Friends- 

The Committee on Worship and Ministry of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting is pleased to announce that, in support of our Meeting community, we will be offering a weekly online Meeting for Worship at 11 am on Sunday mornings. While we recognize that this will not be the same as gathering in person, we feel it is the right course of action in this time of national emergency. Our hope is to make our virtual worship experience as simple and as close to normal as possible. 

We will be using the Zoom computer application (app) to host this meeting, which you can download here: https://zoom.us/support/download. Once you have the app loaded on your digital device, you simply will need to click on the given link at meeting time, and you automatically will be in the virtual meeting space. The login information for joining this meeting is below. We have recently moved to a passwod protected meeting. If you have not recived the password in the email from the meeting secretary, please contact the meeting office at office@cpmm.org. 

In terms of using the app, it has been found that worshippers feel more connected when they can see themselves and others as well as hear. Therefore, once you have the page open, we suggest that you to turn on your camera/webcam by clicking on the appropriate box on the bottom bar. Also, all worshippers will be able to speak at any time. This can pose challenges, but if we are all courteous and mindful of the practices outlined below, we should be fine. Also be aware that background noises can cause distractions. If you have background noises nearby, you should choose the mute button until you wish to speak. You may wish to ensure that your microphone and speakers/headphones are turned on before you center down. 

Meeting for worship will begin at 11 am. A member of the Worship and Ministry committee responsible for the care of the meeting will introduce him/herself and describe how the worship will proceed. 

Our worship together, grounded in the silence, will last about an hour. Our experience suggests that it takes an opening period of worship in silence, without speaking, for those present to settle and gather into a deeper, more centered space. This is a time when we wait expectantly on the Divine, open ourselves to the Spirit moving among us and within us, and enter into prayer. Out of a deeper silence, people may be led to speak, feeling deeply moved by their experience of the Spirit within. Sometimes, however, the hour will pass without any vocal ministry. It is our usual practice to speak no more than once during the Meeting and to leave a period of silence between each message. 

Worship will end when the person who opened meeting signals that our worship time together is done. We then will move on to worshipful sharing of Joys and Sorrows in our usual manner. Last, we will have an opportunity for people who are new to our fellowship, or who have not been in meeting for a long time, to introduce themselves. 
 
In Peace,  
Worship and Ministry Committee