New Quaker Checklist #17
FGC recommends the following tip for newcomers to the Quaker faith: If your local meeting has multiple worship times, explore them all.
Most FGC-affiliated Quaker meetings worship together on Sunday mornings in expectant silence. This is called “unprogrammed worship.” For Quaker meetings and churches that have pastors, Sunday worship may be “semi-programmed,” including times of silence as well as singing and perhaps a sermon. Some communities offer multiple worship times on Sundays, with both programmed and unprogrammed meetings scheduled. Friends may meet together mid-week, as well. In the past few years, it has also become very common for meetings to worship together via Zoom or in a hybrid manner.
For example, Brooklyn Friends Meeting in New York offers four weekly opportunities to worship together. Minneapolis Friends Meeting varies their worship schedule seasonally. Lexington Friends Meeting (Kentucky) worships together once each week and Friends can participate in-person or online.
If your local meeting offers multiple worship formats (programmed and unprogrammed) or times, explore them all!