Worship and Ministry Committee

Worship & Ministry Committee (W&M) nurtures and deepens the meeting's grounding in the Spirit. Worship and Ministry seeks to foster a worshiping community in which each one may be open and responsive to the movements of the Spirit in her or his heart and in which the community may be continually transformed by the collective experience of the Spirit moving among us.

Worship

The Committee has care of the meeting for worship, providing a welcoming presence, cultivating the depth and resonance of silent waiting upon the Spirit, deepening the understanding of vocal ministry, and preparing the physical space.

Spiritual nurture

Worship and Ministry periodically sponsors opportunities for members and attenders to explore, deepen, and ground their spiritual lives; as well as opportunities for personal sharing that can help to create an environment in which participants in worship feel trusting and open to the movements of the Spirit.

Memorial meetings

The Committee organizes and coordinates memorial meetings for deceased Friends, a meeting for worship in which Friends and family and friends of the deceased gather to celebrate the life of the deceased. After a period of
worship, the clerk of the meeting reads the memorial minute, and then the meeting returns to worship, during which time persons may bring messages in celebration of the deceased’s time among us and personal testimonies to the gifts that the deceased brought to the world and to the meeting and the wider Quaker community.

Learning opportunities

The Committee administers scholarship funds to encourage adult members’ participation in wider Quaker events that expand understanding of Quakerism and spirituality.