Though this can happen anywhere and at any time, Friends (Quakers) usually use the phrase to mean the meeting which takes place regularly at a Friends Meeting House.

There is no prearranged service or appointed minister but in an attentive waiting Quakers can find peace of mind, a renewed sense of purpose for living and joy in wonder at God’s creation.

Silence is valued by Quakers because in removing pressure and hurry, it allows them for a while to be aware of the inner and deeper meaning of their individual and corporate lives.

They are able to begin to accept themselves as they are and to find some release from fear, anxiety, emotional confusion and selfishness.      

The silence is more than an absence of sound, one can be aware on one level of external sounds, a dog barking, a car passing, a child calling. But these sounds are not distractions. They are absorbed, often unconsciously, as people try to  be open to that of God within them. One can understand the words of one of the first Friends who said “I found the evil in me weakening and the good raised up”.

Painting by Paul Garland

We seek a gathered stillness in our meetings for worship so that all may feel the power of God’s love drawing us together and leading us.

Quaker worship happens when two
or more people feel the need to be still together expecting to experience God’s presence.