meeting for worship
MEETINGS FOR WORSHIP:
First Days (Sundays) 9 am, 11 am
Fourth Days (Thursdays (as of 6/8/20)) 7 am
From now (11/12/2023) or until further notice, Berkeley Friends Meeting will have:
The 9 a.m. meeting in-person only.
The 11 a.m. meeting as a hybrid meeting; you may attend in person or online - see the link below.
At both meetings, KN95 or better masks without valves are required. Masks, if needed, are available without cost to you.
At both meetings, COVID-19 vaccination is encouraged, but is no longer required.
For other building usage, A KN95 or N95 mask (without valve) is recommended, but small groups may decide for themselves whether to wear masks.
We are happy to provide masks for attenders.
Meeting for Worship via Zoom
To join the Zoom meeting, click HERE.
or call 1-669-900-9128 then use Meeting ID 863 2903 6864 Passcode 195653
(Handout on using Zoom)
Friends assemble in the silence without prearranged program. Each tries to still the inward clamor of personal anxieties and ambitions, listening for the voice of the Inner Guide, endeavoring to be faithful to its instruction. Such faithfulness may require an outward silence. It may require one to rise and speak words that do not come easily, which may not be fully understood, or which may be uncomfortable. It may require action, or restraint of action, by some individual or the whole Meeting, outside the Meeting for Worship.
During worship, all share responsibility for vocal ministry. God may call upon any one, regardless of experience or education, age or gender, to be a messenger. No one is excluded from the possibility of such service just as no one is appointed in advance to preach or pray at a particular Meeting for Worship. When someone does offer vocal ministry, Friends seek to be open, notwithstanding any hesitations or imperfection in the speaker’s words. An unexpected message may touch hearts, reveal the wisdom from the Source, and encourage the growth of the Seed within.
During Meeting for Worship, Friends seek connection to one another and to God dwelling among them. In some Meetings, the vocal ministry will have a common theme, each message deepening and enriching the other, and connecting to one’s own thoughts. Some Meetings are entirely silent. At a gathered Meeting, “the sense is present that a new Life and Power has entered our midst” (Thomas Kelly, The Gathered Meeting). Not every Meeting is a gathered Meeting, and not everyone has the same perception of a particular Meeting.
Friends listen carefully to each message; there should be a time of consideration after each message before another speaks. Friends do not respond to another’s message. Consider carefully whether a message is a personal one for the individual or is meant to be shared with the group. Friends do not come to Meeting intending to give a message and do not report on events or give announcements during the Meeting for Worship. From Pacific Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice
Berkeley Society of Friends:
End of Meeting for Worship: Near or around 10 am for 9 am Meeting and 12 noon for 11 am Meeting, a member of the Ministry and Oversight Committee signals the end of the Meeting for Worship by shaking hands with those around them. Others then also shake hands and the Meeting for Worship is over.
11 am Meeting for Worship Only
Introductions: After the Meeting is over, most Friends remain to hear introductions of newcomers or those who have been away for a while.
Joys and Sorrows: Those present are invited to speak briefly of joys and sorrows of the week.
Announcements: Announcements of Meeting events and activities are given.
Social Time: All are invited to gather in the Community Room next to the Meetingroom to have snacks and share hospitality with one another.
Please feel free to leave a record of your attendance in our Guest Book and request to receive the newsletter. To get a Meeting nametag, leave your name in the Nametag book in the foyer outside of the Meetingroom.