Worship Review: North Seattle friends Church

Oh Dear. RantWoman visits someone else's worship and writes a review. Ummm?

Topics:
quality of worship  / sense of community
accessibility issues broadly defined


Part of Faithful to one's light was worship with North Seattle Friends, with appreciation for more and more frequent bus service enroute than when RantWoman first connected with that church many moons ago.

RantWoman arrived and immediately ran into someone she knows who worships there regularly. RantWoman,  urk, sat in someone else's usual seat, but the someone else turned out to be a joyhous great great grandmother who grew up Quaker in IA.She was also very gracious about sharing the bench with RantWoman

North Seattle Friends is more programmed with less expectant waiting than UFM. Today's worship opened with a presentation from a 16-year-old exchange student from Rafah in the West bank. The presentation was about what one would expect, but good to be reminded and powerpoint slides about food never hurt, even if one cannot see the pictures.

Then there was a scripture reading from John 10 about sheep.

RantWoman loves North Seattle friends Church worshippers. There are MANY under 50, a larger percentage than at RantWoman's home meeting. There is such a feeling of spiritual accompaniment. This is partly because there were two different sections that sound to RantWoman's slightly inattentive ear as if the whole worship were devoted to Joys and Concerns, and joys and concerns that sounded closer to the ground: housing, health, jobs, and a message or two about the state of the world or a professional achievement. To RantWoman's ear this added up to A LOT of talking, but it also meant may voices heard from and held.

One Friend offered sung ministry, In the Sweet Bye and Bye with piano accompaniment and in memory of his recently deceased mother.. The singing held together.

People are not shy about using the words prayer and Jesus. RantWoman offered prayers for RantBrother because it is his  birthday and then a what annoys RantWoman most about her situation short hand with oblique acknowledgment of a part for her and asked the whole situation be held in the Light. / pprayed about.

The pastor, yes, there is a pastor offered words at several points. There was closing silence and the pastor asked "Are all Hearts Clear" and worship broke.

RantWoman was VERY grateful to be among such Friends even though she was also cranky, not overly sociable, and at times distracted. RantWoman will probably be back.

Probably some more high points of worship will come to RantWoman.

It was fun to see a young Friend who also brought a frined as they check out various Quaker meetings.

Now we get to accessibility.
--A wheelchair user can get around, bit a few drive / roll arounds.

--There is a Mic in worship!!!! And people USE IT and use it well. RantWoman could not figure out the request protocol so she just stood, said she is from UFM and basically how does the mic thing work. A Friend brought the mic.

--The building has mold. It is the northwest so lots of buildings have mold., but... The church is set to move to another location because an expanding prep school bought their current location and the church made a good deal. RantWoman has no idea of the schedule for the move. RantWoman will pray that the construction manages to avoid mold.

All in all a blessing to worship there.