Most Quaker meetings in this part of the United States are so-called "unprogrammed" meetings.  This means that our meetings for worship are not led by a minister, but are largely conducted in silence.  A member of the meeting's Ministry and Counsel closes the meeting with a simple "Good morning friends" but otherwise the meeting may be completely silent.  Members and attenders are always invited to speak out of the silence with a message about their spiritual journey, but messages are not responded to directly. A message has been described as a pebble tossed into a pond.  The resulting ripples are received by others in the meeting and may contribute to their own spiritual journeys.