Shirley Dodson, Philadelphia Yearly MeetingThere is no single "right way" to lead a worship sharing group. The suggestions below have been gleaned from the experience of several Friends. Feel free to organize the time you have in a way that is comfortable to you and to other group members.
1. Start by sharing briefly with your group some guidelines for worship sharing. You might say that worship sharing is an opportunity for people to communicate more deeply with each other than is normally possible in everyday conversation. To help participants feel safe and comfortable, some guidelines are helpful:
a. Speak from your own personal experience. This is not the place for intellectual discussion or abstract
analysis (however useful these are in other settings!). It works well when participants start their sharing
with "I" and use I-statements throughout.b. Try to listen in an open and accepting way to the statements of others in your group. This is not the
time for critical judgments.2. Leave space and time so that everyone has a chance to share. There's no obligation to speak, but a worship sharing group is a place where everyone who wants to speak can do so.
3. Briefly state the topic. It's good to leave a few minutes for quiet worship or reflection after you've described the topic. This allows people to center in the Spirit and reflect on what they feel, rather than just responding to someone else. It's okay if there is silence between speakers.
4. As leader, you may want to be the first to share following the period of quiet. Be brief, speak in the first person, and describe your personal experience. Your contribution then provides a model for the group.
5. Let others speak as they feel comfortable. You may want to encourage quieter participants to share.
6. There's no need to come to conclusions or provide a summary. The experience of a worship sharing group is complete in itself. At the end, you might want to hold hands around the circle.
Possible focuses for worship sharing
1. Questions (queries)
a.
On spiritual life:What was your first experience of God?
How have you experienced the leading of the Spirit in your life?
Assuming all Friends are ministers, what is your ministry to the Meeting?
If a close friend asked you to describe God, what would you say?
What was the most meaningful Meeting for Worship you've attended?
If the spiritual life is made up of seeking and finding, what are you seeking? What have you found?
b.
On living our faith as individuals and as a Meeting:How might we share our faith with others in this community?
Are we being called to greater service in the community or world? If so, to what are we being led?
What does the Lord require of us?
Recognizing that we are stewards of the property we possess, are there additional ways this property can be used in God's service?
c.
On Quaker service or witnessWhat makes
you do what you do in Quaker service?What conviction sustains you in your commitment to Quaker service or witness?
Have you had an experience that is particularly important in confirming or challenging your religious
or spiritual commitments?2. Quotations
". . . we are all at the same stage-the beginning every time we come into God's presence" (John Punshon,
Encounter with Silence, p. 31)
". . . Live up to the light thou hast, and more will be granted thee." (Caroline Fox)
3. Objects for meditation (stone, candle, plant, pair of sandals, picture). Object evokes sharing.
Where people in the Meeting feel a hunger for more opportunities together, it is ideal to set aside an hour or so at another time during the week. How about holding your worship sharing group on a weekday evening, or early Sunday a.m.?
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