QUAKER OVERVIEW
Quakers are members of the Religious Society of Friends or "Friends". Our historical foundation of Christianity includes traditional testimonies of pacifism, social equality, integrity, and simplicity, which we interpret and express in a variety of ways. Today, many Friends include stewardship of our planet as one of our testimonies. WHAT TO EXPECT DURING WORSHIP SERVICE
The Hartf
ord Monthly Meeting (HMM) is considered an unprogrammed meeting (worship service). There is no fixed structure to the Meeting — no pastor, no creeds, no hymns or set prayers. The service is silent and lasts for about an hour. At the beginning of worship, members, attenders and guests quietly take a seat on the benches. Children worship with the Meeting for the first ten minutes before going to First Day School. Towards the end of the Meeting, a designated Friend will ask if anyone would like to share any joys and concerns. At the end of the Meeting, the designated Friend will break Meeting with a handshake to his/her neighbor. At the conclusion of the meeting, visitors to the meeting will be invited to introduce themselves. At any time during worship, a Friend may rise to share a spiritual message or give vocal ministry with those gathered at Meeting. Messages are generally brief, after which the Meeting settles back into silent worship. Some meetings have a number of messages while other meetings will have no spoken messages. QUAKERS AND WORSHIP
Quakers are very tolerant of many beliefs and practices. For many, prayer is part of our individual lives as well as part of Meeting for Worship. Prayer is where we open ourselves to the Divine presence. Prayer does not require any words or thoughts; it can be a yearning or feeling that cannot be put into words. Understandably what you seek in Meeting will not come easily. We are beset by distractions and many thoughts intrude. As we pray, Quakers listen for what God may have to say. At times prayer is simply opening to the divine presence by surrendering our thoughts, worries and other aspects of our personal, daily agenda, which is why completely silent Meetings for Worship can seem so profound. Quakers speak of the Light Within which is based on our historical foundation of Christianity. Early Friends testified to their experience of the Light of Christ within. Like these Friends, we believe this Inner Light is accessible to all and is continually revealing itself to those whose hearts and minds are open. During worship, a Friend may ask the Meeting to hold someone in the Light. This is a form of intercessory prayer where we hold that individual up to God for healing or for God’s loving intention so that our thoughts and intentions toward that person may be inspired by Spirit and Love. This individual may be sick, dealing with difficult life circumstances or struggling for spirituality.
