"Those who are brought to a pure still waiting upon God in the spirit are come nearer to the Lord than words are; for God is a spirit and in the spirit is he worshipped...In such a meeting there will be an unwillingness to part asunder, being ready to say in yourselves, it is good to be here: and this is the end of all words and writings to bring people to the eternal living Word." Alexander Parker, 1660
South Bend Friends Meeting is a group of individuals and families who, from our various origins and backgrounds, have been drawn to the practice of silent worship after the manner of Friends. There are South Bend Friends from all stages of life. Some of us are lifelong Quakers. Others have only just found our way into Quaker worship. Our religious beliefs are varied, but we are united in the joyful sense of discovery and of communion that we find in silent Quaker worship.
We meet for worship every Sunday at 10:30am, Eastern. (South Bend is on the same time as Michigan, Elkhart, IN, and New York. 10:30am in South Bend is 9:30am in Michigan City, IN, and Chicago.)
Additionally, on the second Sunday of most months we have our meeting for worship for the conduct of business, beginning at 9:00am. We do not have a meeting for business in August.
Our meetings take place at the
Charles Martin Youth Center, 802 Lincolnway West, in South Bend.
You can access a map and get directions by following this mapquest link.
There is a parking lot at the western end of the building, next to the children's playground. Enter the building through the front door, which is on Lincolnway. The room where we meet and the main facilities of the building are wheelchair accessible.
(back to top)"A Friends meeting, however silent, is at the very lowest a witness that worship is something other and deeper than words, and that it is to the unseen and eternal things that we desire to give the first place in our lives. And when the meeting, whether silent or not, is awake, and looking upwards, there is much more in it than this. In the united stillness of a truly 'gathered' meeting there is a power known only by experience, and mysterious even when most familiar." Caroline Stephen
There is nothing alarming about Quaker worship: it is simplicity itself. But its very simplicity can make it seem strange at first to those used to more structured forms of worship.
We gather for worship in the main assembly room of the Charles Martin Youth Center. It's the large room straight ahead across the lobby when you've entered through the front door. You will find chairs arranged in a square, so that worshippers are facing each other. When you are ready for worship, simply find a seat and sit down. The worship starts when the first worshipper arrives and sits down to worship. Once worship has started, the worshippers will usually continue in concentrated silence, not pausing to greet others who are entering the worship space.
Once the worshippers have gathered, the meeting settles into a deeper silence. Individual Friends use different techniques in this period of centering in. Silent prayer of any form, meditation techniques, silently recollecting spiritually meaningful pieces of music: anything that brings the worshipper closer to the heart of the shared silence is appropriate.
Out of the collective silence that develops, Friends may find themselves led to give spoken ministry. As a rule, these spoken messages are quite short and unpolished. They are spontaneous reflections that have come to the speaker during their worship. Once the ministry is given, the silence is allowed to gather again. There may be several messages during the course of a meeting for worship or there may be none. The absence of spoken ministry does not mean that something has gone wrong with the meeting. Often Friends find that a completely silent meeting for worship can nevertheless be a very powerful one.
After roughly an hour, the Friend who has been designated to close the meeting will indicate the close by linking hands with his or her neighbors. At that point we all join hands for a moment. Worshippers are invited to introduce themselves and to share any reflections that came to them during meeting but that they were not led to speak. There is then a short period of time during which announcements can be made, and following that we take time to socialize.
People of any age who wish to worship with us are welcome to do so. However, during the worship time, childcare is available year round for those younger than high-school age. From September through May, age-appropriate First-Day School programs are provided for children from pre-school through junior-high.
The usual arrangement is for children to be present with the adults in worship for the first 10-15 minutes of the worship time. They then leave with the childcare providers and First-Day School teachers. Children who want to attend the whole meeting for worship are welcome. But they, and their parents, should be aware that those in the worship room are expected to be actively engaged in worship.
Quaker worship is a come as you are affair. This is an expression of Friends' sense that we are in God's presence at all times, as much so when engaged in the activities of our daily lives as when we are actively engaged in worship. It might, however, be better not to bring cell phones. If brought, they must be turned off during the meeting.
There is considerably more information about meeting for worship, as well as some interesting relevant links, in the Practical How-to Guide published by the Quaker Information Center.
(back to top)South Bend Friends meeting began as a worship group in 1978. In the early 1990's, South Bend Friends Meeting became one of the member meetings of Illinois Yearly Meeting and thus we came to our full and official title "South Bend Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends." Illinois Yearly Meeting is affiliated with the Friends General Conference.
Illinois Yearly Meeting is in the process of preparing its own book of Faith and Practice. In the meantime, we use Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's Faith and Practice for guidance and inspiration.
Within our local area, the South Bend Friends Meeting is a member of the United Religious Community (URC--574.282.2397). We are also a member group of the Center for Peace and Non-Violence.
(back to top)You can contact South Bend Meeting at 574.232.8258 or via email to . We would be delighted to have comments and suggestions regarding this website, which is the work of members of the South Bend Meeting.
This page last revised: 05/27/2006.