If you’ve walked through Idlewild Park in Reno on a recent Sunday, you might have noticed a group of people sitting in a circle, in camp chairs, in silence. If you looked closely, you would see a sign saying that we are Reno Friends and that everyone is welcome to join us.
That’s us, the Reno Quakers, and we’ve been holding our silent worship in public once a month since February. The first time we tried, it was a sunny, sweet late February day; last weekend, it was sleeting and blowing a gale. But we were still there.
Normally, we worship is our cozy Meeting House over near the UNR campus. But, given these times in America, it felt like we needed to do something more, something public, something that would invite us to show up before the world and say “this is where we stand.”
We got the idea from the American Friends Service Committee, a national organization of Quakers that works with communities around the world to overcome injustice and build peace. Earlier this year, AFSC invited Friends and people of all faiths to gather in Quaker-led silent worship in public, all across the country, to share witness to the rising authoritarianism and oppression in the United States. To those of us at Reno Friends, this call reflected core Quaker principles: peace, equality, integrity and community. And we agreed that worshipping publicly would be a visible commitment to justice and compassion.
Idlewild Park is a lovely place for a public gathering such as ours. People walk by, enjoying the path along the river, or trailing home from the farmers’ market that is held there on Sunday mornings. Sometimes we hear people comment to each other, or a child ask their mom or dad what we’re doing. Sometimes a car goes by with loud music; sometimes all we can hear are the birds. Either way, worship continues. Occasionally, someone in the group might rise and share a message, but most of the time we sit in silence. It’s easy to do on a sunny day in the park.
Our next public silent worship will be Sun. June 14, from 12-1. AFSC set up a Mobilize app that we use to invite the public to join us. If you can, let us know you are coming, though that is not required. We will gather at the California Building, near the Rose Garden. Bring a camp chair, unless you prefer to sit in the grass, and just show up. You will be welcome.
By Wendy Swallow, Blog Editor, Reno Friends Meeting
The opinions expressed above are not necessarily those of Reno Friends Meeting.