Worship
Welcome to a Meeting for Worship of the Religious Society
of Friends, Pittsburgh. Ours is an “unprogrammed” meeting. Rather than follow a
pre-set order of service, we seek to be led by divine guidance as we worship.
Friends cherish the fundamental Quaker faith that the Inner
Light, the light of Divine Truth, is in every human being. It is in our gathered
worship, in the presence of the Spirit, that our common life is grounded.
Each Meeting for Worship begins as soon as the first person
enters the meeting room. Please enter quietly right away and sit wherever you
wish, as no places are reserved.
Each worshipper seeks an alert attentiveness as we wait
together in silence upon the Spirit. Once the community has had sufficient time
to “center,” the silent worship may be broken by someone offering a message.
Before speaking, the person has first attempted to discern that the message is
truly divinely inspired and that the message is intended for the gathered
community and not just for the speaker. As we continue to wait in silent
worship, it is expected that a period of silence will follow each message so
that others may hear and reflect upon what has been said. Subsequent messages
may explore more deeply the spiritual theme of the first message, or may be
unrelated to it, as the Spirit leads.
Messages are not planned, but arise out of the silence as
worshippers are moved by the spirit of God. On occasion, the worship hour may
conclude without any spoken ministry being offered. It is customary to speak no
more than once during any given meeting. If someone is speaking when you enter
the meeting room, please stop at the door and wait until he or she has finished
before finding a seat.
After approximately one hour, an individual appointed to
end the meeting shakes hands with those nearby, at which point others do the
same. At the 10:30 Meeting for Worship, the “queries” for personal reflection
are read. Subsequently, you will be invited to introduce yourself; this provides
us with an opportunity to welcome you.
When you arrive at our Meeting House, you may fill out and
wear a name tag provided at our Welcome Board.
After Meeting for Worship we invite you to join us for
fellowship and light refreshments. Feel free to talk to us about our experiences
as seekers and as a community, especially if you have any questions about
Quakerism or Pittsburgh Meeting in general.
Please sign our guest book in the parlor (the large room to
the left of our front entrance foyer). It gives us a record of your visit and
helps us get in touch with you.
In addition to the booklets available on the welcome board,
we offer a number of informational pamphlets on our literature racks that are
free or for sale at a nominal price. We also encourage you to browse and read in
our extensive library (immediately to the left of our front entrance). If you
wish to borrow from the library, please ask a Friend for assistance.
Children are welcome to participate in our First Day School
Program, which meets during the 10:30 Meeting for Worship. Usually, the young
people go upstairs for class and then join us in the Meeting Room at about
11:20. Also, child care is provided for infants during the 10:30 Meeting for
Worship.
We have a variety of other activities that we welcome you
to attend. We conduct our business meetings on the second First Day of every
month. We also offer a wide range of special events, such as classes,
discussions, workshops and a Fall Retreat, which relate to different religious
or social action topics. Child care is usually provided during these activities.
For a listing of events, see our written weekly announcements or monthly
newsletter, or ask a Friend.
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