“A quickening Presence pervades us, breaking down some part of the special privacy and isolation of our
individual lives and blending our spirits within a super individual Life and Power.” Thomas Kelly

What does it mean to be a Quaker now? How do we care for one another when we have to stay at least 6 feet apart? Can we experience a spiritually deep Meeting for Worship over Zoom? These may be some of the queries you’ve been pondering over the last couple of months. As we traverse the wilderness of Zoom Meeting for Worship and kind smiles beneath cloth/surgical masks, it is sometimes helpful to turn to spiritual ancestors to aid us in navigating unfamiliar terrain. In his essay “The Gathered Meeting”, 20th century Quaker professor and mystic, Thomas Kelly, discusses the beauty and dynamics of a “gathered” Quaker Meeting. A gathered Meeting involves a uniquely deep sense of connection between Friends and the Divine. In an essay full of spiritual gems, Kelly poses and answers a timely query: “What is the ground and foundation of the gathered meeting? ...[I]t is, I am convinced, the Real Presence of G-d”.

Kelly doesn’t suggest a certain Meetinghouse layout as most helpful in creating a gathered Meeting. Hedoesn’t explain how close Friends should sit next to each other. While Zoom and Skype did not exist in Thomas Kelly’s lifetime, one can’t help but wonder if he would think being in the same physical space was a prerequisite for a gathered Meeting. Instead, his primary focus is on whether the Spirit of the Meeting is there. It is a helpful compass point for our wilderness journey. 

As we may know all too well, a screen is a poor substitute for the gen tle touch of a Friend. We also know that we may not be able to gather in the same physical space for quite some time. There is little doubt that theground underneath our feet has shifted. And yet the same “quickening Presence” that has the power to break down our isolation and “blend our spirits” is still in our midst.

Blessings,
The Clerking Team (Suzanne Siverling, Jessica Easter, Chuck Dickson, and Ted Kuhn)