A Visit to Olympic View Friends Church: Observations from a British Unprogrammed Friend
In November a young Friend I met while speaking to British unprogrammed Friends about Quaker spirituality and practice among evangelical, programmed Friends in the US spent a weekend with my wife and I in the Seattle area. While visiting, she attended meeting for worship and has offered these reflections at my request:
During her recent visit to the United States, Emily Maddison attended a service at Olympic View Friends Church, where Jon Kershner, who visited YFGM last year, is pastor. Here she tells us of her experience.
The visit of two young Quaker pastors from Northwest Yearly Meeting and their leading of a semi-programmed Meeting for Worship at YFGM Norwich in May left me intrigued, and I was recently able to visit the congregation at Olympic View Friends Church and to take part in their fully programmed Meeting for Worship. I was particularly inspired by the sermon given and how it helped give me focus during silent worship. I was also curious to see how much silent worship would be contained within a programmed Meeting, as well as to meet the members of the congregation and find out about how they express their faith.
One of my first impressions on arriving at Olympic View Friends Church was that the building looked very different to a British Meeting House. It is not merely a functional building constructed for purpose, which apart from the Quaker literature and the noticeboards at first glance does not necessarily look like a religious building. It is a building that looks very similar to the churches of other non-conformist denominations, such as Baptists and Methodists. This not only includes the layout, which contains a “church area” with pews and a stage (although significantly no altar), but also several large crosses both inside the building and on the church roof. It made me wonder how British Friends would react to having a cross put up inside their Meeting House.
Over a pre-service breakfast the congregation asked me questions about British Friends. I put my copy of “Quaker Faith and Practice” on the table for people to look at, as well as copies of “The Friend” and “Young Quaker”, which were received with interest (one Friend asked about subscribing to “YQ”). First of all (like any good British Quaker!) I said that UK Friends come in innumerable guises and that I could only tell them of my own beliefs and experiences. I explained to them how we hold our Meeting for Worship and we discussed the differing levels of the importance of Christ in our Meetings. This was perhaps one of the most striking contrasts between us, as the congregation here was most definitely Christian, whereas in the UK the Meeting can be made up of Quakers from many different faith backgrounds as well as those who follow the path of Quakerism but not that of any other religion. This was perhaps a bit easier for me as I am a Christian Quaker, but it made me wonder how comfortable British Friends on other spiritual paths might have felt, and how much being in Olympic View Friends Church might have spoken to their condition. Not for the first time that morning I felt that programmed and unprogrammed Friends are simultaneously in synergy with each other and yet poles apart. We agreed that one thing we have in common (at least with Olympic View) is that our numbers are declining and our members are getting older, at which point the discussion turned towards outreach. In British Quakerism this is very different, since we do not set up or support religious missions. Rather we want those in our local communities to realize that we exist and to join us if they feel moved to. I mentioned that British Friends are well known for their peace initiatives but that we may need to become more assertive in our outreach in order to survive, and that we need to recognize that we can spread our message without being overtly evangelical. Finally I was asked about the influence of George Fox and of early Friends on British Quakers, which I found quite difficult to answer well. I replied that there is a lot of research and teaching on George Fox and early Quaker history within Quaker Studies, and that anyone who has read Fox's journal gets a lot of respect for making it through such a tome (!). I said too that young Friends often learn about the life of George Fox and in the past have made pilgrimages to 1652 country. However, I was left feeling that maybe there is a need amongst British Friends to spend more time considering the importance of the teachings of George Fox and how it speaks to us today.
The Meeting took the initial form of a modern Christian service but was still very much recognizable as Quaker. It had a definite structure, including songs and a sermon. The most noticeable difference was that the service was naturally much more Christocentric than in the UK. The songs were modern hymns about our relationship with Jesus. However, unlike traditional Christian services, which are completely led by the pastor, different members of the congregation led the different parts of the service. One of the most memorable of these was “God thoughts”, where worshippers were led to contemplate on their relationship with God and to stand up and speak prayers that came from this. The sermon, too, made a particular impression on me. It was about the Apostle Paul, who persecuted the Christians and then was called to become a Christian himself. The message was that even in the darkest times the Good News is still there to be found - this must be the case if Paul, once a great persecutor of Christians, could feel called to serve Christ himself. There was a definite evangelical feel to the sermon but I thought this was much more in the literal sense of the word, of pertaining to the Gospel and spreading the Good News, rather than in the modern, Christian Fundamentalist sense. It was also remarkable that the pastor stood at a small lectern at the same level as the congregation, rather than using the pulpit on the stage. This felt to me very much in line with Quaker values - that the pastor is someone who has felt called by God and chosen by the congregation to guide them, but is no more and no less important than the other Friends. He simply has a different role.
Afterwards there was about half and hour of silent worship. When I had arrived at Olympic View I had been given a leaflet that was a guide to Spoken Ministry. It contained a diagram that asked several questions, such as, “Is the message truly from God?” If your answer was “no”, the diagram led you to “return to centre” (silent worship); if your answer was “yes” then you went onto the next question. If you said “yes” to the answer “must you speak?” then the diagram led you to “Minister”. I found the leaflet extremely helpful and often take it with me to use as a kind of “check-list” when I feel called to speak in Meetings. While such a leaflet should not detract from the spontaneity of spoken ministry, I think a similar one could be very useful to have in British Meetings as a guide for newcomers. It was clear from the ministry that the congregation spanned the range of Evangelical Friends from the more moderate to the more conservative. One Friend spoke of how we often make sins relative - “that sin is worse, but that sin is not so bad” - but really all sin is still sin and should be seen as such. This ministry struck me in particular because British Friends rarely talk about sin, and never in my experience in terms of evangelical Christianity (though it can be found in some of the writings of early Friends). At the end of the worship the pastor asked, “Are all hearts cleansed?” and shortly after the service drew to a close.
I was fortunate enough to be there the Sunday of the “pot luck” Thanksgiving meal, which was amazing: the congregation cooked a huge turkey (also something of a rarity in British Meeting Houses!) and everyone brought a dish, including potatoes, green bean casserole, salads and pies. The meal gave me the opportunity to talk to members of the congregation, including some younger Friends. I spoke to the Northwest Yearly Meeting representative for the World Gathering in Lancaster, who told me how much she had enjoyed her visit and to say “hallo” to everyone in the UK for her. I had conversations with several members of the congregation who had been in the US military, which I found remarkable and made me wonder whether British Friends would welcome ex-military personnel into Meeting so readily, particularly if they asked to become members (or even if we would want to). I also met one member who was working towards closer relations between Olympic View Friends Church and the unprogrammed Meeting in Tacoma. The congregation told me of how they had invited the unprogrammed Friends to a shared meal the following weekend, but had received a rather muted response. They felt that this was very sad (and not a little frustrating), but could also understand the unprogrammed Friends' reticence to join them, since most of their experience of Evangelical Christians was as very conservative and uncompromising. Visiting Olympic View has made me realize that there is a much wider spectrum of beliefs amongst Evangelical Churches than first appears, and that while the majority may be very conservative, a significant minority are more moderate. It has taught me to look beyond superficial labels and inspired me to continue to develop relations between unprogrammed and programmed Friends in my own small way. I left feeling that programmed and unprogrammed Friends have a lot to learn from each other - that while we can help prevent programmed Friends from going too far down the road of Evangelical Christianity, they can help prevent us from becoming too disparate and straying too far from our Quaker roots.
ADDENDUM:
Since Emily's visit, the sound system at OVFC went on the fritz. The cause was a blown "high-end compression driver" in our main speaker. The speaker technicians said that I should stand behind the speaker placement in order to minimize feedback and prevent future problems. Unfortunately, this means standing on the stage.
During her recent visit to the United States, Emily Maddison attended a service at Olympic View Friends Church, where Jon Kershner, who visited YFGM last year, is pastor. Here she tells us of her experience.
The visit of two young Quaker pastors from Northwest Yearly Meeting and their leading of a semi-programmed Meeting for Worship at YFGM Norwich in May left me intrigued, and I was recently able to visit the congregation at Olympic View Friends Church and to take part in their fully programmed Meeting for Worship. I was particularly inspired by the sermon given and how it helped give me focus during silent worship. I was also curious to see how much silent worship would be contained within a programmed Meeting, as well as to meet the members of the congregation and find out about how they express their faith.
One of my first impressions on arriving at Olympic View Friends Church was that the building looked very different to a British Meeting House. It is not merely a functional building constructed for purpose, which apart from the Quaker literature and the noticeboards at first glance does not necessarily look like a religious building. It is a building that looks very similar to the churches of other non-conformist denominations, such as Baptists and Methodists. This not only includes the layout, which contains a “church area” with pews and a stage (although significantly no altar), but also several large crosses both inside the building and on the church roof. It made me wonder how British Friends would react to having a cross put up inside their Meeting House.
Over a pre-service breakfast the congregation asked me questions about British Friends. I put my copy of “Quaker Faith and Practice” on the table for people to look at, as well as copies of “The Friend” and “Young Quaker”, which were received with interest (one Friend asked about subscribing to “YQ”). First of all (like any good British Quaker!) I said that UK Friends come in innumerable guises and that I could only tell them of my own beliefs and experiences. I explained to them how we hold our Meeting for Worship and we discussed the differing levels of the importance of Christ in our Meetings. This was perhaps one of the most striking contrasts between us, as the congregation here was most definitely Christian, whereas in the UK the Meeting can be made up of Quakers from many different faith backgrounds as well as those who follow the path of Quakerism but not that of any other religion. This was perhaps a bit easier for me as I am a Christian Quaker, but it made me wonder how comfortable British Friends on other spiritual paths might have felt, and how much being in Olympic View Friends Church might have spoken to their condition. Not for the first time that morning I felt that programmed and unprogrammed Friends are simultaneously in synergy with each other and yet poles apart. We agreed that one thing we have in common (at least with Olympic View) is that our numbers are declining and our members are getting older, at which point the discussion turned towards outreach. In British Quakerism this is very different, since we do not set up or support religious missions. Rather we want those in our local communities to realize that we exist and to join us if they feel moved to. I mentioned that British Friends are well known for their peace initiatives but that we may need to become more assertive in our outreach in order to survive, and that we need to recognize that we can spread our message without being overtly evangelical. Finally I was asked about the influence of George Fox and of early Friends on British Quakers, which I found quite difficult to answer well. I replied that there is a lot of research and teaching on George Fox and early Quaker history within Quaker Studies, and that anyone who has read Fox's journal gets a lot of respect for making it through such a tome (!). I said too that young Friends often learn about the life of George Fox and in the past have made pilgrimages to 1652 country. However, I was left feeling that maybe there is a need amongst British Friends to spend more time considering the importance of the teachings of George Fox and how it speaks to us today.
The Meeting took the initial form of a modern Christian service but was still very much recognizable as Quaker. It had a definite structure, including songs and a sermon. The most noticeable difference was that the service was naturally much more Christocentric than in the UK. The songs were modern hymns about our relationship with Jesus. However, unlike traditional Christian services, which are completely led by the pastor, different members of the congregation led the different parts of the service. One of the most memorable of these was “God thoughts”, where worshippers were led to contemplate on their relationship with God and to stand up and speak prayers that came from this. The sermon, too, made a particular impression on me. It was about the Apostle Paul, who persecuted the Christians and then was called to become a Christian himself. The message was that even in the darkest times the Good News is still there to be found - this must be the case if Paul, once a great persecutor of Christians, could feel called to serve Christ himself. There was a definite evangelical feel to the sermon but I thought this was much more in the literal sense of the word, of pertaining to the Gospel and spreading the Good News, rather than in the modern, Christian Fundamentalist sense. It was also remarkable that the pastor stood at a small lectern at the same level as the congregation, rather than using the pulpit on the stage. This felt to me very much in line with Quaker values - that the pastor is someone who has felt called by God and chosen by the congregation to guide them, but is no more and no less important than the other Friends. He simply has a different role.
Afterwards there was about half and hour of silent worship. When I had arrived at Olympic View I had been given a leaflet that was a guide to Spoken Ministry. It contained a diagram that asked several questions, such as, “Is the message truly from God?” If your answer was “no”, the diagram led you to “return to centre” (silent worship); if your answer was “yes” then you went onto the next question. If you said “yes” to the answer “must you speak?” then the diagram led you to “Minister”. I found the leaflet extremely helpful and often take it with me to use as a kind of “check-list” when I feel called to speak in Meetings. While such a leaflet should not detract from the spontaneity of spoken ministry, I think a similar one could be very useful to have in British Meetings as a guide for newcomers. It was clear from the ministry that the congregation spanned the range of Evangelical Friends from the more moderate to the more conservative. One Friend spoke of how we often make sins relative - “that sin is worse, but that sin is not so bad” - but really all sin is still sin and should be seen as such. This ministry struck me in particular because British Friends rarely talk about sin, and never in my experience in terms of evangelical Christianity (though it can be found in some of the writings of early Friends). At the end of the worship the pastor asked, “Are all hearts cleansed?” and shortly after the service drew to a close.
I was fortunate enough to be there the Sunday of the “pot luck” Thanksgiving meal, which was amazing: the congregation cooked a huge turkey (also something of a rarity in British Meeting Houses!) and everyone brought a dish, including potatoes, green bean casserole, salads and pies. The meal gave me the opportunity to talk to members of the congregation, including some younger Friends. I spoke to the Northwest Yearly Meeting representative for the World Gathering in Lancaster, who told me how much she had enjoyed her visit and to say “hallo” to everyone in the UK for her. I had conversations with several members of the congregation who had been in the US military, which I found remarkable and made me wonder whether British Friends would welcome ex-military personnel into Meeting so readily, particularly if they asked to become members (or even if we would want to). I also met one member who was working towards closer relations between Olympic View Friends Church and the unprogrammed Meeting in Tacoma. The congregation told me of how they had invited the unprogrammed Friends to a shared meal the following weekend, but had received a rather muted response. They felt that this was very sad (and not a little frustrating), but could also understand the unprogrammed Friends' reticence to join them, since most of their experience of Evangelical Christians was as very conservative and uncompromising. Visiting Olympic View has made me realize that there is a much wider spectrum of beliefs amongst Evangelical Churches than first appears, and that while the majority may be very conservative, a significant minority are more moderate. It has taught me to look beyond superficial labels and inspired me to continue to develop relations between unprogrammed and programmed Friends in my own small way. I left feeling that programmed and unprogrammed Friends have a lot to learn from each other - that while we can help prevent programmed Friends from going too far down the road of Evangelical Christianity, they can help prevent us from becoming too disparate and straying too far from our Quaker roots.
ADDENDUM:
Since Emily's visit, the sound system at OVFC went on the fritz. The cause was a blown "high-end compression driver" in our main speaker. The speaker technicians said that I should stand behind the speaker placement in order to minimize feedback and prevent future problems. Unfortunately, this means standing on the stage.
posted by Jon at 8:37 AM
1 Comments:
Very interesting when read from my point of view, as a member of North Pacific Yearly Meeting. My reading and contact with British Friends (at least BYM Friends) leads me to believe that North Pacific Yearly and Britain Yearly Meetings have a great deal in common.
It would have been interesting to find out how true that was by having the "visiting fireman" attend University Friends Meeting or some other North Pacific Yearly Meeting in the neighborhood.
Meanwhile, people in Bridge City Friends Meeting, my meeting, are showing a renewed interest in Friends World Committee for Consultation activities and some of us are hoping to attend Northwest Yearly Churches here in our neighborhood.
Perhaps intervisitation close to home would be at least as edifying as that which might take place in far flung locations.
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