Robyn Lebron Friends try to receive positively what is said and to look for the underlying truth, regardless of the words in which it is expressed If Friends are impelled to respond to vocal ministry, they are very cautious and try to build positively on what has gone before.13 Children and young people are also important members of the meeting However, many of them find it difficult to remain in the silence of the Meeting for Worship for the whole hour If they attend it is usual for them to stay in the meeting for the first 10 or 15 minutes or to come in towards the end During their absence they may be discussing Bible stories or Quaker traditions, using crafts, games or other activities to develop their own understanding and insights The aim of the children’s or young people’s group is to give its members an awareness of being part of the community, knowledge of its spiritual traditions, and of having a positive role in the larger community around them At Young Friends’ gatherings there are often experiments with different forms of worship, including certain aspects of programmed worship and music Quakers not celebrate Christian festivals such as Easter and Christmas (although Quaker families may mark Christmas as the secular festival it has largely become) They believe the events celebrated at such festivals should be kept in mind throughout the year Although Quaker Meetings for Worship generally take place on a Sunday, this is purely for convenience and not because Sunday is the Sabbath or a particularly holy day A Quaker is also held in the context of worship This may take place after a Meeting for Worship on a Sunday or at any other convenient time during the week The aim of a meeting for business is to seek the will of God It is not a matter of bowing to the will of the majority, as Friends not vote It is an exercise of listening to God through what each person says The Clerk has prepared an agenda and conducts the meeting, often with the help of an Assistant Clerk If the Clerk is not able to discern a clear sense of the meeting, no decision will be taken, and no minute will be made except to record that the meeting is not ready to proceed A can be called to focus on a particular issue, to enable members of the meeting to become “clear” about possible 20