Synopsis
Steven Davison lifts up the gathered meeting for worship as the essence of the Quaker way. He puts it in historical context within the Christian and Quaker traditions and considers the state of the gathered meeting in our own time. While describing the gathering in detail from his own experience, he also quotes Thomas Kelly, William Taber, and Patricia Loring. He explores the “faith” of the gathered meeting and how it fulfills the promises of the Quaker way. Most important, he describes what fosters the gathered meeting. In the holy communion of the gathered meeting lie the soul of the Quaker faith and the hope for a Quakerism that remains vibrant and relevant into the future. Discussion questions included.
About the Author(s)
Steven Dale Davison is a member of Central Philadelphia Meeting. A Friend since 1986, he is an avid, longtime student of the Quaker tradition and of the Bible. He holds a degree in Studies in Religion from Rutgers University and has been enriched by the School of the Spirit’s course on The Prophetic Tradition and by study at Pendle Hill.
Steven has experienced the gathered meeting a number of times – twice, powerfully, at a consultation sponsored by Earlham School of Religion and Quaker Hill Conference Center in Richmond, Indiana, in 1991 on “Quaker Treasure: What Do We Hold in Trust Together?” Those experiences transformed his understanding of Quaker faith and awakened in him a calling to nurture such communion among Friends. This essay is a fruit of that ministry.
Pendle Hill Pamphlet #444
