MFS Community Embraces Virtual Meeting for Worship and Wellness Practices

As Virtual MFS began on March 18, faculty and staff members worked quickly to develop ways for students to participate in worship and wellness activities from home. One of the key decisions was to allow students the choice to worship in the manner that felt most comfortable to them – and to give family members an opportunity to join as well.

“Sometimes students or adults will bring their pets or their family members, which adds a really different element of what it means to be together in a way that we never could have done,” explained Melissa McCourt, Chester Reagan Chair for Religious/Quaker Studies. 

Lower School students and families have been invited to attend weekly Virtual Meeting for Worship (MFW) via Zoom – a time for community reflection and sharing that includes a query and opening and closing songs. 

Middle and Upper School students can attend a weekly interdivisional Virtual MFW in a large group or choose an independent wellness practice, such as guided meditation, a personal faith-based practice, a yoga video, a walk outside, or an artistic endeavor. They are then encouraged to write reflectively about how the experience was meaningful.

“It’s giving us this core part of our identity, the fact that we’re holding on to it and relying on it,” McCourt said. “And I think it gives us a sense of comfort and connection during a time when we really need it.”