Virtual Meeting for Worship

Meeting for worship has always been a practice where our George School community members are not only encouraged to look inward but also to deeply listen to others and to respond if they are moved to do so. It is a grounding experience that encourages meditative calm and is in this sense as important now as ever.

In this time of virtual classes, Head of Religions Department Tom Hoopes ’83 organized virtual meetings for worship for the George School community every Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. and Thursday at 8:00 a.m. These meetings have been enthusiastically attended.

Tom has a tripod and camera set up at the meetinghouse and continues to bring fresh-cut flowers. “At first the meetinghouse feels eerily empty to me, but then I fire up the Zoom machine and suddenly–whammo!–the community gathers,” he reflects. “It has been a delightful opportunity to connect with community members and to re-ground ourselves in the powerful ritual of shared, expectant waiting. And when someone delivers a message, it is amazingly very much like a regular meeting for worship! So much to be grateful for.”

There has also been a special seniors-only meeting for worship for the entire senior class. The changes in the spring term have been especially acute for the seniors, who normally would be enjoying this as a time of celebration at the end of their high school careers. “They have asked for this as an opportunity to come together, as a class, in a space of shared worship and community,” said Tom. “Hopefully it will be a meaningful and constructive experience as they stumble forward together, figuring out what this chapter of life may have in store for them.” Tom asks that we all “please hold them in the Light.”