INSPIRATIONS: VOCAL MINISTRY

(The information on this page does not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of all Friends of Humboldt Friends Meeting. All resources are taken from Quaker) Sources.). In unprogrammed meetings, like HFM, all present are welcome to offer brief spirit led messages or vocal ministry. Friends have written little on how to worship or what the experience in Meeting for Worship is like but they tend to be quite vocal on...uhm, vocal ministry. There seems to be no method or prescription on how to achieve silent communion with Spirit. Yet, Meetings often judge themselves by their vocal ministry: too much, too little, too political, too shallow, too long, too short, etc. In contrast to other Quakerly topics, Monthly Meetings

The Quakers Meeting Engraving After Maarteen van Heemskerk. Historical Picture Archive/CORBIS via GETTY Images

frequently post some information on vocal ministry. Some Friends have created bullet pointed lists and some have even created flow charts on the topic. And Meetings seem eager to get instruction on vocal Ministry. New York Yearly Meeting’s Spiritual Nurture Working Group reports that, offered a list of 12 different workshops , Monthly meetings requested the topic on vocal ministry more than all the other 11 combined. Following are some ideas that may illuminate the subject. mtk

Bible and classic Quaker Writing

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 1 Cor 2:4. NIV

You will say, Christ saith this, and the apostles say this; but what canst thou say? Art thou a child of Light and hast thou walked in the Light, and what thou speakest, is it inwardly from God? -- George Fox
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MUSIC: "That All Plants May Bud". from Timeless Quaker Wisdom in Plainsong by Paulette Meier

Hear sample: (Track 14). https://paulettemeier.bandcamp.com/track/that-all-plants-may-bud

Lyrics from George Fox: "Let not the sons and daughters, nor the handmaids, be stopped in their prophesy

ing, nor the young men in their vision, nor the old men in their dreams... So every one may improve their talents, every one exercise their gifts, and everyone speak as the spirit gives them utterance...... So that all plants may bud and ‘bring forth fruit’ to the glory of God.”

Selected Quaker Videos on Vocal Ministry

Poetry

Spoken Ministry In the Life by Robert Hewison in 1965

My piece was pat and all ready to say,

She rose first. I threw my piece away.

My well-turned stuff

Was not so rough

As hers, but easy elegant and smooth.

Beginning middle end

It had and point

And aptly quoted prophet priest and poet.

Hers was uncouth

Wanting in art

Laboured scarce-audible and out of joint.

Three times she lost the thread

And sitting left her message half unsaid.

“Why then did thee throw it

Into the discard?”

Friend,It had head(Like this).

Hers oh had heart

https://australianfriend.org/continuing-to-consider-vocal-ministry/

Utterances by John Greenlief Whittier

But what avail inadequate words to reach

the innermost of Truth? Who shall essay

Blinded and weak, to point and lead the way,

Or solve its mystery in familiar speech?

Yet if it be that something not thy own,

Some shadow of the Thought to which our schemes,

Creeds, cult, and ritual are at best but dreams,

Is even to thy unworthiness made known Thou mayest not hide what yet though shouldst not dare

To utter lightly, lest on lips of thine

The real seem false, the beauty undivine

So weighing duty in the scale of prayer

Give what seems given thee. It may prove a seed

Of goodness dropped in fallow grounds of seed.

Or solve its mystery in familiar speech

(1881)

Selected Quaker Writing on Vocal Ministry

BARCLAY: Our worship consists neither in words nor in silence as such, but in holy dependence on the mind of God. For such dependence it is necessary to begin with silence until the words can be brought forth which arise from God's Spirit. Barclay's Apology in Modern English 1991. p. 257-258

FOX: The intent of all speaking is to bring into the life, and to walk in, and to possess the same, and to live in and enjoy it, and to feel God's presence. George Fox 1657

WOOLMAN: Feeling the spring of Divine love opened, and a concern to speak, I said a few words in a meeting, in which I found peace. Being thus humbled and disciplined under the cross, my understanding became more strengthened to distinguish the pure spirit which inwardly moves upon the heart, and which taught me to wait in silence sometimes many weeks together, until I felt that rise which prepares the creature to stand like a trumpet, through which the Lord speaks to his flock…. All the faithful are not called to the public ministry; but whoever are, are called to minister of that which they have tasted and handled spiritually. The outward modes of worship are various; but whenever any are true ministers of Jesus Christ, it is from the operation of his Spirit upon their hearts. Matthew 5:23-24 (NRSV) So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Readings for “Quaker Basics”, Week 3. 23 of 38 —John Woolman, 1741

CHATHAM QUAKERS: Out of the depths of silent worship, vocal ministry may arise, as voice is given to a fresh discernment that sparks from the group encounter with the Light. Nevertheless, meeting for worship can take place with no vocal ministry at all – indeed, some of the deepest meetings, including the gathered meeting, can be completely silent. And it is also important to remember that vocal ministry is only one of many ways in which the Spirit, encountered in the Meeting for Worship, moves us to minister to one another. From Page on vocal ministry from Chatham quakers.org. https://www.quakercloud.org/system/files/cloud_attachments/GuidelinesVocal%20Ministry_0.pdf Friends often find it useful to test the urge to speak by means of internal queries – for example, messages may be received that are intended for the individual, not for the group as a whole. However, the level of these internal filters may need adjusting from time to time. If one speaks seldom or never, it may be worth taking the risk of lowering the internal hurdles and seeing what happens. Conversely, frequent speakers may consider raising them. After the rise of meeting for worship, the time for afterthoughts provides an outlet for messages of which you are not quite sure. From vocal ministry page. chathamquakers.org: http://www.chathamquakers.org/Vocal_Ministry.pdf. http://www.chathamquakers.org/Vocal_Ministry.pdf And what of the listener and his role in the vocal ministry? Since authentic vocal ministry arises directly from the group’s immediate spiritual encounter with the Light, the listener is tasked to listen tenderly and search for that spiritual meaning in the vocal ministry, whether or not the message immediately seems to speak to him or her. The speaker may be trying to articulate something that is hard to find words for. The role of the listener is to try to discern the underlying spiritual message that the speaker may be struggling to express. If, after such a search for underlying meaning, the message is still not resonating, it may be that the message is for others, not for the listener. http://www.chathamquakers.org/Vocal_Ministry.pdf. Page 3 of 3 Vocal ministry, on the other hand, arises from an inward, spiritual prompting, insistent, direct and difficult to resist. We share a message when waiting makes it clear that we can no longer keep it to ourselves. Chathamquakers.org. http://www.chathamquakers.org/wiki/Invitation_to_Worship

BILL: By "vital vocal ministry" we mean messages that take the community of faith deeper into what is helpful, loving, challenging, and timeless. On Vocal Ministry. Nurturing the Community through Listening and Faithfulness. by Barry Crossno and J. Brent Bill PHP # 460 p 2 Truly gathered worship means the participation of everyone who is present holding the meeting in the Light, listening to the Spirit's movements in their hearts, and being willing to speak if so led. ibid p5 Continuing revelation is the heart of vocal ministry. As we sit in expectant waiting, we open ourselves to the possibility of being a conduit for eternal truths, healing ministry, and new insights that will shape and reshape our own lives and the lives of those who hear the message and will be affected by any work that arises from it. Engaging in vocal ministry relies upon trust and surrender . . . Ultimately, we Friends are on a community journey ibid p 30

PUGH: And if anything be revealed to one that sits by, when the first is silent, that stream of the spiritual gift is turned to the other because that spiritual liberty is in the true church, for every one to speak as they are moved by the Holy Spirit”. Ellis Pugh, c. 1700 (Pugh was a Welsh Quaker who moved to Gwynedd, PA in1687)

PHILADELPHIA YEARLY MEETING: Meeting for Worship is central to our experience as Friends. As our meeting grows in numbers and vibrancy, it is important that we are each aware of the responsibility we bear for the quality and depth of our worship, and specifically for vocal ministry. We are reminded that “it is no light matter to break the living silence. This should be done only with a sense of humility, awe, and reverence.” . . . Come to meeting with neither an intention to speak, nor a determination not to speak, but rather with an attitude of openness to the leadings of the Spirit. If you do feel moved to speak, take a moment to test your leading. Traditionally, questions like the following have helped in this process of discernment: Is this message from the Spirit, or somewhere else? If it is from God, is it meant only for me, or for the entire Meeting? Even if meant for the entire Meeting, is now the right time? Genuine ministry is often preceded by a physical uneasiness, a “heart pounding weakness,” from which our name Quaker is derived. Remember that silence is not just the space between messages, but a deep and living communion with the “Spirit which gives life.” Your silent prayer and openness to God are themselves a form of ministry that enriches the Meeting community. Allow adequate time between spoken messages, so that all may fully listen, and truly hear the previous message. Vocal ministry carried on in a spirit of debate, lecturing, or discussion [can be] destructive to the life of the Meeting for Worship. It is rarely helpful to answer or rebut what has been said previously. Friends moved to vigorous support of causes need to find brief and sensitive ways to voice their insights, including outside of Meeting for Worship PYM Faith and Practice, p. 20 Vocal ministry may take many forms, as prayer, praise of God, song, teaching, witnessing, or sharing. These messages may center upon a single, vital theme; often apparently unrelated 3 (1st Corinthians 12:27 (NRSV)) Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (4 Matthew 18:20 (NRSV)) For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. Readings for “Quaker Basics”, Week 34 of 38 pym faith and practice Readings for “Quaker Basics”, Week 31 of 38 http://www.pym.org/faith-and-practice/friends-beliefs-andpractices/worship-and-the-meeting-for-worship/ Worship and the Meeting for Worship

PENINGTON: Meeting for Worship is central to our experience as Friends. As our meeting grows in numbers and vibrancy, it is important that we are each aware of the responsibility we bear for the quality and depth of our worship, and specifically for vocal ministry. We are reminded that “it is no light matter to break the living silence. This should be done only with a sense of humility, awe, and reverence.” . . . Come to meeting with neither an intention to speak, nor a determination not to speak, but rather with an attitude of openness to the leadings of the Spirit. If you do feel moved to speak, take a moment to test your leading. Traditionally, questions like the following have helped in this process of discernment: Is this message from the Spirit, or somewhere else? If it is from God, is it meant only for me, or for the entire Meeting? Even if meant for the entire Meeting, is now the right time? Genuine ministry is often preceded by a physical uneasiness, a “heart pounding weakness,” from which our name Quaker is derived. Remember that silence is not just the space between messages, but a deep and living communion with the “Spirit which gives life.” Your silent prayer and openness to God are themselves a form of ministry that enriches the Meeting community. Allow adequate time between spoken messages, so that all may fully listen, and truly hear the previous message. Vocal ministry carried on in a spirit of debate, lecturing, or discussion [can be] destructive to the life of the Meeting for Worship. It is rarely helpful to answer or rebut what has been said previously. Friends moved to vigorous support of causes need to find brief and sensitive ways to voice their insights, including outside of Meeting for Worship PYM Faith and Practice, p. 20

THIRD HAVEN FM: On being audible: If you have considered and pondered if the Spirit is not speaking to you alone, be confident that the words are meant to be heard by others. You are giving the meeting the gift that has been given to you to share. Take a deep breath, lift up your head, and speak toward the people in the meeting. If you can remember to do it, speak as loudly as you comfortably can https://www.thirdhaven.org/hearing-vocal-ministry.php

MARTIN: At one time, those who were discerned as having a calling and a gift in the ministry were "recorded." They were accountable to each other, to the elders and to their own monthly meetings. Marcelle Martin says that while she understands why recording gifts of ministry have been discontinued to prevent certain types of abuses . . ."God was still giving gifts of ministry and eldering but such gifts were not sufficiently recognized or nurtured by meetings, and neither meetings nor individuals were held accountable for them being well used and received. The result has been a significant decline in the quality of worship and ministry, and a diminishment of spiritual vitality in many meeting communities ." Invitation to a Deeper Communion. PHP #366 Marcelle Martin". p 20

BRINTON: Vocal ministry is an important, but not an essential element in Quaker worship. Both theoretically and actually a meeting which worships in complete silence may be as valuable as one in which speaking occurs . . .But experience shows that meetings in which there is little or no vocal ministry for a length of time decline in membership and power. There are usually some members of a meeting who require no vocal aid or guidance in their worship, but there are others who are greatly in need of this help. Because the search for Truth and Life is a group search as well as an individual search, even those furtherest along the way derive strength and encouragement from others in the meeting. Friends for 300 years. by Howard Brinton. p 83. The spiritual exercises of the meeting may include spoken words. No one should go to a Friends' meeting with the definite expectation either of speaking or of not speaking. Each attender should be open to dealing appropriately with whatever may be laid upon him by the Spirit of truth and Life. 17. Guide to Quaker Practice. Howard H. Brinton. Pendle Hill. php 20

PacYM Faith and Practice: 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. . . When someone does offer vocal ministry, Friends seek to be open, notwithstanding any hesitations or imperfection in the speaker's words. PacYM Faith and Practice. p26.

CHRISTIAN FAITH AND PRACTICE: In nurturing its worship, a Meeting that is experiencing an extended period of arid silence might try to encourage those who are reluctant to speak to be faithful to the call when it comes. Another Meeting, where many vocal message have come from speakers with questionable discernment, may seek to encourage a greater spiritual depth in both the silence and the words. When we gather together in worship let us remember that there is committee to each of us, as disciples of Christ, a share in the priesthood. We should help one another, whether in silence or through spoken prayer or words of ministry. Let none of us assume that vocal ministry is never to be our part. Christian Faith and Practice. p 277 Prayer offered in the right spirit is a great power and has a wonderfully unifying and quickening effect. The times of silent waiting in our meetings for worship are not intended only for the refreshment of the individual worshipper. If the silence be a living one, in which the worshippers seek to enter into each other’s needs and to bear in their hearts the sufferings of the world without and the call to dedication in the service of the kingdom of God, silent prayer may naturally lead also to vocal prayer. The expression of prayer will not be of the nature of an address to the congregation, neither exhortation nor exposition of doctrine. If it is offered simply and humbly in fellowship with others and as a heart-felt cry of man’s spirit to his Heavenly Helper, it is of the utmost value in building up our common religious life. If we meet as members of one family in the presence of our Father, we should not shrink unduly from this offering of love. —London Y. M.: Christian faith and practice, 1960, no. 300. Vocal ministry may take many forms, as prayer, praise of God, song, teaching, witnessing, or sharing. These messages may center upon a single, vital theme; often apparently unrelated 3 (1st Corinthians 12:27 (NRSV)) Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (4 Matthew 18:20 (NRSV)) For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. Readings for “Quaker Basics”, Week 34 of 38 pym faith and practice Readings for “Quaker Basics”, Week 31 of 38 http://www.pym.org/faith-and-practice/friends-beliefs-andpractices/worship-and-the-meeting-for-worship/ Worship and the Meeting for Worship

PHILADELPHIA YM: Friends find that vocal ministry: - Can arise in anyone who is present at meeting for worship; - Manifests itself in the individual as a “call”, described as an uncomfortable quickening or a profound silence before speaking and a sense of relief or release afterward; - Arises from the heart rather than the head; - Impels the worshipper to rise and share the message received from Spirit; - Does not break the silence but adds to it; - Takes many different forms, including prayer, song, story, testimonial or dance; - Cannot be readily reconstructed afterward by the one who responds to the call; - Is a conduit for God’s love and work in the world; - Is a call to faithfulness. Philadelphia yearly meeting. https://www.pym.org/faith-and-practice/experience-and-faith/meeting-worship/

KELLY: When one rises to speak in [a gathered] meeting one has a sense of being used, of being played upon, of being spoken through. It is as amazing an experience as that of being prayed through, when we, the praying ones, are no longer the initiators of the supplication, but seem to be transmitters, who second an impulse welling up from the depths of the soul. In such an experience the brittle bounds of our selfhood seem softened and instead of saying, “I pray” or “He prays,” it becomes better to say, “Prayer is taking place.” – Thomas R. Kelly,The Eternal Promise, 1966

SANSON: There can be complete unity of worship without a single word being said. I have known a few such meetings and shall never forget them. It was their silence, not their words, that was memorable. And even one short sentence, spoken nervously at the spirit’s prompting, is better than a well-phrased five-minute talk prepared beforehand. —Clive Sansom, 1962

DEWSBURY: And thou, faithful babe, though thou stutter and stammer forth a few words in the dread of the Lord, they are accepted. —William Dewsbury, 1660

LEVI: I think that seeking a destination without having a map is a very good metaphor for meeting for worship. Waiting expectantly in silence is navigating without a map. We know what we seek but do not know how to get there. Our minds become still and our souls wander, trying to find God. We become familiar with spiritual neighborhoods that engage us. Often we stumble upon insights that we were not looking for but which turn out to have critical importance for us. Vocal ministry during worship is Friends giving us directions: “Turn right on compassion, then down three blocks to forgiveness.” Friends share the words that God has given them to help us find a holy center. What early Friends gave us was a journey; they did not give us maps. And I believe that what they gave was truly inspired, and that has made all the difference. I believe that the experience of seeking the Divine without maps is exactly what makes it possible for us to find God. Michael D. Levi. December 1 2021. Friends Journal

BERG: Quakers hold their meetings for worship in silence, which is occasionally punctuated by messages from the individuals present. It is generally understood that one does not give a message unless you are divinely led to do so, whether you conceive of God as an external being, as some kind of ethereal force, as something within each person called by Quakers the "inner light", or as nothing. According to Isaac Penington, one of the early Friends in the 1650s, one gives a message only: .....according as the Spirit requires, teaches, and gives utterance. But if the Spirit do not require to speak, nor give to utter, then each is to sit quietly in his place (in his heavenly place I mean) feeling his own measure, feeding thereupon, and receiving therefrom the gifts of the Spirit. (From an essay on Worship by Isaac Penington) Over my years of attending Quaker meetings i have occasionally been led to give a message, and often i wrote down what i remembered after the meeting was over, usually after i got home. These published below are those i have memories of or recorded recollections of, that seemed particularly inspiring or important and worth recollecting or repeating. One may say that messages are supposed to represent the highest good or most important ideas each of us who speaks can formulate on that occasion. But many of our meetings are completely silent, which does not diminish their importance or divine meaning to those of us who are present. Here is the list of messages i have been able to recall http://folksongcollector.com/writings/messages.htm

ADDITIONAL READINGS: For further reading, see: PYM Faith and Practice (1997), pp. 17-20. Thomas Kelly, “The Gathered Meeting”. Howard Brinton, Friends for 300 Years, chapter 5, “Vocal Ministry”. Douglas Steere, On Speaking Out of the Silence, Pendle Hill Pamphlet # 182. John Punshon, Encounter with Silence, pp. 83-91. Worship & Ministry Lancaster Friends Meeting Lancaster, Pennsylvania 1998 (revised 2008) Collections of writings on vocal ministry: https://sanantonioquakers.org/silence-vocal-ministry-and-faithful-listening/ Theological, based on bible exegesis. This is a very scholarly document on three levels of prophetic gifts: gifts of grace, acts of service and operations of God. 3 levels of vocal ministry. http://www.quakerinfo.com/voc_min1.shtml. 3 levels of vocal ministry. by Michael Fondanova. Friends Meeting of San Antonio. Doctor of Ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation. 11 point guide for Spoken Ministry: https://westminsterquakers.org.uk/a-plain-guide-to-vocal-ministry Strenthening Vocal Ministry in Meeting for Worship. Western FRiend, February 11, 2016. https://westernfriend.org/forum/worship/strengthening-vocal-ministry-meeting-worship