Meetings for Worship 
                 

 

Times of Worship

    
 Sunday morning Meeting for Worship

•     10:00 am est. Unprogrammed worship - Plain worship, (no online connection to offsite worshipers) NOTE: Plain Worship does not occur on the 3rd Sunday of the Month as all members and attenders are participating in a monthly Business Meeting beginning at 9am.
•     11:15 am est.  Unprogrammed worship blended with offsite worshipers via computer conferencing
  • For those who will be attending worship online please click here to request the permission and login information.

 Mid-week Meeting for Worship

•     Wednesday evening, 7:00 pm est. to about 7:45 pm, with a time for sharing afterwards. It is an Unprogrammed worship blended with offsite worshipers via computer conferencing For those who will be attending worship online please click here to request the permission and login information. 

Directions (map/address) and Contact Information:  Click here

Accessibility: Our Meeting house and facilities are wheel chair accessible. Assistance with navigating the gravel parking lot is available as needed.

Child care and lessons: We are a small Meeting, how ever adults with clearances are available weekly for child care and lessons for children of all ages. Worship in the manner of Friends has changed and adapted to the needs of the worshipers over the years, for example programed worship and non-programed worship. Our times of worship here at Plymouth are unprogrammed times of worship when the community comes together sharing in the acknowledgment of the blessings we have received and, in the silence, actively seeking an understanding of God’s will for us in the events and moments of the week to come. We adapted amd changed the format of our Meetings for Worship during the COVID era.  From these adaptations we have learned more about the individual needs of our community during worship.

With discernment we have decided to lengthen the time of worship on Firstday morning. Members and attenders are welcom to attend part of all of the 2 hours of worship. Starting at 10 am members and attenders are invited to join in unprogrammed worship in the Meeting house. This hour of worship will not be blended with worshipers online. At about 11 am there will be a time of transition to blended worship. During this transition a link to online worshipers will be established. All are encouraged to respect this transition time as a time of worship as some worshipers remain in worship, some new worshipers join them both onsite and online, and some worshipers exit out of worship softly.  The blended worship will continue until about 12 noon. Friends are welcome to come for one or both of the times of worship.

Plymouth Monthly Meeting experiences this time of morning worship as one extended worship that invites members and attenders to participate as they can. It is understood that when not in worship during this period we continue to hold our faith community in our hearts and God’s light as others are in worship.

At the rise of Meeting for Worship around 12:00 noon there will be a time of acknowledging all who have attended worship on site and online after which announcements will be shared with a time of fellowship for those on site and online. A link will be kept open and a computer available for those onsite to converse with those on line.

Monthly Friendly Fourth Pot Luck Lunch
On the Fourth Firstday/Sunday our Meeting shares a potluck meal and fellowship. There may also be a presentation by one of the members of our Meeting at the rise of the meal. Joining in this time is a good way to get to know the community at Plymouth. Do not worry about bringing food (there is always enough), the get together is the most important part of the event.

 

Location

We are located at:
2150 Butler Pike
Plymouth Meeting Pa, 19462
(map)

Our Way of Worship

Since the time when our meeting house was completed in 1708, it has been kept quite plain so that the worshiper has fewer distractions from the main purpose of listening to God’s "still small voice within" each of us. We come together in manner of Quaker un-programmed worship, seeking Divine guidance, strength and peace in sharing a time of silent prayer and worship together. We are a diverse faith community who seek, with mutual love and respect, God’s will for us. Our Meetings for Worship are based on the principle of expectant waiting in silence for direct communication with God, with no pastor, music or order of service.

Although the Meeting for Worship is based on silent prayer, all are free to speak their ministry as an outflow from God. Friends value vocal ministry that is simple, comes from the heart, and is prompted by the Divine Spirit. Our worship is a personal quieting inwardly to hear, feel or know the motion of God's love within. There is no prescribed way of entering into and being in worship, but there are the learnings of those who have gone before us that can help guide us. If you are new to Quaker worship, please explore some of the resources under the New to Quaker Worship tab.

Meeting for Worship begins when the first person arrives in the Meeting house or online worship and lasts about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how the worship deepens. Our Meetings traditionally close when those on the facing benches shake hands. However, in these times of COVID-19 virus, the closing occurs by a welcome greeting from one of the members.

Worship takes time to settle as those gathered let go of the tasks of coming to Meeting and all of the needs of their lives. With time, there is a sense of a deepening of the quality of silence that we are entering into. The noises of the street and the creaking of the benches reside from our consciousness as we let go of the temporal and touch the eternal stream within. Friends have found that tt is always important to set aside time before worship – try to not arrive just in time but begin to lay aside the chores and distractions of the world an hour before worship so that when you enter into worship your body, mind, heart and spirit have already begun to center on that which is our source of renewal.

During worship, those gathered may offer vocal ministry. It is our custom to listen beyond the words offered, which requires time between messages. It is not unusual for a meeting to be silent throughout, without vocal ministry. A completely silent worship is not a lack of ministry but a worship of communion with God and those gathered that goes beyond words.

As the meeting closes, it is customary to linger for a time to greet each other and share news of the community.

Come and Join Us!

If you are new to or have any questions about our Sunday Worship or need to get in touch with us about any other inquiry we will be happy to help. Please Contact Us for more information.