Afterwords
Simon Western is concerned: Meeting for Worship or debating society?
Earlier this year I attended a Quaker Meeting after a long break, having lived abroad for a year. It was not my usual Meeting for Worship. We were given an opportunity, directly after worship, to take part in what they called ‘Afterwards’ or ‘Afterwords’ – a discussion about the worship. People were invited to stand to speak (as when ministering) and to respond to the ministry. During worship I was led by the spirit to minister and was surprised, hurt and saddened by the process that took place after it. In essence, my ministry was ‘attacked’ and refuted in a very ‘passive-aggressive’ Quaker way.
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