Newcomers

The key that unlocks the door to the spiritual life belongs not to Peter, or to some other person, as an official. It belongs to the individual soul that finds the light, that discovers the truth, that sees the revelation of God and goes on living in the demonstration and power of it. - Rufus M. Jones

If you've never attended a Meeting for Worship, we hope you will come worship with us -- give it a try.   

Many have found help in viewing the "introductory" videos (below) to answer questions that might arise in expectation of a Quaker Meeting for Worship.   

Most Quaker meetings, at least in this part of country, are so-called "unprogrammed" meetings.
This means that our meetings for worship are not led by a minister, but are largely conducted in silence.  Typically, a Clerk or other Member of the Meeting will close worship with a simple "Good morning friends" but otherwise the meeting may be completely silent. 

Members and attenders are always invited to speak out of the silence with a message about their spiritual journey, although messages are not responded to directly .



A message has been described as a pebble tossed into a pond.  The resulting ripples are received by others in the meeting and may contribute to their own spiritual journeys. 


 

Videos About Quakerism 

While there is much to read on this website, if you are new to Quakerism, or have questions about deepening your faith, this list of videos may prove helpful.

QuakerSpeak issues new videos each week, so check back with this page frequently to learn more (or better yet, subscribe directly to QuakerSpeak and you will receive notification as each new video is released.

Some of our favorites are:

 

Quakerism Explained

	9 Core Quaker BELIEFS "There is a living, dynamic, spiritual presence at work in the world which is both within us and outside of us."  As a lifelong Quaker, Arthur Larrabee was frustrated that he couldn’t answer the question, “What do Quakers believe?” So he set out to do just that.
	The Difference Between Quaker Meeting and Other Services   "We are a seeking faith community. We experience the space in which we can explore our spiritual journey. We are not offering answers, but trying to ask the right questions."  How does Quaker Meeting compare to other Christian services? Quaker author Ben Pink Dandelion explores this question.
	What Do Quakers BELIEVE?   "I believe that there is a spirit that delights to do no evil. A spirit that yearns for me to be happy and to be able to connect on deep levels with other people. A spirit that wants me to search and to find and to act. A spirit that wants me to be responsible and at the same time to be bold and take risks." What do Quakers believe? As an experiential religion with no creed, there isn’t always an easy answer. We asked 26 Quakers about belief, and the resulting conversations were powerful.

Quaker Meeting: What to Expect

 

	The Experience of Newcomers I liked the principles that I see the Quakers standing for.... I like that there's not an authoritarian power structure and that everyone brings something to Quakerism.” “My first Quaker Meeting was a wonderment. I remember walking into that meeting and feeling a power.” What draws seekers to Quakerism, and what keeps them coming back? Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and QuakerSpeak asked seven people who have been attending Meeting for 2 years or less..
	My First Time at Quaker Meeting “My 1st impression of Quaker meeting was confusion. I really couldn't believe that people were uniting together in practice, not in dogma. This was literally incomprehensible to me. The fact that people believed different things and used different language and yet could come together to be a great community because they shared the same set of practices...” What's it like to attend Quaker meeting for worship for the first time? We asked 6 Friends what they remember about their first experience.
	Quaker Silence "Silence is the ground out of which worship comes. The silence leaves the space for the sound, the whisper, even the noise of the spirit." We asked a diverse group of Friends what they find most valuable about silence in Meeting for Worship. This is what they said.

The Quaker Experience

 

	How Quaker Meeting Changed My LIFE "What I like about the unprogrammed style is the power in the silence. The silence just allows the spirit to move within us. And when it does its very powerful and very enriching and uplifting." Lidney Molnari was “church shopping” when he had an experience that spoke to his condition at Live Oak Friends Meeting in Houston, TX.
	Leaving Quakerism BETTER "We are the inheritors of a tremendous history of people who of change the world. We should be willing to let people know who we are at that we still exist." Norval Reece was giving a tour of his Quaker meetinghouse when someone asked, “What is this space used for now?” That’s when he realized we’ve got to do a better job of telling our story.

 

Quaker Process

 

Parker Palmer Explains a Clearness Committee We have all kinds of sacred questions inside us, big questions of meaning like “What is the purpose of my life?” The Clearness Committee is a process invented by 17th century Quakers to help us find the answers to these questions. n a Clearness Committee, a small group of people form a community around a focus person and use honest, open questions to help the focus person discern more clearly their own inner truth. In this video, Parker J. Palmer, renowned author, speaker and activist, explains Clearness Committees.

Quaker Glossary "Quakers have a set of vocabulary that can be useful and can be confusing to newcomers. Part of the reason that it exists is that, as a non-dogmatic religion, there are ways that things need to be framed that are both specific and broad. "Meeting for Worship",“Monthly Meeting”, “Clerk”, “Convincement”, “Clearness”, “Minutes”... All these words mean something specific to Quakers! In this video we teamed up with Philadelphia Yearly Meeting to define 12 common Quaker terms.