The central focus of Quaker spirituality is on our experience. We have no creed and there is no expectation of any particular belief. We do share values and practices that are important to us: in particular our religious practice based on waiting in stillness; listening to each other and to what we call the inner light. We seek to respond to that of God in everyone, although we may have widely differing understandings of what "God" means. Quakers also share a commitment to our testimony to peace, truth, equality, simplicity and sustainability. Quaker testimony is not just about holding these values to be important; it is about a way of living our lives and of acting in the world.
Our spiritual experiences are quite diverse, as noted in our FAQ and in Quaker Faith and Practice. Some have a clear sense of a personal god; others have an intuition of a divine presence that pervades all life, or the universe. Some Quakers describe themselves as atheists – and may have no experience that seems to correspond to a “god”. Quakers have also followed many different religious or spiritual paths. Oxford Meeting includes Friends who consider themselves Jewish or Muslim, or who maintain their membership of various Christian denominations.
All are welcome at our meetings – we only ask that you are prepared to come and wait in the stillness with us.
Your first time at Meeting for Worship
A Quaker Meeting is a way of worship based on silence, a silence of expectancy in which we seek to come nearer to God and each other as we share the stillness of the Meeting. Participants are not expected to say or do anything other than join in this seeking. Do not be concerned if the silence seems strange at first. We rarely experience silence in everyday life so it is not unusual to be distracted by outside noise or roving thoughts.
There is no fixed structure to the Meeting. There are no creeds, hymns or set prayers. There is no minister in charge and no formal service. After thirty minutes to an hour, two Friends will shake hands, signalling the end of worship.
Occasionally a Meeting will pass with no words spoken. If someone feels compelled by the Spirit to speak, pray or read, the silence will be broken. Such ministry, which has not been planned before worship begins, seeks to enrich the gathered worship. If something is said that does not seem to make sense, try to reach behind the words to the Spirit which inspired them or allow them to be absorbed into the silence. Meeting for Worship is not a debate so it is inappropriate to respond directly to spoken ministry although it is not unusual for other ministry to build on what has been said before. Traditionally a person only ministers once during the Meeting for Worship.
"In worship we have our neighbours to right and left, before and behind, yet the Eternal Presence is over all and beneath all. Worship does not consist in achieving a mental state of concentrated isolation from one's fellows. But in the depth of common worship it is as if we found our separate lives were all one life, within whom we live and move and have our being”. Thomas R. Kelly (1938)
No two Quaker Meetings are the same. A Meeting can embrace a wide range of experience. Some people may experience a profound sense of awe or an awareness of the presence of God. Others may have a less certain sense of an indefinable spiritual dimension.
After Meeting ends, we sometimes shake hands with our neighbours or sometimes hold hands in a circle. Visitors are welcomed and those from other Meetings may bring greetings. Notices may be read. Finally, there is tea or coffee, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, breakfast. You are very welcome to join in but this is entirely up to you.
We are grateful to Scotland GM for providing the basis of this section, "Your first time at Meeting for Worship".
Oxford Meeting
Ellen Bassani has kindly conducted interviews on the spiritual journeys or stories of members of Oxford Meeting. We include two of them here:
If you enjoyed reading these, Ellen is in the process of putting online more interviews.
