Live Oak Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends

We welcome you to our Friends Meeting for Worship through waiting expectantly on the Spirit.

We gather in silent communion, without any outward ceremony, seeking an increased awareness of the Divine.

    

Meets every 1st and 3d Sunday of the month at Temple Beth El, 1212 Riker Street, Salinas
 93901 (at the corner of Blanco Road).

Silent Worship begins 11:00 am, and childcare is provided.       

Adult Religious Education Hour begins 9:45 am (except during the summer): childcare by prior arrangement.  A vegetarian potluck lunch follows Worship.  

Contact us to find out about neighboring Quaker Meetings in Carmel and Santa Cruz:

Live Oak Friends Meeting         P.O. Box 704, Aromas, CA 95004      (831) 375-9646

https://www.quakercloud.org/ cloud/live-oak-friends-meeting

 

LIVE OAK FRIENDS MEETING (QUAKER)

 

WELCOME!

 

What to Expect in Worship

 

 

We are delighted that you can join us. In preparation, we would like to share with you a few insights from experience and practice about

what happens during Meeting for Worship, to help make your first visit more meaningful.

 

Live Oak Friends gather for what is called un-programmed worship. There is no structured service (no sermons, prepared readings, or hymns),

nor is there a pastor or minister who leads worship. Quakers believe that all present share the ministry that arises out of worship.

 

Meeting begins at 11 AM when Friends gather together in the meeting room, take their seats, and settle into silent worship.

This is a time to drop our usual patterns of thought, analyzing, and worrying.

You may observe the different ways Friends settle into the silence: eyes open or closed, heads bowed or held high.

Friends try to remain settled for the duration of Meeting for Worship; but if it is necessary to leave or enter Meeting during worship, they try to do so with a minimum of disruption. 

 

Sometimes a Friend will feel led by the Spirit to share with those gathered.

The message is usually spoken, but  sometimes it is expressed in prayer, song, or movement. Friends do not come to worship prepared to give a message.

 

Following the message, the Friend sits down, and all will settle once again into silence.

Not every message will be meaningful to everyone. If moved to respond, remember that worshipful messages arise from the Spirit and not from a need to discuss or debate. 

 

In a single Meeting for Worship, several messages may be given, separated by a period of silence, which allows others time to reflect on the message.

Other times a Meeting for Worship is entirely quiet with no spoken messages.

 

Quaker Meetings embrace a range of religious meaning and experience.

In the quietness of collective worship, those present can become aware of a deep and powerful spirit of love and truth which transcends their ordinary experience.

Some Friends accept this awareness in the context of biblical teachings. 

 

Children of the Meeting meet for First Day School and then join the adults for the final fifteen minutes of worship.

We encourage parents of small children not to be upset or embarrassed by their children’s energy and exuberance,

which is a reminder for those gathered of how precious the children are to the Meeting.

 

Meeting for Worship concludes when the Meeting clerk shakes hands with a neighbor, followed by all shaking hands.

The clerk then will greet everyone, invite newcomers to introduce themselves,

sometimes will ask whether anyone would like to share something which came to them during worship that was left unexpressed,

and then will share any community announcements.

Please feel free to join us for the potluck lunch that follows the rise of Meeting.

 

Live Your Faith

As part of a Quaker Meeting in Monterey County

Live Oak Friends Meeting in Salinas

Are you looking for a spiritual community grounded in the 
belief that there is that of God
in everyone?

Do you believe that God can speak to all of us directly, rather than only through a minister or priest?

Would you like to experience being part of a caring, nurturing group of people who practice living out their vision of social justice through service to the wider community?

You are welcome to attend a Quaker Meeting in Monterey County:

Live Oak
Friends Meeting

Meets 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month:

Religious Education / Discussion Program: 9:45 a.m.

Meeting for Worship: 11:00 a.m.

Temple Beth El

1212 Riker Street (at corner of Riker Street and Blanco Road)

Salinas, CA 93901 

Contact phone number: (831) 375-9646

Find Live Oak Friends Meeting at

www.facebook.com

or visit

www.quakercloud.org/cloud/live-oak-friends-meeting

Opportunities for Worship and Community

Learning together:

Study Scripture, Quaker Beliefs and History, Social Justice Issues; a Children’s Religious Education Program is also available.

Worship with a faith community in the manner of Non-programmed Friends:

In silence, with Spirit-led sharing arising out of the silence.

Potluck and Sharing:

Shared food, songs, and stories.

Opportunities for Service

Prepare and serve lunch at First United Methodist Church Neighborhood Project

Attend Soledad Worship Group at the Correctional Training Facility

Attend a training in Quaker founded Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP)

   

Quaker Faith and Testimonies

“Walk cheerfully over the Earth, answering that of God in everyone.” George Fox, Quaker Founder, 1656

SIMPLICITY:

“Let your lives preach, let your light shine, let your works be known.”
George Fox, 1650’s

PEACE:

“Living by virtue of that Life and Power that takes away the occasion of war…” George Fox, 1650’s

INTEGRITY:

“It is the duty of everyone to be firm that which is right for them.”
John Woolman, Quaker, 1755

COMMUNITY:

“We need to find the courage to assert and act upon the hope that community can be found…only by acting as if can we create a future fit for human habitation.”
Parker Palmer, Quaker, 1977

EQUALITY:

“Friends have affirmed equality since the beginning or our Society: between men & women (1650’s); rich & poor (1650’s); for the abolition of slavery (1770’s),

and for the rights of gay people (1970’s)”     Member, Live Oak Friends Meeting, 2012