What happens in Meeting for Worship?
Quakers think that everyone can have a direct relationship or ‘communion’
with God without the need for a priest or minister to act as go-between. We
find that this communion can best be experienced if we meet in silence, with
nothing pre-planned.
Meeting for Worship couldn't be simpler: you go in and
sit down in a plain room with other Quakers and settle into silence, a silence
which can become very deep and powerful. After a time, someone may feel inspired
to speak briefly in their own words, or pray, or read from the Bible or some
other book, before the meeting settles back into silent waiting, we call those
contributions ‘ministering’.
In Nairn Meeting, the period of silent
waiting will last around 40 minutes, followed by a shared discussion for about
20 minutes. We don’t pre-plan either, both coming out of the silence.
