MEETING CALENDAR FOR NEW FRIENDS

Meeting for worship is held every Sunday at 10. We often turn up 10 or 15 minutes early to say hello to one another, maybe to have tea or coffee if we missed it at breakfast, or to sit quietly in the meeting room, leave the train or the car far behind and centre ourselves, so that we are ready for worship.

Worship lasts for about an hour and is generally silent. We believe that when we gather together as a meeting, we are better able to listen to the word of God or the spirit within us. There is no minister or priest; there is no sermon. Occasionally someone may say a few quiet words that they feel impelled to share with the meeting. We believe those words come from the spirit and they are referred to as 'vocal ministry'. But many meetings pass in total gathered silence.

On the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month, meeting for worship is followed by a shared lunch. You may have heard about 'potluck' suppers or dinners in the United States - same thing. Each of us brings a contribution. If you can cook or make sandwiches, great. If that's not your talent, bring something from your garden or a shop. It could be hot food (there is an electric stove and a microwave). It could be fruit, bread or cheese.

And if you forget or don't have time to bring anything, of course you should stay to eat with us. There is always enough to go round and in fact there are leftovers. Remember the Bible story of Jesus and the loaves and fishes! We laugh and talk over lunch and although sharing food is part of our worship, it is a lot of fun as well.

On the 2nd Sunday of the month, between meeting for worship and our shared lunch, we have a discussion on some topic of interest to us. It may be about how to achieve simplicity, it may be about peace, or Quaker history - any one of hundreds of subjects that Friends have written about and encounter in everyday life.

Friends love to listen to the views being shared, so each of us is allowed to speak once and we like to leave a short time in between contributions so that we can listen deeply to what has been said. Although of course we have different points of view, we don't interrupt or cut across what another speaker is saying, or leap in and contradict what is being said. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it is such a relief from the 'busy' conversations people take part in every day without really listening.

This is about the least threatening kind of 'discussion' you will ever experience. Friends do try to discern and move towards unity when action on some matter by the whole meeting is required - although that certainly doesn't mean that most of the time we all share the same perspectives and opinions!

Whether you call us Quakers or Friends, we embrace difference and individuality and seek always to be inclusive.

Every 3rd Sunday, after meeting for worship we have tea or coffee and then there is a meeting for worship for business. Visitors are welcome to attend this part of the meeting, and doing so would bring a deeper understanding of our faith at work. Occasionally there may be some brief topic, such as an application for membership, which may be confidential and the clerk may ask that you have a cup of tea while that is being discussed, but that will be arranged privately beforehand and please don't be offended. On the rare occasion that this happens, it is likely to be out of respect for someone's sensitivity. The Religious Society of Friends is not a group with some secret agenda and we welcome your interest.