Mission with Prophetic Power: The Journal of John Woolman (SRSC 12)

6

Mission with Prophetic Power: The Journal of John Woolman

so that members could face one another. Friends would sit down and quietly attend to themselves, laying aside distractions of their body, the sounds of the location, the events of the week. They would “gather,” bringing together in their hearts and minds their awareness of God and their thoughts and feelings of each other present. Then they would wait in silence, believing the Spirit of God was the leader of the meeting. After a time, one or another might sense an “opening,” a sense of being led to give a verbal offering to the gathering. It was expected that one who perceived an opening would, prior to speaking out in the gathering, both affirm inside themselves that this leading was from God and also prayerfully decide that the insight or feeling needed to be shared in this particular meeting. Quakers saw this way of gathering as a matter of serious prophetic listening and sharing, and the culture that surrounded this practice shaped every aspect of Quaker life. When it seemed that the gathering was over, two designated individuals would shake hands and members would greet one another. Local congregations or larger bodies known by the location and time of their meetings—for example, the Mount Holly Weekly Meeting or the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting—would also gather for other purposes: to discuss business, to share sufferings, or to “discipline” those who failed to honor shared values. The meetings took careful notes known as “minutes” which—especially when documenting important questions or decisions—were often shared between local communities. Some of the members, both women and men, were known as “ministers,” or leaders. Ministers would gather periodically from various locations to share fellowship and exercise oversight over a sphere of the Society. Some of these ministers, such as John