|
General Queries
The First Query
Meeting for WorshipAre our meetings for worship held in stilled, expectant waiting upon God?
As we worship is there a living silence in which we are drawn together by the power of God in our midst?
Is the spirit of our worship together one that nurtures all worshipers?
How does our Meeting respond when the vocal ministry seems inappropriate, or when the meeting for worship is consistently not gathered?
Do I faithfully attend meeting with heart and mind prepared for worship, clear of any predetermination to speak or not to speak, and expecting that worship will be a source of strength and guidance?
Does worship deepen my relationship with God, increase my faithfulness, and refresh and renew my daily life, both inwardly and in my relationship with others?
Have I experienced in worship that direct leading to listen or to speak, and have I been faithful to my own experience?
•••
The Second Query
Meeting for BusinessIs our meeting for business held in the spirit of a meeting for worship in which we seek divine guidance?
Are we careful to keep in the spirit of worship each of the concerns that emerge, whether of nurture , of Spirit, of social concerns, of property, or of finance?
Are Meeting decisions directed by prayerful consideration of all aspects of an issue and are difficult problems considered carefully with patient search for truth, unhurried by the pressures of time?
How do we respond if we notice the meeting has lost an understanding of the presence of God?
Do we recognize that we speak through our inaction as well as our action?
Do I regularly attend meeting for business and in a spirit of love and unity? If unable to attend, how do I attend to my responsibility?
Do I consider prayerfully the many concerns that are lifted up on any issue, acknowledging that the search for truth in unity involves what God requires, being open to personal transformation as the community arrives at the sense of the meeting?
•••
The Third Query
Spiritual Nurture, Ministry, and Religious EducationDoes our Meeting encourage the ministry of both word and deed? How does our Meeting recognize, develop, and nurture the gifts of our members and attenders of all ages?
Does our Meeting prepare all its members and children for worship and for a way of life consistent with the principles of the Religious Society of Friends? How do we teach about Quaker practices in business and worship and their importance to the functioning of our Meeting community?
In what ways do we support each other in order to seek God’s will and act upon our understanding of truth? Is there opportunity in our Meeting to share the excitement of religious discovery and the possibility of religious transformation?
Does our Meeting provide opportunities for all in the Meeting to learn about:
-the Inner Light, the living Christ within, the Bible, the writings of Friends,, our Christian heritage, other religious traditions and their respective roles in the history and formation of Friends’ principles?
-the common testimonies Friends declare?
-the variety of expression Quaker faith takes today?Do I maintain as part of my personal and family life those daily practices that focus on continued spiritual growth, with disciplined worship, inward retirement, and communion with the divine spirit?
Do I frequently read the Bible and other religious literature, including the records of the lives and experiences of Friends? Do I take the time to explore these resources with others, and likewise encourage my children?
Do I share my own faith and spiritual journey, and encourage such sharing within my family?
•••
The Fourth Query
Care for the Meeting CommunityCare for one another
Are love and unity maintained among us? When conflicts exist, are they faced with patience, forbearance, and openness to healing? Are avenues for exploring differences kept open? To what extent does our Meeting ignore differences in order to avoid possible conflicts?Is the Meeting a safe, loving place? When we become aware of someone’s need, do we offer assistance? Are the meetinghouse and the Meeting property physically accessible to all?
Do all adults and children in our Meeting receive our loving care and encouragement to share in the life of our Meeting, and to live as Friends? Do we truly welcome newcomers and include them in our Meeting community?
When a member’s conduct or manner of living gives cause for concern, how does the Meeting respond?
How does our Meeting keep in touch with all its members?
Am I ready to offer assistance as part of my religious community serving its members? Am I equally willing to accept graciously the help of others?
Do I recognize and face disagreements and other situations that put me in conflict with others? Do I manifest a spirit ready to give or receive forgiveness?
Do I treat adults and children alike with respect and without condescension? Is my manner with visitors and attenders to my Meeting one of welcome?
Care in my home
(This set of personal queries may be helpful for the family to consider within the family setting. Families may also wish to explore other General Queries as part of regular family worship.)
Is my home a place where all members of the family receive affection and understanding, and where visitors are welcome? Do I choose recreation and a manner of living that enriches the body, mind, and spirit; and shows a high regard for family, community, and creation?
Is our family prepared to discuss such sensitive topics as death, faith, money, even sex and drugs, in a manner that allows openness and honesty, and also direction?
How do I help to arrange life at home so that there is an opportunity for all to learn and absorb by example what it means to live a life of Spirit-led commitment?
•••
The Fifth Query
EducationWhat is our Meeting role in the life and support of Friends’ education?
If supporting or maintaining a Friends school, have we developed an appropriate relationship of Meeting and school? What is our role in the spiritual life of the school and its maintenance of Friends’ principles?What does our Meeting do to support education in the wider community?
What help do we provide for the children and adults in our Meeting to pursue the education they seek, whether academic, technical, or vocational? Do we make provisions for children in our Meeting to attend a Friends school?How do I show my concern for the improvement of public education in my community and in the world?
Am I aware of What Friends schools are doing and of their plans for the future? How do I show encouragement and support?
•••
The Sixth Query
EqualityHow does our Meeting help to create and maintain a society whose institutions recognize and do away with the inequities rooted in patterns of prejudice and economic convenience?
Is our Meeting open to all regardless of race, ability, sexual orientation, or class?
What steps are we taking as a Meeting to assure that our Meeting and the committees and institutions under our care reflect our respect for all and are free from practices rooted in prejudice?
Do I examine myself for aspects of prejudice that may be buried, including beliefs that seem to justify biases based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, class, and feelings of inferiority or superiority?
What am I doing to help overcome the contemporary effects of past and present oppression?
Am I teaching my children, and do I show through my way of living, that love of God includes affirming the equality of people, treating others with dignity and respect, and seeking to recognize and address that of God within every person?
•••
The Ninth Query
Ministry of OutreachOutreach
What are we doing as a Meeting to communicate our presence and our principles to the community around us? Does our Meeting’s ministry of outreach lead Friends to share their spiritual experiences with others?
What are we doing to invite persons not in membership to attend our meetings for worship and to encourage their continued attendance? How does the Meeting welcome visitors? Are we sensitive to the needs and hesitations of each visitor?
Are we tender to the needs of isolated Friends and Meetings, and to nearby Meetings seeking support?
How do I ground myself in the understandings of my faith? Am I clear about my beliefs? How do I prepare myself to share my faith and beliefs with others?
Does my manner of life as a Friend attract others to our religious society?
Do I seize opportunities to tell others about the Religious Society of Friends and invite them to worship with us?
Is my manner with visitors and attenders to our Meeting one of welcome?
Collaboration
In what ways does our Meeting respond to opportunities to join with other faiths in worship, in social action, and in spiritual dialogue?
How does our Meeting encourage its members to seek opportunities to meet and work with Friends world wide?
What opportunities have I taken to know people from different religious and cultural backgrounds, to worship with them, and to work with them on common concerns?
What opportunities have I taken to know, to work, and to worship with Friends outside of my own Meeting?
•••
The Tenth Query
Stewardship of the EnvironmentIs the Meeting concerned that human interaction with nature be responsible, guided by a reverence for life and a sense of the splendor of God’s continuing creation?
Are the decisions of the Meeting and its committees relating to the uses of property, goods, services, and energy made with sensitivity toward the environmental impact of those choices?
How does our Meeting learn about environmental concerns and then act in the community on its concerns?
How am I helping to develop a social, economic, and political system which will nurture an environment which sustains and enriches life for all?
Am I aware of the place of water, air, and soil in my life? Do I consider with care the necessity of purchasing substances hazardous to the environment? Do I act as a faithful steward of the environment in the use and disposal of such hazardous substances?
Do I choose with care the use of technology and devices that truly simplify and add quality to my life without adding an undue burden to essential resources?
•••
The Eleventh Query
Stewardship of ResourcesDoes our Meeting serve social and economic justice in its uses of property and money?
How does our Meeting engage its members in the support of the Meeting’s work, its ministry, and the upkeep of its property?
How does our Meeting engage its members in the support of the quarterly and yearly meetings and other Quaker organizations?
To what extent does our Meeting rely on current members for financial support, and what role does endowment income serve? Does the Meeting consider carefully the appropriate role of invested funds?
Am I clear that I am the steward, not the owner, of property in my care?
Do I simplify my needs, making choices that balance self-sufficiency; (to avoid unnecessary dependence on others) and fair sharing of resources? Do I make choices as a consumer that support the equitable distribution of income?
Do my employment and other activities allow for use of time and energy in spiritual growth and in service to the Religious Society of Friends?
Do I contribute generously within my means to the funding of the work of Friends in my Meeting, in the yearly meeting, and in the wider world of Friends?
The Twelfth Query
Integrity and SimplicityWhat does our Meeting understand to be the meaning and implication of our testimonies on simplicity and integrity?
How do our Meeting’s actions demonstrate this understanding?
As a Meeting, what are we doing to encourage members to embody integrity and simplicity in their everyday lives?
How do I strive to maintain the integrity of my inner and outer lives – in my spiritual journey, my work, and my family responsibilities? How do I manage my commitments so that overcommitment, worry, and stress do not diminish my integrity?
Am I temperate in all things? Am I open to counsel and advice on overindulgence and addictive behavior, such as gambling? Do I take seriously the hazards associated with addictive and mood-altering substances?
Am I careful to speak truth as I know it and am I open to truth spoken to me? Am I mindful that judicial oaths imply a double standard of truth?
Do I refrain from membership in organizations whose purposes and methods compromise our testimonies?
