A Workshop held at London Grove Monthly Meeting on October 26, 2013
by Ginny Green, Clerk, Worship & Ministry Committee
In the beginning of 2013, during a discussion at a London Grove Worship & Ministry Committee meeting, some Friends shared that they would like to deepen their experience during Meeting for Worship. We routinely gather in Silence each First Day, and while we frequently have profound sharing, both in the form of a gathered Silence and in spoken messages, some felt the need to go deeper – to enter Meeting for Worship with both more openness and more intention. It was decided to explore this desire further by organizing a workshop. Although there are a number of people at London Grove who have training and experience in Spiritual Nurture, we decided to involve a larger circle in this event by having outside facilitators and inviting all of Western Quarterly Meeting to join us.
Among those people recommended as possible facilitators was Connie Lezenby, who, as a member of Gwynedd Monthly Meeting, helped to create the Gathering Garden at Gwynedd—a program offering a variety of activities to enhance and support Friends’ spiritual journeys. We invited Connie to lead us in this day of exploration, and she suggested that Ruth Kinsey, also of Gwynedd Meeting, co-facilitate.
The event was publicized by Zac Dutton, Western Quarter coordinator, on the Quarterly Meeting website, WesternQuarterQuakers.org, as well as through flyers and e-mails. We asked people to pre-register so we would have an idea of how many to expect and if anyone had special needs like dietary concerns (London Grove provided the lunch) or childcare.
On Saturday, October 26, 2013, twenty four people gathered at the London Grove Meeting House, including London Grove people and Friends from Newark, Kendal, Marlborough, Kennett, and Mill Creek Meetings as well as Crosslands Worship Group.
Connie and Ruth asked us to begin in a large circle of chairs in the Social Room. Out of the Silence, each person introduced themselves and shared a spiritual practice that they used or were drawn to. It was wonderful to hear the variety of practices that people engaged in—from chanting to hanging out laundry to reading scripture. Each person, each life was unique, but we overlapped as well. The exercise helped us to know each other better so quickly—we each only had a minute to share!
After we introduced ourselves, Connie shared with us about spiritual direction/nurture, numinous experiences, the role of Silence, and more information about spiritual listening. She also explained about eating our lunch in Silence, which some of us had not done before.
Traditionally lunch was a time for fellowship and conversation—this would be a new experience! Connie’s sharing was followed by Ruth leading us in a guided meditation exercise on “Being in the Presence of God on behalf of another”. After the meditation, some people shared their experiences with the larger group.
After a brief break, we gathered again in our large circle, with chairs for 4 in the center. Ruth, Connie and two workshop participants then demonstrated the process that takes place during small group spiritual nurture or direction. The four people took turns sharing something about their life, while being listened to by the others. Open-ended questions were asked when helpful.
Now it was time for lunch. We had plenty of delicious food, but no talking! It was quite a new experience for me. I am usually very comfortable with Silence, but this was the first time I had sat at a table eating with people without the usual conversation and verbal fellowship taking place. When lunch was over, Connie asked for comments. One person found the Silence extremely uncomfortable while another enjoyed the quiet and found it refreshing without the usually requisite “small talk”.
We then broke up into six small groups, meeting in separate places. Each group had a facilitator, and we had been given a hand-out with guidelines for the group spiritual direction process. We met in these groups for about an hour and a half. My experience in the small group included going very deep to share with the others, as well as feeling a strong connection with each of the others as they shared. There was laughter, and there were some more serious moments, and there were periods of connected Silence.
When the time for our small groups came to an end, we once again gathered in our large circle. This was what Connie referred to as “Gathering the Graces” of the day, as we used a Worship Sharing format to share what we had experienced in our small groups. What I felt during this “Gathering” was a sense of joy, a Lightness, a warm connectedness, a gratitude, a peace, as a gathered body. I was delighted, and felt so grateful for “Spirit at Work” through the Worship & Ministry Committee, for the planning of the day, for the facilitators, and for each person who came to London Grove to Deepen Their Worship
We closed with Silent Worship.
Some impressions and comments from the day:
~ Several people commented about how “perfect” their particular group of 4 was – how well they fit together. While the groups were formed partly with intention and partly randomly, my feeling is there is magic that happens when we come together in such a setting. To truly listen, and to truly be listened to, transforms us. We learn that we matter, that our story and our life matters, and that we are not alone! How wonderful to realize that, and feel that in our hearts!
~ “The opportunity to share intimately and from a deeper spiritual level felt very rewarding. Improving my listening skills to hear not only the spoken word but what may have been left unspoken, with the chance to read between the lines; allowing the brief time of Silence after each of the four of us spoke, to process what we heard before responding. Both leaders did a good job of facilitating.”
~ I thought as I watched the group interact towards the end of the day, that we are such treasures to each other, if we only realize it, and if we share such opportunities as we did during this day. There is such abundance, such potential—for love, nurture, encouragement, support, caring, right in our midst. Of course there are differences between us too—at London Grove, for example, there is a wide range of beliefs about many things, from saying the Lord’s Prayer on First Day, to hiring paid staff, to Bible Study.
~ The whole spectrum is represented. But if we can have experiences like we had on this day, and like we have sharing food at potlucks, or singing favorite hymns together, or saying good-by to beloved Meeting members, or saying hello to new Meeting members, then our Divine Connectedness, the Truth that we are indeed All One, becomes our primary frame of reference, the primary ground from which we grow, and allows us the opportunity to figure out how to proceed when issues divide us.
The London Grove Worship & Ministry Committee is planning to form small spiritual nurture groups in early 2014. If you would like to join us or learn more, you can contact me at ginnyblackie@aol.com or 302-245-8203.
With Deep Gratitude,
Ginny Green
Clerk, London Grove Worship & Ministry Committee
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