Conservative Friend

Waiting worship is a term used for unprogrammed worship after the manner of the earlier Friends. Among the modern liberal Friends, a more common term is "silent worship," although it is typically not completely silent among either Liberals or Conservatives. The programmed Friends use the term "open worship," and typically differ from both the Liberals and Conservatives in that it is only one of several activities used in their services.

You don't have to have anybody with you to experiment with waiting worship, although it's really nice if you do. My first experience was completely alone, except for God. Just find a comfortable place to sit, turn down the inner soundtrack as low as you can, and listen.

The difference between waiting worship and other forms of programmed worship is that you are not trying to do something-- you are not trying to maintain a silent ritual, not trying to find a better and more pleasing way to approach God. In fact, you are trying not to do anything. You are trying to sit still and be quiet, to allow God the opportunity to speak without a distracting background composed of your hopes, fears, and Sunday-afternoon to-do items. You are simply trying to listen, to wait upon God, to diminish your own self so that something else has the opportunity to approach and be heard. If you have questions, it is appropriate to ask them, but then the idea is to listen for what the answer might be.

Waiting worship is something that you can undertake anywhere, anytime, for a little while or longer.

In groups, sometimes one is led to say something, but that is actually not necessary, and is a secondary aspect of the practice. When it does occur, it can be very important.

Kevin,

Speaking from my own experience, waiting on God, or listening to God in silence, has been what has given me the majority of my progress and the highest quality progress in my walk or journey with God.  It seems a smoldering wick is being slowly flamed into a full candle.  So, that hopefully some day soon, I will be enabled to treat my neighbor exactly as good as I would treat myself, as if my neighbor is me. Then I would only bless when cursed, give back only benevolence when mistreated, take no offence nor give any, put my neighbor in the better position I would have placed myself and utter words for the benefit of those who placed themselves at enmity.  That someday soon, I will truly not only consider everyone my friend but go beyond it and become a friend to all, perfect as my heavenly Father.  For he gives the sun and rain when needed both to people when they do their good and when they do their bad ever faithful in being a true blue friend

to all. 

Friend, Tim   

Hi, I'm new here but have attended Kim Palmer's Waiting Worship at East Whittier

Friends Church.  I live California and am a member of Glendora Friends Church

which is a programmed member of Evangelical Friends Southwest.

My family were United Methodist and before that, Dunkard Brethren:)

I attend Kim's gatherings because I long for longer periods of Waiting Worship

with Friends...and in my middle age and with my old values, I find myselfl drawn

to the values of old...

It is in Waiting Worship, among a group I was new to, that I first physically experienced the Holy Spirit; in the way that is often available to Friends. It was in that regular group practice and experience, that this kind of connection to God became a larger part of my life and ongoing experiences. Eventually, after regularly attending 1st Day and midweek worship for some time, I was able to open to this being present a larger percentage of my life. It is my belief and focus that what I (and I think we) have as and at the core of our worship is something that we have available, and ideally experience, in all phases of our lives. I hear that in Kevin's sharing about having it alone- including his first experience of that state. I hear it in Thomas Kelly's saying it is available for us (in the background- multitasking?) even as we run to catch a bus.