When Friends consider ministry, they may think first of vocal contributions made during meeting for worship. But I would like to look at ministry in a broader context with a view to drawing a link, at least in some small way, between ministry in the whole of our lives and the ministry that takes place in meeting for worship.
Compassion is the ability to sympathise with the plight of others coupled with a desire to help.
When compassion is focused, it is concentrated, directed toward, and brought to bear on a particular problem or need in a practical way. The form in which our ministry our focused compassion manifests depends on the nature of the problem or need. It may take the form of words, or actions, or even of silence, or maybe a combination of all three. But compassion is focused at its best when it flows from the whole of our being appropriate to what we are , who we are , and in light of what we know about these first two factors , what we feel led to do . What we are takes into account the roles of science and the environment in our make up along with philosophical investigations into the nature of our being.