On silence as a meeting place with God

Check out the new website from Earlham College's Newlin Center for Quaker Thought and Practice, geared toward Young Friends:

http://www.discoverthyself.org/

= = = = = = = = =

About Quakers

Quakers--also known as Friends--are a dynamic, diverse religious body, with a rich history and vibrant communities around the globe.

There are about 360,000 Quakers in the world:

Total members 358,923 (U.S.87,022), by continent:

Africa = 43%

North America = 30%

Caribbean and Latin America =17%

Europe and Middle East =6%

Asia-West Pacific = 4%

(From FWCC - Friends World Committee for Consultation)

Quakers are a protestant denomination originating in England during the mid-1600s, officially known as the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

Most Friends churches or Quaker meetings (local congregations) are designated as Pastoral or Non-Pastoral; they may also be called Programmed or Unprogrammed:

Pastoral Meetings have a paid pastoral minister, and worship is conducted with some advance planning (programmed). Worshippers may sing hymns, have a children's lesson, hear a scriptural or other inspirational reading, listen to a prepared message from the pastoral minister or a guest speaker, make an offering to support the work of the meeting (gift or contribution), and/or engage in a period of silent worship (see below).

Non-Pastoral Meetings have no paid pastoral ministers, and worship is conducted with no advance planning (unprogrammed). Worshippers sit in silent worship or "waiting upon the Lord" (prayerful meditation), and anyone present may be led to speak out of the silence (vocal ministry). Friends in these meetings may sing hymns, share joys and concerns, or make an offering (gift or contribution) before or after worship.

Both types of Quaker meetings
are focused on fostering community and
respect for the dignity of each individual.

Founder George Fox said,

"Walk cheerfully over all the earth,

answering to that of God in everyone."

Friends value cooperation,

encourage careful listening, and

celebrate the contribution of each person,

regardless of one's background or social status

(e.g., age, gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, education, etc.).

Friends are open to the leading of the Inward Light or the Holy Spirit (continuing revelation).

Quaker meetings offer many opportunities for members and attenders to participate in creative, recreational and social activities--including but not limited to religious education, spiritual development, service and ministry--with room for all to grow in leadership.

There are four main branches of Friends (Quakers) in North America (see links on left sidebar).

Quaker meetings in the Cincinnati area are affiliated with two of these branches:

FGC - Friends General Conference

FUM - Friends United Meeting

Two other branches are found elsewhere:

Conservative Friends

EFI - Evangelical Friends International

To learn more about Quakerism, contact one of the three Friends (Quaker) meetings above--any of the contacts listed would be happy to answer your questions and describe their congregation's style of worship!

Quakers are perhaps best known for their Testimonies, or ways of living their faith in the world.

These historial commitments include:

peace,

simplicity,

community,

equality,

tolerance, and

integrity.

> Click here for FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions about Friends (Quakers)

Check out the websites of all three local Friends meetings.

Explore the links on the left sidebar to find more about Quakers in the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area and the wider world!

See below for Quaker quotes and more notices of upcoming events.

> If you do not live in the Greater Cincinnati metro area and would like to find a Quaker meeting near you, click here to use the QuakerFinder.

Quakers and Weddings

Quakers have distinctive ways of celebrating weddings, and Friends marriage ceremonies usually include:

• an open time of sharing (either before or after vows): for anyone to rise and speak out of a period of silence, sharing a reflection about why the couple is special to them, giving a brief message of encouragement or advice, reading a poem or singing a song.
• Quaker wedding certificate: everyone present signs it, from the oldest to the very youngest, and it's a lovely memento to keep framed in the home.

Most importantly, due to the testimony of equality, Quakers believe that the couple "marries" one another; nobody "marries" them. The couple are the active protagonists in the story of their own wedding. Among unprogrammed Friends, the couple may simply rise during the open worship and exchange vows without any introduction or prelude, and without a facilitator such as a pastor or minister. Some Friends do have pastoral ministers, but even if the worship is programmed, there is usually a period of open worship grounded in silence.

Members of Friends Meetings who wish to marry will undergo a "Clearness Process," meeting several times with a committee of trusted Friends to share about their plans to wed, and seeking "clearness" (with one another and before God) for the marriage. The clearness committee facilitates their listening to one another and may help guide the questions they are exploring with one another. The Friends Meeting may play a large or small role in hosting the party that follows the wedding, and in keeping with the Quaker testimony of simplicity, many Friends request that no gifts be given, or they have a very simple reception, such as a potluck meal.

Here are links for some brief online material describing Quaker resources and traditions relating to marriage and weddings:

1) From the unprogrammed (non-pastoral) perspective:
http://www.fgcquaker.org/library/welcome/fa-weddings.html

2) From the programmed (pastoral) perspective:
http://www.fum.org/QL/issues/0006/marriage.htm

Many faiths and Christian denominations offer retreats for couples (e.g., Marriage Encounter or Engaged Encounter). Quakers have a form of Marriage Enrichment: http://www.fgcquaker.org/traveling/couples/index.html A Friends Meeting may offer various resources for engaged or married couples, depending upon the interests, experiences and resources of its members. Contact the Friends meeting nearest you for more information and guidance.