Connecting with early Friends
Swarthmoor Hall is experimenting with a two hour Meeting for Worship
Swarthmoor Hall is experimenting with a two hour Meeting for Worship. The sixteenth century Hall is welcoming local Friends and newcomers to join in the extended worship sessions monthly through the summer. The idea came from seeing how visitors feel more connected to early Quakers and their experience of the Light.
Eleven people attended the first extended worship held on Thursday 27 June. Some stayed for the whole two hours and others joined part way through, including those who came for the final half hour of worship, which is held weekly.
Friends commented that it felt immediately different, with a greater sense of integration with everyday life. The abiding sense of the Meeting was described as ‘love for others’
Lee Marlow, a member of the Swarthmoor Hall committee, said that ‘by waiting in the spirit of worship for two hours we hope to deepen our awareness of the Light in our midst.’
Early Friends met for much longer periods of worship than we are used to. The two-hour worship will echo the practices of the founding Friends, such as George Fox, who used the Hall as a headquarters.
Alexander Parker, an early Quaker preacher and author, wrote in his 1660 Epistle to Friends that ‘In such a Meeting, where the presence and power of God is felt, there will be an unwillingness to part asunder, being ready to say in yourselves,“it is good to be here”; and this is the purpose and end of all words and writings – to bring people to the eternal living Word.’
The initiative builds on existing outreach work at Swarthmoor. Short, optional, Meetings for Worship are offered to visitors so they can experience the Quaker way.
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