[1]
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Updated with Study Guide, 2015
Updated with draft and preliminary chapters, 2018
Working Outline for Book of Faith and Practice, NEYM
(Note: provided for context. We are not asking for feedback on this working outline)
01 Bold denotes texts that have received preliminary approval, or have previously been presented to Sessions, and are now in the Interim F&P.
Glossary (borrowed from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting)
References (‘SOURCES AND REFERENCES 203’)
Section 3. 182
Moving Forward to the Remaining Chapters: The Integration of Faith and Life 191
A text given preliminary approval is substantially acceptable to Friends for inclusion in the final book. The time period between preliminary and final approval will likely be more than one year. This will allow both the Committee and the Yearly Meeting to have larger sections in front of them before giving final approval to any, knowing that the precise form of a given section will be influenced by what comes before and after.
Complete references to extracts are listed by their number at the back of the book.
Section 1. THE CHAPTERS WITH PRELIMINARY APPROVAL
Chapter 3: Corporate Discernment in Meetings for Business 81
Chapter 9: A Brief History of Friends in New England 106
Chapter 10: Revisions to This Faith and Practice 107
Chapter 11: General Advices and Queries 122
This book is a witness to the lived faith of Quakers in New England from the mid-17th century to the present. It is a devotional resource and a handbook of procedures. When procedural questions arise, this book is designed to be a helpful guide, not a rigid instruction manual. Through corporate discernment, we change our structures and procedures in responsive obedience to God.
This revision of NEYM Faith and Practice reflects a range of spiritual experience among Friends. Each selection retains the original language used by the individual or faith community.
Quotations are identified in the text by author and date. Complete references for each source text will be found on page 191. The book is also available electronically at neym.org/fandp/interim [3].
Since 2002 our trust that God is guiding us in the work of Faith and Practice revision has been grounded in a three-fold path of faith: faith in our Guide, faith in continuing revelation, and faith that we can be guided together. We have been clear since our beginnings that we wanted not just to revise the 1985 book, but to engage with the Yearly Meeting in re-visioning it by identifying where the Life is among us, and articulating and nurturing it. We intended our work to be a stimulus to discussion and prayerful discernment within the meetings, which would in turn inform our work. It has done both, and we are grateful for the insights of many meetings and individuals. We also affirm that these explorations are as valuable, or more so, than the final book.
During the 2013 NEYM Sessions we heard that Friends felt it would be useful to have the work done so far compiled into a book that could be held in the hand and set on a bedside table. At the same time the Publications and Communications Committee clerk offered to explore supporting our work. We are grateful for the work of many on that committee and beyond who worked to bring this project to fruition.
This Interim Faith and Practice is being made available at this time so that the Yearly Meeting may live with it, use it and continue to be fellow workers with us as we proceed to the remaining chapters on how our faith is lived out in our personal lives, in our meetings, and in the wider world. If the work were only that of the people on the Faith and Practice Revision Committee it would be incomplete. We need to be held closely by the body of the Yearly Meeting and to feel the motion of the Spirit among us. We are grateful for your responsiveness. The first section is Chapters Given Preliminary Approval, which means that they are substantially acceptable to the Yearly Meeting and are not expected to change except perhaps in very minor ways that may become desirable as the book nears completion. The second section, the Appendices Working Paper, has received considerable seasoning and is on its way to being ready, but it needs further seasoning. Please use these Appendices and let us know how well they serve. Are there other elements to add before they are fully useful? We are aware that some of the descriptive parts might more properly belong in the body of the book yet to be written. The third section articulates the vision that has guided us from the beginning and our sense of how this will inform our work as we move forward.
This chapter states some essentials of Quaker faith, not by articulating them, but by expressing them through the living personal and corporate experiences of Friends. Friends find that faith grows and matures through reflection on experiences of the Light. This rhythm of experience and reflection continues throughout life, opening us to continuing revelation.
An aspect of grace is that the Spirit communicates with us in words, images, and feelings that engage us. It is our task as individuals and as meetings to discover how to live faithfully a path we have been given.
The Spirit may break into our lives in powerful moments of altered consciousness or clarity. The Spirit may also work in a gradual unfolding of understanding and confidence. Often our lives contain a combination of both. What matters is living with integrity, faithful to our own experience.
It is often hard to find words to convey our experiences. How do we express that which is beyond description? Some may be led to use art, music, movement, or other non-verbal ways to express it. Let us listen not only to words, but to actions and lives which witness to the workings of the Spirit.
These extracts show the variety of ways Friends have been inspired to convey in words their experience of seeking and finding truth. While each one expresses a particular experience, together they convey something of the breadth and diversity among Friends, both past and present. They invite us to listen to the spirit from which the words arose.
The Spirit is timeless and Friends may find in the extracts a similarity of experience which serves to draw us together into that which is eternal.
“And this I knew experimentally.”
1.01. Now after I had received that opening from the Lord that to be bred at Oxford or Cambridge was not sufficient to fit a man to be a minister of Christ, I regarded the priests less, and looked more after the dissenting people ... But as I had forsaken all the priests, so I left the separate preachers also, and those called the most experienced people; for I saw there was none among them all that could speak to my condition. And when all my hopes in them and in all men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could tell what to do, then, Oh then, I heard a voice which said, ‘There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition,' and when I heard it my heart did leap for joy. Then the Lord did let me see why there was none upon the earth that could speak to my condition, namely, that I might give him all the glory; for all are concluded under sin, and shut up in unbelief as I had been, that Jesus Christ might have the pre-eminence, who enlightens, and gives grace, and faith, and power. Thus, when God doth work who shall [hinder] it? And this I knew experimentally.
1.02. In the year 1652 it pleased the Lord to draw [George Fox] toward us ... My then husband, Thomas Fell, was not at home at that time, but gone to the Welsh circuit, being one of the Judges of Assize, and our house [Swarthmoor Hall] being a place open to entertain ministers and religious people at, one of George Fox[’s] friends brought him hither, where he stayed all night. And the next day, being a lecture or a fast-day, he went to Ulverston steeplehouse, but came not in till people were gathered; I and my children had been a long time there before. And when they were singing before the sermon, he came in; and when they had done singing, he stood up upon his seat or form and desired that he might have liberty to speak. And he that was in the pulpit said he might ... . [George Fox] went on and said, How that Christ was the Light of the world and lighteth every man that cometh into the world; and that by this Light they might be gathered to God, etc. And I stood up in my pew, and I wondered at his doctrine, for I had never heard such before. And then he went on, and opened the Scriptures, and said, ‘The Scriptures were the prophets' words and Christ's and the apostles' words, and what as they spoke they enjoyed and possessed and had it from the Lord.' And said, ‘Then what had any to do with the Scriptures, but as they came to the Spirit that gave them forth. You will say, Christ saith this, and the apostles say this; but what canst thou say? Art thou a child of Light and hast walked in the Light, and what thou speakest, is it inwardly from God?' This opened me so that it cut me to the heart; and then I saw clearly we were all wrong. So I sat me down in my pew again, and cried bitterly. And I cried in my spirit to the Lord, ‘We are all thieves, we are all thieves, we have taken the Scriptures in words and know nothing of them in ourselves’ ... I saw it was the truth, and I could not deny it; and I did as the apostle saith, I ‘received the truth in the love of it,' And it was opened to me so clear that I had never a tittle in my heart against it; but I desired the Lord that I might be kept in it, and then I desired no greater portion.
1.03. Now to return to my apprenticeship; I had a very kind loving master and mistress, and I had meat enough, and work enough, but had little consideration about religion, nor any taste thereof. On First-days I frequented meetings, and the greater part of my time I slept, and took no account of preaching, nor received any other benefit than being there kept [me] out of bad company, which indeed is a very great service to youth ... but one First-day, being at meeting, a young woman, named Anne Wilson, was there and preached; she was very zealous, and fixing my eye upon her, she with a great zeal pointed her finger at me, uttering these words with much power, ‘A traditional Quaker, thou comest to meeting as thou went from it (the last time) and goes from it as thou came to it, but art no better for thy coming, what wilt thou do in the end?’ This was so pat to my then condition, that, like Saul, I was smitten to the ground, as it might be said, but turning my thoughts inward, in secret I cried, ‘Lord, what shall I do to help it?’ And a voice as it were spoke in my heart, saying ‘Look unto me, and I will help thee.’
1.04. At last, after all my distresses, wanderings, and sore travails, I met with some writings of this people called Quakers, which I cast a slight eye upon and disdained, as falling very short of that wisdom, light, life, and power which I had been longing for, and searching after ... After a long time I was invited to hear one of them (as I had been often, they in tender love pitying me, and feeling my want of that which they possessed) ... when I came, I felt the presence and power of the Most High among them, and words of Truth from the Spirit of Truth reaching to my heart and conscience, opening my state as in the presence of the Lord. Yea, I did not only feel words and demonstrations from without, but I felt the dead quickened, the seed raised; insomuch as my heart (in the certainty of light, and clearness of true sense) said, ‘This is he; this is he; there is no other: this is he whom I have waited for and sought after from my childhood; who was always near me, and had often begotten life in my heart; but I knew him not distinctly, nor how to receive him, or dwell with him.’
1.05. I was walking across one such green oasis—the lawn outside of St. Michael’s House—when it happened.
Someone spoke to me.
Not with words at first, but with a tremendous physical sensation. I have described it, ever since, as being as if a great hand seized me by the spinal column. I stopped. And I knew something all the way down to the core of me.
The words that came to me reflect just a ghost of the power of the knowing. I'm still working on finding all the implications of that knowing, so no single set of words was going to capture it, but the words were these:
If half a dozen men, armed only with box-cutters 1.05, can kill thousands, then the day when force could ‘settle' conflicts—if it ever could—is over and done.
Mostly, though, what came to me was a sense that the idea of force as a means to peace was just done for me. I had come to believe that, as the chestnut goes, there is no way to peace; that peace is the way.
It was in response to this that I began attending Mt. Toby meeting.
I remember sitting in that first meeting I attended, almost weeping with gratitude, watching Friend after Friend arrive. I’m just a single leaf, I thought. I'm just a single leaf, on a single tree, in a great Forest of those who are seeking peace. And as each Friend settled into their seat, I felt gladness. I felt that I was, at last, surrounded by teachers. I felt that everything was going to be All Right.
My only fear was that I would not be seen as belonging there. It was so transparently clear to me that I did that it made me a little afraid.
1.05 Box-cutters were the weapons used by the men who hijacked the planes flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.
1.06. I was at a very low point. I was sleeping out of doors on the porch close to the hill. A light breeze rustled through the overhanging branches of a great walnut tree. I was very tired. I looked up at the stars edging over the hill in my mood of great despondency. I said to God, ‘It's no use. I've tried all I can. I can’t do anything more.’ All of a sudden I seemed to be swept bodily out of my bed, carried above the trees and held poised in mid-air, surrounded by light—a light so bright that I could hardly look at it. Even when I closed my eyes I could feel it. A fragrance as of innumerable orange blossoms inundated my senses. And there was an echo of far-off music. All was ecstasy. I have no idea whether it lasted a minute or several hours. But for the rest of the night I lay in a state of peace and indescribable joy. How impossible it is to explain such a phenomenon in everyday language, but whatever it was changed my life. It was not a passing illusion. I never was the same again. For days I was terribly happy. The whole world seemed to be illumined, the flower colors were brighter, bird songs gayer, and people were kind, friendly and loving. This exaggerated brilliance faded somewhat with time and the intense sense of communion fluctuated. Later on there were, of course, low moments amidst the high peaks, and there were failures, dry seasons, and the recurring need for patience and perseverance. But I never lost the clarification of mind and spirit that was revealed to me on that night.
1.07. At age thirty, discouraged, broken, facing a profound spiritual crisis, I found myself under the care of a Presbyterian minister who engaged my services in helping edit his doctoral thesis on the subject of community. He was studying the history of Quakers, Mennonites, and the first-century church. I was required to read the Journals of George Fox and John Woolman, works by Elfrida Vipont, Samuel Bownas, and others. I was moved to tears by these works and would cry out in joy, ‘This is it, this is what I always hoped against hope was true—Christ can teach his people himself!’ I began diligently to put myself in a place to hear God speak. Day after day I sat on a chair in my living room determined that I was going to hear God speak or die. Eight months went by without a word. After those long months, I finally heard God’s voice clearly and undeniably.
That experience has been the high point of my spiritual journey.
I continued my listening and began to record in a journal every possible thought that came to me that could possibly be God's voice. I made note of how each thought felt, tasted, smelled, and shaded. I noted if I felt moved, if it was a new thought or old one, or whether or not there was a sense of character attached to it. Then I studied those notations as I watched my life unfold to see which of those thoughts panned out to be actual leadings. I learned that for me, leadings that were indeed from God came with a sense of being unquestionably true, they came often with an accompanying feeling that gave them color and direction. They came from deep inside rather than from the shallow place in my mind, and they always came in the character of God reflecting the virtues spelled out in the Beatitudes [Matthew 5:3-12 [4]]. I became suspect of leadings that were self-serving, self-aggrandizing, judgmental, arrogant, or possible weapons against those who disagreed with me.
Two things subsequently happened that changed my life forever and set me on my present path. One was that without my realizing it, during the time I was waiting to hear from God, I was being transformed radically. Friends and family commented on the changes that were to me imperceptible. At their urging I had to admit that my very basic paradigms had miraculously shifted. My view of money, power, and sexuality had been transformed. My love of attention, control, and material possessions had softened to the point of almost disappearing. Other changes, too profound to describe, were subtly shaping a new person within me. Shortly I recognized the changes in me as being the same virtues described in the passages in Matthew called the beatitudes: poverty of Spirit, meekness, mercifulness, love of peace, purity of heart, hunger for justice. I recognized these virtues as a description of Christ and believed that it was Christ's Spirit that was doing the transforming work within me. A passion arose in me to make one of my life's goals to become the embodiment of those virtues ... to be like Christ.
Secondly, I realized that Friends' spirituality was the only path I knew which believed in transformation directly from God's spirit rather than as a reward for some act or acts of obedience or self-discipline. I embraced that spirituality with a passion and a second life goal presented itself—I wanted to make a difference among Friends.
I now believe that God was teaching me how to receive revelation and respond faithfully to its message. Though I often falter and miss the truth, I have at least found a way to hear and recognize the voice of the one who sees.
1.08. Hannah Whitall Smith became so sensitive to the misery she saw in the world that she took to wearing a heavy veil. The following account is her response to that misery seen in the faces of two men sitting opposite her on a tram-car in Philadelphia.
‘O, God, how canst Thou bear it? Thou mightest have prevented it, but didst not. Thou mightest even now change it, but Thou dost not. I do not see how Thou canst go on living, and endure it.’ I upbraided God. And I felt I was justified in doing so. Then suddenly God seemed to answer me. An inward voice said, in tones of infinite love and tenderness, ‘He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied.’ ‘Satisfied!’ I cried in my heart, ‘Christ is to be satisfied! He will be able to look at the world's misery, and then at the travail through which He has passed because of it, and will be satisfied with the result! If I were Christ, nothing could satisfy me but that every human being should in the end be saved, and therefore I am sure that nothing less will satisfy Him.’ And with this a veil seemed to be withdrawn from before the plans of the universe, and I saw that it was true, as the Bible says, that ‘as in Adam all die—even so in Christ should all be made alive.’ As was the first, even so was the second. The ‘all’ in one case could not in fairness mean less than the ‘all’ in the other. I saw therefore that the remedy must necessarily be equal to the disease, the salvation must be as universal as the fall …
I hurried home to get hold of my Bible, to see if the magnificent fact I had discovered could possibly have been all this time in the Bible, and I had not seen it; and the moment I entered the house, I did not wait to take off my bonnet, but rushed at once to the table where I always kept my Bible and Concordance ready for use, and began my search. Immediately the whole Book seemed to be illuminated. ... I turned greedily from page to page of my Bible, fairly laughing aloud for joy at the blaze of light that illuminated it all. It became a new book. Another skin seemed to have been peeled off every text, and my Bible fairly shone with a new meaning. I do not say with a different meaning, for in no sense did the new meaning contradict the old, but a deeper meaning, the true meaning, hidden behind the outward form of words. The words did not need to be changed, they only needed to be understood; and now at last I began to understand them ...
I had always thought of Him as loving, but now I found out that He was far more than loving: He was love, love embodied and ingrained. I saw that He was, as it were, made out of love, so that in the very nature of things He could not do anything contrary to love . I saw that, because He is love, He simply, in the very nature of things, must be loving. It is not a matter of choice with Him, but a matter of necessity. And I saw that, once this fact was known, to trust in this God of love would be as natural as to breathe. Every doubting question was answered, and I was filled with an illimitable delight in the thought of having been created by such an unselfish God. Since I had this sight of the mother-heart of God, I have never been able to feel the slightest anxiety for any of His children; and by His children I do not mean only the good ones, but I mean the bad ones just as much.
1.09. At times the sense of Presence would well up in me. I seemed to feel the anguish of God at all the suffering in the world. Sometimes I had to turn away because I could not bear it.
The experience confirmed my intellectual awareness of God as a process, rather than an omnipotent deity outside our human struggles, holding life and death power over mortal. This I know experimentally: God is not outside the universe, but part of it, limited by the same laws of cause and effect, involved in our struggles, working beside us, and unable to save us from the chance disasters that befall us. As I experienced the anguish of God in my own grief, so in time I experienced the compassion of God. God suffers with us. We are not alone. This too, I know experimentally.
1.10. Bill Kreidler tells of a conversation with a Friend who wanted to hear spiritual stories of the times when things happened to people that they didn't expect, when they were “kicked into the presence of God, heard voices, had a dream that completely changed them.”
I remembered that very early one morning several years ago I had such a dream. It was during that period early in the morning when you’re in the slow process of waking up ... I kept dozing off. It was also at a very difficult period in my life. I was trying fairly unsuccessfully to cope with some very serious health problems and I was feeling very alone. I was feeling bereft. I was feeling hopeless. ...
It was a very simple dream. I dreamed that Jesus was walking toward me. Jesus got very close to me and he smiled and said, ‘When things grow dimmer, you always have me.’ And then he walked away.
When I woke up and remembered the dream, the first thought I had was, ‘Well, I wasn’t really asleep, so it doesn’t count.’ And then I thought, ‘No, if Jesus appears to you in any kind of a dream, it counts.' . Jesus was saying that if I needed him, he would be there for me. In the times when I was blind, he would help me see.
During the next few weeks, I realized something else: I did need him. To my surprise I realized that I had a new companion on my spiritual journey. I didn’t expect this companion, I didn’t expect that it would be Jesus, I didn’t expect he would ever be this important to me, but at this stage in my spiritual journey, he's exactly the companion I need. It reminds me of an old gospel song, ‘Jesus may not come when you want him, but he's right on time.’
To be honest, I'm a little amazed and a little uncomfortable sometimes, to hear myself say, ‘I’m a Christian.’ I really haven’t a clue where this leg of my spiritual journey is going to take me. I do know that I love where I am, even though I don't know where that is. I’m in another cycle of coming out, coming through, coming home.
1.11. I want to know not only conscience, but Christ. Yes, but to the sincere experimentalist, using his conscience as a guide, and seeking always to focus his life on that of Jesus Christ as he knows Him in the Gospels, and recognizes Him in His faithful disciples, there comes a time when the line between conscience and Christ grows very thin. There comes a time when the higher life of which I am always aware, and which I have tried to follow, becomes so merged in my thought of Christ and my devotion to Him, that I can hardly distinguish the two in my mind. There comes a time when suddenly I am on my knees, my whole soul flooded with light and love, tears in my heart and eyes, an unspeakable peace enfolding me. The pierced hands have reached through to me at last and draw me gently forth to Him. ‘Come unto Me and rest,’ and I answer, ‘Yea, for I am hid with Christ in God.’
I have sketched, you say, a hypothetical career. No, it is a story from real life. You say I have spoken in mystical language. I answer, Yes, the supreme moment cannot be defined in the dry language of theology, nor can words express it. You say the experience is the result of mental suggestion practised over a term of years. I answer, No one believes that who has once been there and taken off his shoes on holy ground,—the reality is too overpowering, the effect too profound.
1.12. On a certain summer afternoon towards the end of the first quarter of this century, I came home after a long and tiring day and, sitting down in the shade of the garden, I fell into a brown study. Quite unexpectedly I began to talk to myself, and to my surprise, I heard myself saying to myself, ‘If you don’t take care, you will end up by losing your soul!’ The humour of this remark struck me, since, as far as I was aware, I did not believe at that time that I had a soul to lose. Looking back now I realize that particular afternoon marked a turning point in my life. Anyone who begins to refer to his soul as something that can be lost and found has discovered a new field of experience and a new inner reservoir of facts to be studied and related to the outward facts of his ordinary life. This redirection of my search—from an outward search for truth in nature, to an inward search for truth in myself—was the next step necessary for the healing of my own divided mind.
1.13. Luke Cock (1657-1740), a butcher by trade and a noted singer, preached at York, England, in 1721. His idiom may be unfamiliar to modern readers, but a translation into today's English could not do justice to his words.
Necessity, Friends, outstrips the law: necessity has made many people go by the Weeping Cross ... I remember I was younce travelling through Shrewsbury, and my Guide said to me: ‘I’ll show thee the Weeping Cross.’ ‘Nay’, said I, ‘thou need not; I have borne it a great while’. Now this place that he showed me was four lane ends.
I remember when I first met with my Guide. He led me into a very large and cross [place], where I was to speak the truth from my heart—and before I used to swear and lie too for gain. ‘Nay, then,’ said I to my Guide, ‘I mun leave Thee here: if Thou leads me up that lane, I can never follow: I’se be ruined of this butchering trade, if I mun’t lie for a gain.’ Here I left my Guide, and was filled with sorrow, and went back to the Weeping Cross: and I said, if I could find my good Guide again, I’ll follow Him, lead me whither He will. So here I found my Guide again, and began to follow Him up this lane and tell the truth from my heart. I had been nought but beggary and poverty before; and now I began to thrive at my trade, and got to the end of this lane, though with some difficulty.
But now my Guide began to lead me up another lane, harder than the first, which was to bear my testimony in using the plain language. This was very hard; yet I said to my Guide, ‘Take my feeble pace, and I’ll follow Thee as fast as I can. Don’t outstretch me, I pray Thee.’ So by degrees I got up here.
But now I was led up the third lane: it was harder still, to bear my testimony against tithes—my wife not being convinced. I said to my Guide, ‘Nay, I doubt I never can follow up here: but don’t leave me: take my pace, I pray Thee, for I mun rest me.’ So, I tarried here a great while, till my wife cried, ‘We’se all be ruined: what is thee ganging stark mad to follow t’silly Quakers?’ Here I struggled and cried, and begged of my Guide to stay and take my pace: and presently my wife was convinced. ‘Well,’ says she, ‘now follow thy Guide, let come what will. The Lord hath done abundance for us: we will trust in Him.’ Nay, now, I thought, I’ll to my Guide again, now go on, I’ll follow Thee truly; so I got to the end of this lane cheerfully. ...
My Guide led me up another lane, more difficult than any of the former, which was to bear testimony to that Hand that had done all this for me. This was a hard one: I thought I must never have seen the end of it. I was eleven years all but one month in it. Here I began to go on my knees and to creep under the hedges, a trade I never forgot since, nor I hope never shall. I would fain think it is unpossible for me to fall now, but let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
I thought to have had a watering: but ye struggle so I cannot get you together. We mun have no watering tonight, I mun leave you every yan to his own Guide.
1.14. The first gleam of light, ‘the first cold light of morning’ which gave promise of day with its noontide glories, dawned on me one day at meeting, when I had been meditating on my state in great depression. I seemed to hear the words articulated in my spirit, ‘Live up to the light thou hast, and more will be granted thee.’ Then I believed that God speaks to man by His Spirit. I strove to lead a more Christian life, in unison with what I knew to be right, and looked for brighter days, not forgetting the blessings that are granted to prayer.
1.15. My brother, Russell, and I were jamming away one afternoon nearly 30 years ago when the improvisation took a turn. We both felt a sense of being taken over by the Spirit, of being played. In the music, we heard a sound of a tune we both knew, and, all of a sudden, we found ourselves moving into an improvisation around that song. As we were playing, we both experienced three waves of light passing through and among us. My eyes were closed, but I saw and felt a warm, powerful light passing through my body and the room. Russell said that he was looking at the linoleum-tiled, flecked floor, when one of the white flecks jumped off the floor, expanded to fill the room and passed through his body. In that moment I experienced a musical and spiritual breakthrough. I was taught the musical concept of modal improvisation and I was given tangible assurance of divine reality. Along with the waves of light, I heard various other instruments and voices of a great orchestra and chorus joining our song. Or, perhaps more likely, we were joining that song. Music is a metaphor for my spiritual journey. In my life, music has moved from a place where I retreat, to fill my soul, to a place of prayer, where my soul overflows. ... In recent years, I continue to play music. I love to accompany singing on guitar and still jam away at my violin. Now there is jamming, or improvisation, with a group and then there is doing scales. Spiritual discipline, individual prayer is like playing scales. Meeting for worship is like jamming together with Friends. I cannot control the ways in which God’s grace is offered, but I can work on my receptiveness to that grace. The experience of the waves of light passing through my brother and me was grace. The preparation to receive that grace took a lot of scales.
1.16. What is salvation? Salvation, for me, is the coming into harmony with the song God is singing. I can only express it as a musical metaphor. There’s something visceral and non-verbal about it. If you’ve ever been trying to come into harmony and you’ve not been in harmony and then you are, you know what I mean. It is not an event, it is a place, it is happening always anew, and yet it’s a place to reside. When I find the center, when I am still and open, I find myself in that harmony, and since time is not a property of God, when I am there I am adjacent to eternity, and if that is what is waiting for me when my body falls away, I am eager for it, and I know it will seem familiar.
1.17. During the fall of my freshman year in college I used to escape the stress of crowded high-rise dorm life by taking my books onto a grassy stretch of lawn to study. One afternoon as I stretched out on the grass to take a break I found myself growing more and more relaxed and peaceful. I wasn’t falling asleep, I was just resting. My breathing slowed and the outside world fell away. I became aware of the most delightful soft laughter and felt a profound sense of welcome, as though I had entered a room full of people who had been eagerly waiting just for me. As I lay there, a young man approached and asked me the time. I sat up when I heard his voice but was so disoriented I couldn’t understand him until he pointed to his wrist indicating a watch. I managed to tell him the time but he looked at me very strangely when he thanked me. The same young man found me in the same spot again the next day and introduced himself. I apologized having been so vague but he said he’d actually come back particularly to find me. He had been astonished the day before, because when I had turned to face him, I was glowing.
1.18. I do personally experience the presence of Christ. Usually when I am singing. And sometimes when I am praying or even occasionally during the preaching. I feel the presence in my body but it’s not like any other feeling I ever have. I feel closer to God and close to other members of the choir. We often all feel the feeling at once but in different ways. I forget the rest of the world in that moment. It is just me and the choir and God. It is good that we forget the world at these times. Often members of my choir lead hard lives. Some have been chased out of their house at night by war. But they come to church and sing. Singing heals us. I have recently learned that some Friends call this ‘being gathered,’ and that they experience it in the silence. It amazes me that you can have this without singing.
The first time that I really experienced God for myself came through prayer. I started praying on my own when I was nine years old. One day I prayed for protection and I really saw a response from God. Since then, prayer has become important in so many ways. I feel good and peaceful after talking to God. God always puts feelings in my heart to warn me of danger.
1.19. As a teenager I looked for proof of the existence of God, but soon realised that there would be none. I chose to adopt as a working hypothesis a belief in God, and to go on from there. I have not felt the need to revise that hypothesis—yet. I believe in a powerful, all-knowing God, but a caring and a forgiving God. I believe he says to us: ‘All right, you’ve got life, get on with it, live it! I am there behind to guide you, to help you live it; but don’t expect me to interfere to make life smooth for you—you are old enough to stand on your own two feet.’
1.20. While Caitlin Caulfield was spending her 17th year far away from her Alaska home, she had to deal simultaneously with an unfamiliar culture, a friend’s death, and her mother’s life-threatening illness.
Well, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Meditating, more like it. Today, in my first class, it came to me that what I should be doing is making origami cranes for Mumma. And now, after having made a hundred, I know why. It’s partly for the cranes, partly for Mumma. But mostly, the folding allows me time to go inward ... I haven’t ‘got religion.’ But I felt God while I was folding cranes. I also had an epiphany of sorts about the concept of ‘holding in the Light.’ I always had this vague idea that it was praying, asking, ‘Please, let Mumma get better’ (for example). As I was folding, I realized I was truly holding Mumma, and my friend who died, in the Light ... As for holding in the Light, it’s not about praying. It’s about saying, ‘Look here, God. This stuff is devastating. Right now, the world doesn’t make sense. But I can’t make it make sense. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. So whatever needs to happen—that is what should happen.’ Holding in the Light is an act of complete surrender, completely letting go and just trusting. Just trusting.
1.21. While I was too young to have any religion of my own, I had come to a home where religion kept its fires always burning. We had very few ‘things,’ but we were rich in invisible wealth. I was not ‘christened’ in a church, but I was sprinkled from morning to night with the dew of religion. We never ate a meal which did not begin with a hush of thanksgiving; we never began a day without ‘a family gathering’ at which mother read a chapter of the Bible after which there would follow a weighty silence. These silences, during which all the children of our family were hushed with a kind of awe, were very important features of my spiritual development. There was work inside and outside the house waiting to be done, and yet we sat there hushed and quiet, doing nothing. I very quickly discovered that something real was taking place. We were feeling our way down to that place from which living words come, and very often they did come. Some one would bow and talk with God so simply and quietly that He never seemed far away. The words helped to explain the silence. We were now finding what we had been searching for. When I first began to think of God I did not think of Him as very far off. At a meeting some of the Friends who prayed shouted loud and strong when they called upon Him, but at home He always heard easily and He seemed to be there with us in the living silence. My first steps in religion were thus acted. It was a religion which we did together. Almost nothing was said in the way of instructing me. We all joined together to listen for God, and then one of us talked to Him for the others. In these simple ways my religious disposition was being unconsciously formed and the roots of my faith in unseen realities were reaching down far below my crude and childish surface thinking.
“...the kingdom of heaven did gather us, and catch us all, as in a net...”
1.22. [F]or, when I came into the silent assemblies of God’s people, I felt a secret power among them, which touched my heart; and as I gave way unto it I found the evil weakening in me and the good raised up; and so I became thus knit and united unto them, hungering more and more after the increase of this power and life whereby I might feel myself perfectly redeemed; and indeed this is the surest way to become a Christian; to whom afterwards the knowledge and understanding of principles will not be wanting, but will grow up so much as is needful as the natural fruit of this good root, and such a knowledge will not be barren nor unfruitful.
1.23. [And] the kingdom of heaven did gather us, and catch us all as in a net; and his heavenly power at one time drew many hundreds to land; that we came to know a place to stand in, and what to wait in; and the Lord appeared daily to us, to our astonishment, amazement, and great admiration; insomuch that we often said one unto another, with great joy of heart: ‘What! is the kingdom of God come to be with men? And will he take up his tabernacle among the sons of men, as he did of old? And what! shall we, that were reckoned as the outcasts of Israel, have this honour of glory communicated amongst us, which were but men of small parts, and of little abilities, in respect of many others, as amongst men?’
1.24. On one never-to-be-forgotten Sunday morning, I found myself one of a small company of silent worshippers who were content to sit down together without words, that each one might feel after and draw near to the Divine Presence, unhindered at least, if not helped, by any human utterance. Utterance I knew was free, should the words be given; and, before the meeting was over, a sentence or two were uttered in great simplicity by an old and apparently untaught man, rising in his place amongst the rest of us. I did not pay much attention to the words he spoke, and I have no recollection of their purport. My whole soul was filled with the unutterable peace of the undisturbed opportunity for communion with God, with the sense that at last I had found a place where I might, without the faintest suspicion of insincerity, join with others in simply seeking His presence. To sit down in silence could at the least pledge me to nothing; it might open to me (as it did that morning) the very gate of heaven. And, since that day, now more than seventeen years ago, Friends’ meetings have indeed been to me the greatest of outward helps to a fuller and fuller entrance into the spirit from which they have sprung; the place of the most soul-subduing, faith-restoring, strengthening, and peaceful communion, in feeding upon the bread of life, that I have ever known.
1.25. In Quaker meeting I’ve had the remarkable sensation of observing the room through the eyes of a bird perched high on a window looking in; and sitting quietly with my eyes closed, I’ve felt everything in the room—plants, people, furniture and the Presence penetrating everything—melt together. In the shining joy that accompanies this phenomenon, my differentiated consciousness is a drop of water in the divine sea, not separate but flowing together with all consciousness, all experience. The drop does re-separate and I return to just being myself. But in the lingering glow of what I’ve seen, everything I touch, every person I pass, I recognize as—well, as me, as part of the same sacred identity. There is really in essence no I, you, and it—just we, and we are within the much larger identity of holy universality.
1.26. I have experienced in some silence-based meetings for worship, especially memorial meetings, the overwhelming, loving presence of the Spirit in a silence which is almost physically heavy, as though a great chord has just been played. Beyond doubt the whole meeting feels it together. Once we have experienced this, we know the existence of the living God, and nothing that ever happens can take this certainty away from us.
1.27. In pastoral meetings it is common for the pastor to give a message at meeting for worship, for which preparation is made ahead of time.
Often, as I work, I sense a stirring, an excitement, a focus, that seems more than just a pleasure in the creative process of finding the right words to express something. I feel the quality of message in my body, coming through my typing fingers, rather than out of my mouth; knowing that when those words come to be spoken on Sunday, there will be that stirring of the Spirit once again ... I do my best work when I prepare well ahead of time and give the message time to soak into me. Often I find it is what I really need to hear myself.
“All faithful people are not called to public ministry, but whoever are, are called to minister of that which they have tasted and handled spiritually. The outward modes of worship are various, but whenever men are true ministers of Jesus Christ it is from the operation of his spirit upon their hearts...”
1.28. In the year 1755, being in company with Comfort Hoag and her companion, from New England, then on a religious visit to Friends in this part of the country, I attended a meeting with them in which I felt a concern to speak to the assembly, but, as usual, evaded it.
After meeting Comfort said to me, ‘David, why didst thou not preach today?’ I smiled at the query, seeming to wonder that she should ask such a question, and endeavored to appear innocent and ignorant of any concern of that kind. As she knew nothing of me but what she had felt, (having never before seen or heard of me) she said no more.
On the following day a similar concern came upon me, and I evaded it as before. After meeting Comfort again said to me, ‘David, why didst thou not preach today?’ I endeavored to pass it by, as I did before; but she said it was not worth while to evade it, for she was assured that I ought to have preached that day, and that I had almost spoiled her meeting by refraining, which had hindered her service. When I found I could not conceal my faults, I confessed the whole, and told her I had been for more than twenty years in that practice; and then gave her a history of my life from the beginning down to that day. She admired that divine kindness was yet manifested toward me in such manner, seeing I had so long rebelled against it, and then gave me suitable caution and advice.
The following day, being at meeting, I again felt a concern to speak to the people, but endeavored to evade it. ... Thus I spent the greater part of an hour. At length my divine Master, the great Master Builder, thus addressed me, ‘Why dost thou still delay. Desiring to be excused until a more convenient season? There never will be a better time than this. I have waited on thee above twenty years; I have clearly made known to thee my will, so that all occasion of doubt has been removed; yet thou hast refused to submit until thy day is far spent; and if thou dost not speedily comply with my commands, it will be too late; thy opportunity will be lost.’
I then clearly saw that if I were forsaken, and left to myself, the consequence would be death and darkness forever! At the sight of the horrible pit that yawned for me, if I continued in disobedience, my body trembled like an aspen leaf, and my soul was humbled within me! Then I said, ‘Lord! Here am I; make what thou wouldst have me to be; leave me not in displeasure, I beseech thee’ All my power to resist was then suspended; ... and was raised on my feet, I hardly knew how, and expressed in a clear and distinct manner what was on my mind.
When I had taken my seat Comfort Hoag rose, and had an open, favorable opportunity to speak to the assembly.
After meeting she told me that, during the time we had sat in silence, her whole concern was on my account; that her anxiety for my deliverance from that bondage was such, that she was willing to offer up her natural life to the Lord, if it might be a means to bring me forth in the ministry; and that on making that offering I rose to speak. On which her anxiety for me was removed, and her mind filled with concern for the people present.
1.29. When I grew to about thirteen years of age, I began to discover something about me, or in my mind, like the heavenly anointing for the ministry; for the Lord had revealed His word as a hammer and had broken the rock in pieces in my living experience; and I was contrited under a sense of power and love; saying even vocally when alone, ‘Lord, make me a chosen vessel unto Thee’ ..
With respect to my first appearances [in ministry, when about seventeen years old] ... I shrunk from it exceedingly; and often have I hesitated, and felt such a reluctance to it, that I have suffered the meeting to break up without my having made the sacrifice: yea, when the word of life in a few words was like a fire within me.
It pleased the Lord to call me into a path much untrodden, in my early travels as a messenger of the Gospel, having to go into markets and to declare the truth in the streets ... No one knows the depth of my sufferings and the mortifying, yea, crucifying of my own will, which I had to endure in this service; yet I have to acknowledge to the sufficiency of divine grace herein ... In the year 1801, I wrote thus: ‘O heavenly Father, Thou hast seen me in the depth of tribulation, in my many journeyings and travels... It was Thy power which supported me when no flesh could help, when man could not comprehend the depth of mine exercise. Be Thou only and for ever exalted in, by and through Thy poor child, and let nothing be able to pluck me out of Thy hand.’
1.30. I remember an instance in my own experience, very painfully corroborating this danger to which ministers—especially those who have abundant words at command—are exposed; and it has been instructively brought to my remembrance, as a watchword of caution and warning, to keep me from falling again in this way. Many years since, while traveling in Truth’s service, I attended a meeting in which I felt my mind much enlarged in Gospel love, and in travail on behalf of the people then assembled, and I think that I have very seldom, if ever, been more favored with a distinct and clear opening for extensive labor, than on this occasion. I stood up in this opening, and began by repeating three or four disjointed passages of Scripture, as they had been presented to my mind, expecting to go on and show how they harmoniously blended together when properly considered, in establishing and enforcing important principles of Christian doctrines and testimonies. I had, however, no sooner uttered these disjointed and apparently opposite sentences, than I felt a check in my mind, with a gentle intimation that I ought at once to sit down and proceed no further. But feeling a fear that some tender, seeking minds then present, would be stumbled and wounded at what they would probably think to be the opposing sentiments which I had uttered, I concluded, after standing awhile silently considering my painfully embarrassing position, that I had better, in as few words as possible, inform the meeting how it had been with me, so that no tender mind might be hurt; firmly intending, after this short explanation, to take my seat. But before I got through with my explanation, the subject a little revived, and words came so pressingly upon me for utterance, that I could find no place for stopping; and so I went on, pouring out words, and passing from subject to subject, with a rapidity such as I have never known before or since. During all this time, I trembled in every limb with fear and amazement, feeling an unholy fire in my heart; so that at last I concluded, that it was the devil that had now set me to preaching, and that he would never suffer me to stop, but that I should have to stand there, preaching at his bidding, till I died.
It is a fearful thing to slight even the gentlest intimations of the Lord’s will; and I had additionally transgressed, in endeavoring, with the best intentions, but in my own will and wisdom, to patch up and mend that which the Lord had marred, and dearly did I pay for my presumption and disobedience.
1.31. When it was time for the ‘keynote’ I carried a chair over my head through the sea of people and chairs so I could sit up front, but off to one side. [JH] stood near the fireplace and spoke on her feet, with just a chair near her containing a few pages of notes. A centering silence to begin, and then the words began to flow out of her, at first a well-organized and well-delivered flow of ideas to flood the expectant openness with a first calm lake of shared understanding. But the calm, quiet stream began to build in depth and power to a message of elegant, one-pointed coherence and wisdom and saving power, full of Life. There was not one false or hesitant note. I did not look at her, I was deeply submerged in prayer—she was the only person in the room for me. I could feel her drawing energy from my prayer. I could feel her making her way into deeper and deeper waters, surely, clearly, with complete trust. The words and quotes came to her exactly when they were needed. I could feel something hugely important coming; it was just out of sight. I felt her gather herself. I ‘woke-up’ intensely alert in my prayer, and found this prayer form in me: ‘Please Jesus, stand near to her; hold her and whisper in her ear the words You would have her say.’ And just then she paused for the briefest moment and turned her message in a new and far deeper direction saying ‘But these are just words, a lot of words, when what is really asked of us is communion, instead of communication—a communion that is beyond all words.’
And I said, ‘Why thank you Jesus for saying so clearly that you are here and this is what you want us to know.’ This was maybe 2/3 of the way through the 40-minute talk. I was so drawn in by hearing Jesus that my brain stopped working. I couldn’t imagine there was anything more to say. But there was, and she went gracefully back to edifying us about the need for, and importance of the disciplines; about how it is open hearts and listening ears that draw out the Divine messages. Towards the end I asked myself if there was anything more she had wanted to talk about and I realized she had not really explained ‘elders.’ So shortly after that she fully and beautifully expressed the elder’s gift, the loneliness and missed opportunity of unrecognized, uncalled-out elders in a meeting; Friends who come with their natural gifts of eldering exercised every week but who are ignored and unrecognized in their meetings.
When she finished and sat down next to me I was moved to reach over and place my hand on her knee, firmly, and squeeze. She instantly clasped my hand and held it tightly for a long, deep moment until she just as decisively let go. We settled into a deep held silence until it was time to close the meeting.
1.32. Despite feeling ill-qualified for the task, Sue Reilly agreed, after praying with her care committee, to give a presentation to a meeting dealing with a distressing conflict on the topic of spiritual health of meetings.
I began the presentation while Friends listened politely. When I came to the subject of how meetings handle conflict, I remarked that they knew something about conflict. It was then that God took over the evening and I sat back, holding the process in prayer. For the first time, they were able to talk with one another without emotional distress.
As I was driving home, I was overcome with a sense of total oneness—a sense of being part of everything and not existing as a separate entity. Words do not begin to convey the power of that unity—floating, a total lack of fear, being held in perfect love, not disappearing but becoming more. I had a feeling of gratitude for being able to live in holy surrender, that anxiety and feelings of inadequacy for the task did not prevent me from saying ‘yes’ when it was clear from the discernment that it was mine to do. I realized that if I were truly following a leading I would not be abandoned and did not need to be afraid.
“I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness. And in that also I saw the infinite love of God; and I had great openings.”
1.33. I was under great temptations sometimes, and my inward sufferings were heavy; but I could find none to open my condition to but the Lord alone, unto whom I cried night and day. And I went back into Nottinghamshire, and there the Lord shewed me that the natures of those things which were hurtful without, were within in the hearts and minds of wicked men ... And I cried to the Lord, saying, ‘Why should I be thus, seeing I was never addicted to commit those evils?’ And the Lord answered that it was needful I should have a sense of all conditions, how else should I speak to all conditions; and in this I saw the infinite love of God. I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness. And in that also I saw the infinite love of God; and I had great openings.
1.34. I often remember a time when I was in some sadness of spirit, and I went into our little village church at evensong. One of the psalms we were chanting suddenly had something to say to me. ... [W]e came to a passage which had often puzzled me: ‘Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well,’ I found the words were different. They were translated: ‘Who going through the vale of misery use it for a well.’ At that moment I realised that our times of despair, our times of sorrow, our times of suffering, can all be used as a well. ... Let us not waste our sorrows, our sufferings, our moments of despair. We must use them. We must use them for a well, and the living water will spring up and refresh our spirits, and the spirits of those around us.
1.35. Sandra Cronk writes of her experience after her father’s death.
In the pain and loss, which were acute, I had a curious experience of God’s presence. That was true at the beginning and it has remained true these two years. It was curious because I had heretofore assumed that such pain and emptiness were incompatible with a strong sense of God’s presence. But that is untrue. Those people who recommend a stronger prayer life as though grief is synonymous with loss of faith in God are quite mistaken. I could and did have experiences of joy and loss at the same time in God.
1.36. My beloved daughter faces a life threatening, life-changing disease. It is not in my belief system to ask God for a miracle cure but to be present with us as I walk along the path of her illness. I am faithful to the practice of lighting a morning candle, opening the window to the outside world, no matter the weather. I look to see what God has brought to me this day; what beauty, what changes, what companions from the natural world. I read sacred literature and I pray. I ask with hope that the mist clears from my eyes so that I glimpse/feel/understand the presence of the Spirit and I am always utterly surprised when insight pops into my consciousness. Most of all, I relinquish my heart to utter trust. This faithful, everyday practice builds my own sensitivity to the movement of the Spirit in my heart. It nourishes me enough to face the challenges I am given and to embrace gifts of happiness and wisdom. At the darkest moments, the Spirit is my resource.
1.37. Thus having in a great measure lost my own Guide, and darkness being come upon me, I sought a place where I might have been alone, to weep and cry before the Lord, that His face I might find, and my condition recover: But then my adversary who had long waited his opportunity, had got in, and bestirred himself every way, so that I could not be hid, and diverse messages came to me in that case, some true, some false (as I have seen since). ... [Y]ea, the provocations of that time of temptation was exceeding great against the pure love of God, yet He left me not; ... my adversary so prevailed, that all things were turned and perverted against my right seeing, hearing or understanding, only a secret hope and faith I had in my God, whom I had served, that He would bring me through it, and to the end of it; and that I should see again the day of my redemption from under it all: And this quieted my soul in my greatest tribulation.
1.38. It was a memorable meeting—held in silence, however, as usual, never to be forgotten. Very soon after sitting down, great was the awfulness and the reverence that came upon me. It was succeeded by such a view and sense of my sinful life, that I was like one crushed under the mill stones. My misery was great; my cry was not unlike that of Isaiah; ‘Woe is me, for I am undone!’ The nearer I was then favoured to approach to Him ‘who dwelleth in the light,’ the more I saw my uncleanness and my wretchedness. But how can I set forth the fullness of heavenly joy that filled me when the hope was again raised that there was One, even He whom I had pierced, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, that was able to save me? ... On my earnest petition being put to Him, the language was proclaimed: ‘Thy sins are forgiven, thy iniquities are pardoned.’ Floods of tears of joy and gratitude gave vent to the fullness of my heart!
1.39. Tom Fox was a member of the Christian Peacekeeper Team in Iraq. Margaret Hassan, an aid worker, was kidnapped and killed in 2004. Tom Fox was kidnapped in 2005 and killed in 2006. This extract is from his journal for Saturday, December 25, 2004.
At a team worship time soon after the kidnapping of Margaret Hassan I [had] a very clear image. It was of a land of shadows and darkness. But within that land candles were burning; not many but enough to shed some light on the landscape. Some candles disappeared and it was my sense that their light was taken away for protection. Other candles burned until nothing was left and a small number of candles seemed to have their light snuffed out by the shadows and the darkness. What was most striking to me was that as the candles which burned until the end and the candles whose light was snuffed out ceased to burn more candles came into being seemingly to build on their light. ... [It’s] my sense that removing ourselves from the shadows and darkness will never create the capacity for those living in the shadows to grow in the light.
1.40. As many candles lighted and put in one place do greatly augment the light, and makes it more to shine forth; so when many are gathered together into the same Life, there is more of the glory of God, and his powers appear to the refreshment of each individual for that he partakes not only of the Light and life raised in himself but in all the rest.
1.41. Our witness is that the Kingdom of God is among us now, accessible to all who will allow it to re-orient and guide their lives. You and I and any who wish to join us can live in a profoundly different way, and we don’t have to wait for permission from some human authority to do so. Our meeting communities are the primary locus for this witness—but only when we learn to love one another. That means loving the Friend who annoys me most, whose spiritual vocabulary sets my teeth on edge, who is most different from me or most challenging to me. That means loving all those who call themselves Friends who have adopted the pastoral system, or call themselves evangelicals, or seem to be stuck in old-fashioned ways of speaking and dressing, or who seem to be more concerned about their political activism than their spiritual health. If we can’t love one another, we have no ground on which to stand for witnessing to the rest of the world that they can and should love one another across much more profound divisions.
1.42. I cannot escape from the reality of pain, but I can experience ‘joy’ in trying to stop (and at the very least lessen) the impact of social and economic injustice on the larger community. As a Friend I am called to witness to a living goodness that exists in all women and men. For me that often means confronting that which negates a positive life experience. I must reflect in the silence of worship, finding strength in my spiritual community, and move onward towards an active expression of my belief. ... As a Black, I view the relationship of Christianity to people of color as radical in its expression, serving as a liberating force. An important voice in the Black religious community, James Cone, points out that ‘Being black in America has little to do with skin color. To be black means that your heart, your soul, your mind and your body are where the dispossessed are.’ ... This is where I stand as a member of the Religious Society of Friends.
1.43. It’s a long journey, this hike to Zion, and as much as God’s kingdom is here and now—and I believe it is—the journey is neither short nor easy. Zion is a long way off, and it takes a lot of marching, a lot of loving, and Spirit-powered GPS. It’s so long that it’s generational. Walking along with our spiritual ancestors is not as quaint as it might sound on first blush. Surely Elias Hicks studiously avoids Joseph Hoag and Stephen Grellet; John Wilber and Joseph John Gurney look askance at each other. Plain friends roll their eyes at Margaret Fell’s red cloak and Elizabeth Fry’s purple shoes. A whole group of Friends shun Hannah and Joel Bean. But it is easy for us modern Friends to feel some kind of bond with these folks, to see the places we’re connected and to look with generous eye at differences. It’s an arduous trek to get to the ‘beautiful city of God.’ We need to lean on each other’s love today just as we love our spiritual foremothers and forefathers, accentuating our commonalities and looking kindly at our differences. We need the wisdom of our spiritual ancestors. We need the forgiveness and love of each other, and we need the good hiking shoes of an open heart.
1.44. Someone in worship today gave a brief summary of the naturalistic interpretation of religion. How rational, judicious, and powerless seemed our intellectual expressions and how little they met the need of a young attender, obviously in need of deeper ministry, who left, overcome by emotion, in the middle of meeting. The real ministry of our meeting came from the concern of several who followed him out to give him comfort. I saw that such loving kindness, call it love or agape, is the manifestation in the natural world of that which transcends it. Love does have power—not the political or mechanical power the world seems to covet, but a basic power that works in another way, not by overcoming but by reunion. Such a working, when it points to its source, can be called a miracle—not a breach of nature, but an inbreak of love.
1.45. I have felt welcome through the open doors of the Quaker Meeting as a refugee from church. I have been given space and direction to make my peace with God, with the Spirit, with Jesus in the loving mix of Christians, Jews, Universalists and Atheists whom I love and who are here to stay. And I love to unite with them in that Friend of Friends that may or may not be God, that is here in the sanctuary of the heart always present to teach us directly ...
I am more Christian in Spanish than in English: more Universalist in English than in Spanish. What I believe does not matter as much as what I can say with conviction, what I hear inside me lovingly convicting me, what roots me to a life established and convinced.
1.46. Thomas Kelly was working in Germany in 1938 when he wrote the following in a letter to his wife.
This summer has opened up what was already opening up before, a new sense of unreserved dedication of oneself to a life of childlike devotion to God. This comes not of the feeling that one has of having looked into the awful depths of human woe, overwhelmingas that is. What I want to say does not grow out of any specific external influence—it seems to grow out of an internal influence, which is so overwhelming that I can only recognize it as God working within me. Last winter you know I was much shaken by the experience of Presence—something that I did not seek, but that sought me. ... And the work here this summer, or, in the midst of the work here this summer, has come an increased sense of being laid hold on by a Power, a gentle, loving, but awful Power. And it makes one know the reality of God at work in the world. And it takes away the old self-seeking, self-centered self, from which selfishness I have laid heavy burdens on you, dear one.
It would be easy to say that what I say here is growing out of the summer’s deep experience with tragedy. One often says to oneself, ‘What right have I to live in such comfortable circumstances at Haverford, when the world is aflame?’ And we can’t, as the average American is now living, accepting things as naturally our right. If we use them, and live in such parklike surroundings, with privileges I never appreciated before, it is a holy trust, out of which we must make something that is an offering to the wounds of this terrible world. But what I have said goes deeper than this reaction to human suffering. It is grounded not in time and suffering, but in the Eternal, as He breaks into us and teaches us His final nature, as love. But the suffering of the world is a part too of the life of God, and so maybe, after all, it is a revelation.
1.47. Corder Catchpool served in the Friends Ambulance Unit during the first World War. When conscription was introduced he refused to accept conditional exemption from military service and was imprisoned. He then devoted himself to work for peace and reconciliation particularly in Germany where he and his wife and family lived from 1931 to 1936.
I often wish earnestly that I had a more unwavering and unshakeable conviction, more of Paul and less of Thomas. But I am with the man who said: ‘I believe; help thou my unbelief.’ Perhaps such a frail faith brings me nearer to others who suffer similarly, and even better able to help them, as I have always been clear that I could not take the negative attitudes. By this I mean, I am for Christ, not for doubt—only I wish there were not so much that I don’t yet understand. The difficulty is a hesitation as to whether I really desire ‘revelation’ in the sense of striking experience such as has brought conviction to some ... I am by nature on my guard against subjectivity and feel that in my own case it may be best to share the occasional gleam with the multitude, rather than stand in the blaze on the mountain-top with the elect.
1.48. Corder Catchpool wrote that he “seemed to be at least fifty per cent rationalist in make-up” and that part of him demanded answers to the difficult questions of Christian thought. While on an alpine ascent, he had the following experience.
The lazy clouds, that had hung all day as a light veiling about the snow-powdered rock peaks, were just breaking up in the clear splendor of sunset. The dazzling mantles of Combin and Courbassière caught the last rays. It was no moment for reasoning. Too often my spiritual life runs shamefully shallow, lamentably in need of more living water from the eternal springs. May I be pardoned—I was utterly unworthy—but at that moment there swept over me unbidden, the experience of Christ. No mere tiresome ratiocination, interpretations or misinterpretations, dogmas and differences. Just the fact that, in Christ, God was and is sharing the tragedy and sorrow, and the joy of the world. And—most glorious assurance—in his death and resurrection he faced the worse the world can do, faced these same problems and perplexities with all their mental anguish, which so often beat us till we cry inwardly for quarter—Christ faced them and triumphed over them and through them, with and for man in his struggle after righteousness, for all time.
“Take heed, dear Friends, to the promptings of love and truth in your hearts, which are the leadings of God.”
Epistles of the Yearly Meeting of Pennsylvania and the Jerseys, 1694 and 1695
1.49. I had to do it. ... I think that is the real essence of a leading: you have to go do it ... to the extent that it makes you laugh at yourself. I think if you can laugh about the amount of absurdity and the contradiction and the amount of passion that comes through, that to me is a sign of active spiritual life rather than misguided egotism... One of the blessings and burdens in my leading is that I’ve always had a great deal of certainty. I’ve not had any doubt from the beginning that this is a life work. ... I did not know where it was going or what it was leading to or what it would look like. But I knew that they (my guides) had me, and I was theirs forever, and they called me to surrender.
1.50. I was at the plow, meditating on the things of God, and suddenly I heard a voice, saying unto me, ‘Get thee out from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house.’ And I had a promise given in with it. Whereupon I did exceedingly rejoice, that I had heard the voice of that God which I had professed from a child, but had never known him. ...
[A]nd when I came at home, I gave up my estate, cast out my money; but not being obedient in going forth, the wrath of God was upon me, so that I was made a wonder to all; and none thought I would have lived. But (after I was made willing) I began to make some preparation, as apparel and other necessaries, not knowing whither I should go: but shortly afterward, going a gate-ward with a friend from my own house, having on an old suit, without any money, having neither taken leave of wife or children, not thinking then of any journey, I was commanded to go into the west, not knowing whether I should go, nor what I was to do there: but when I had been there a little while, I had given me what I was to declare; and ever since I have remained, not knowing today what I was to do tomorrow .
[The promise was] that God would be with me: which promise I find made good every day.
1.51. Drafted into the Union Army July 13, 1863, Cyrus Guernsey Pringle of Charlotte, Vermont, and a small group of Friends steadfastly not only refused to fight, but refused to engage in the common practice of paying a “substitute” to fight in their places, or to provide any service that would free another man to fight. Despite imprisonment, psychological distress, and torture, these Friends held fast to their Guide and stayed firm in their conviction not to provide alternative service, even when urged to do so by the wider body of Friends. Pringle and his fellow resisters were finally released by order of President Lincoln at the urging of influential Friends.
Here we are in prison in our own land for no crimes, no offence to God nor man; nay, more: we are here for obeying the commands of the Son of God and the influences of his Holy Spirit. I must look for patience in this dark day. I am troubled too much and excited and perplexed. ... Yesterday my mind was much agitated: doubts and fears and forebodings seized me. I was alone, seeking a resting-place and finding none. It seemed as if God had forsaken me in this dark hour; and the Tempter whispered, that after all I might be only the victim of a delusion. My prayers for faith and strength seemed all in vain. But this morning I enjoy peace, and feel as though I could face anything ... Oh, praise be to the Lord for the peace and love and resignation that has filled my soul today! Oh, the passing beauty of holiness! There is a holy life that is above fear; it is a close communion with Christ. I pray for this continually but am not free from the shadow of the tempter. There is ever present with us the thought that perhaps we shall serve the Lord the most effectually by our death, and desire, if that be the service He requires of us, that we may be ready and resigned.
1.52. William Rotch (1734-1828), a leader in the Quaker community on Nantucket, had a consignment of bayonets taken from muskets which he had accepted 12 years earlier in payment of a debt and sold as hunting pieces. In 1776 the colonial army demanded Rotch give them the bayonets.
The time was now come to endeavor to support our Testimony against War, or abandon it, as this very instrument was a severe test. I could not hesitate which to choose, and therefore denied the applicant. My reason for not furnishing them was demanded, to which I readily answered, ‘As this instrument is purposely made and used for the destruction of mankind, I can put no weapon into a man’s hand to destroy another, that I cannot use myself in the same way.’ The person left me much dissatisfied. Others came, and received the same denial. It made a great noise in the Country, and my life was threatened. I would gladly have beaten them into ‘pruning hooks,’ but I took an early opportunity of throwing them into the sea.
A short time after I was called before a Committee appointed by the Court then held at Watertown near Boston, and questioned, amongst other things respecting my bayonets.
I gave a full account of my proceedings, and closed it with saying, ‘I sunk them in the bottom of the sea, I did it from principle, I have ever been glad that I had done it, and if I am wrong I am to be pitied.’ The chairman of the Committee Major Hawley (a worthy character) then addressed the Committee, and said ‘I believe Mr. Rotch has given us a candid account, and every man has a right to act consistently with his religious principles, but I am sorry that we could not have the bayonets, for we want them very much.’ The Major was desirous of knowing more of our principles on which I informed him as far as he enquired. One of the Committee in a pert manner observed ‘then your principles are passive Obedience and non-resistance.’ I replied, ‘No, my friend, our principles are active Obedience or passive suffering.’
1.53. The writer’s brother joined the Army National Guard and served in Iraq.
I must also live out my understanding of peace and what it means to me, and risk everything. We both carry ministries against war. As different as they might be, I must believe that one God led us each to our own life’s work. My brother’s calling is a reaction to establish peace, while my heart calls for proactive measures against the conditions for war. We must both risk our entire lives for what we believe. We are the necessary balance of idealism and realism. In this imperfect world, we must steady our aims and breathe fire to ignite whatever future will have us.
1.54. Consciousness of the spiritual, of God—whatever that means—is at the heart of who I am. Yet I appear to myself and quite probably to those who know me as an ordinary, daily sort of person, as mundane, as worldly, as anyone else, living a life made up of bills, telephone calls, computers, car-washes, work, food, laundry and so on. Yet my life is aware of a spirit in things. ...
But the sense of a spirit in things is what keeps me alive. I suspect such a recognition is common. I suspect many do not speak of what they deeply recognize as faith...
I believe that many lives as ordinary as my own are founded in a sense of the spirit. I believe that faith, consciousness of the unseen Other, works constantly in ordinary lives like mine in a wonderful and mysterious way. Even though no one but the one who knows such faith may feel its power, I believe that in those who are silent faith may be profound and strong, may be the very force which brings about miracles of light.
1.55. The leading to marry, and the wedding worship itself, were powerful spiritual experiences for me. I stand now in that memory, as I seek to say something useful about the words I use to express my faith. To me, God (whom I most often call Spirit) was the source of the nudge I felt. In following the leading to marry Polly, I believe that I was following Spirit’s guidance, which expressed itself within me as a yearning, a growing sense of rightness, and trust. I came to believe that, should Polly and I fall on difficult times in our relationship and our lives, divine assistance (coming through loving friends, worship, prayer, the Quaker clearness and support process) would help us. The Spirit I understood to be leading me into marriage with Polly isn’t a white-haired old white man up in the sky. It is, she is, he is, a spirit of love that yearns for us all like a lover, a spirit that yearns for justice, and suffers with us when tragedy and cruelty occur. The God I have glimpsed needs us to be God’s hands and feet and voice, needs us to be the face of Love in our families and in the world around us.
1.56. All my life I had wanted to live with integrity, that is, to make my personal behavior a reflection of my professed values. But it did not occur to me to seek support for this newfound environmental concern within my Quaker Meeting. Some Friends in my Meeting were practicing a form of simple living, which they linked to the testimonies of Peace and Equality. But no one talked about the Quaker faith itself as a primary source of guidance and inspiration for living more lightly on the planet. ... This is what had been missing in my earlier frantic environmental activism—an understanding of the spiritual transformation that is essential to curbing our ecologically disruptive behavior.
1.57. About this time an ancient man of good esteem in the neighbourhood came to my house to get his will written. He had young Negroes, and I asking him privately how he purposed to dispose of them, he told me. I then said, ‘I cannot write thy will without breaking my own peace,’ and respectfully gave him my reasons for it. He signified that he had a choice that I should have wrote it, but as I could not consistent with my conscience, he did not desire it, and so he got it wrote by some other person. A few years later, there being great alteration in his family, he came again to me to get me to write his will. His Negroes were yet young, and his son, to whom he intended to give them, was since he first spoke to me, from a libertine become a sober young man; and he supposed that I would have been free on that account to write it. We had much friendly talk on the subject and then deferred it, and a few days after, he came again and directed their freedom, and so I wrote his will.
1.58. Tom Jackson visited Iraq twice in 2000 with Voices in the Wilderness to observe conditions for ordinary Iraqis living under UN sanctions.
Upon my return from Iraq I went back to my job at the high-tech firm, but I found that all I could do was stare at my computer screen. It was very difficult to focus on anything, as I kept remembering the people I met in Iraq, the children lying in hospital beds with no hope of recovery, and knowing that my country’s policies were part of the cause of their suffering.
Deep down I realized that God wasn’t leading me to continue working at a high-tech firm. God was leading me to become a voice for the voiceless. It is a blessing when a leading is made eminently clear because way opens at every turn. Such was the case in this journey. At the end of July 2000 I left my job and went to Basra to live with a family in the city’s poorest neighborhood (Al Jumhuriyah, which means, ironically, ‘the revolution’) for six weeks. I bought only the equivalent of the meager food rations my Iraqi friends received from the UN, rested in the extreme summer afternoon heat, heard the U.S. and U.K. fighter jets patrolling the sky, and took in the squalor and suffering that was the life of most Iraqis in summer 2000.
In the act of following this leading, I realized that in reaching out to people thought of as ‘the enemy,’ I found that they were, in fact, not our enemies. That of God was quite apparent in these kind, welcoming people. It was all the more clear to me that I was led to not only share this witness with Friends and others, but also to speak truth to power on this issue.
1.59. [A] knot of my old acquaintances [at Oxford], espying me, came to me. One of these was a scholar in his gown, another a surgeon of that city ...
When they were come up to me they all saluted me after the usual manner, pulling off their hats and bowing, and saying, ‘Your humble servant, sir,’ expecting no doubt the like from me. But when they saw me stand still, not moving my cap, nor bowing my knee in way of congee to them, they were amazed, and looked first one upon another, then upon me, and then one upon another again, for a while, without speaking a word.
At length, the surgeon ... clapping his hand in a familiar way upon my shoulder, and smiling on me, said, ‘What, Tom! a Quaker?’ To which I readily and cheerfully answered, ‘Yes, a Quaker.’ And as the words passed out of my mouth I felt joy spring in my heart; for I rejoiced that I had not been drawn out by them into a compliance with them, and that I had strength and boldness given me to confess myself to be one of that despised people.
In worship we have our neighbors to right and left, before and behind, yet the Eternal Presence is over all and beneath all. Worship does not consist in achieving a mental state of concentrated isolation from one’s fellows. But in the depth of common worship it is as if we found our separate lives were all one life, within whom we live and move and have our being.
Any willing person may come into communion with the Divine without special ritual, at any time, in any place, under any external circumstance. All that is required is desire, humility, and a willingness to wait for the Teacher who is beyond time to come and teach in the present moment. The heart of the life of the Religious Society of Friends is the communal meeting for worship. It is here that we have the opportunity to experience the Sacred Presence in a way that draws us into community and informs our lives, both as individuals and as a religious body. Vital worship depends far more on a deeply felt longing for God than on any particular practice.
Worship in most meetings in New England is unprogrammed; one gathering may be completely silent, while in another, vocal ministry may arise from the silence. Some meetings in New England shape and prepare part of their worship and may employ a pastor to further this experience. Regardless of form, all persons participate actively in the meeting for worship.
Our worship does not always reach the same depth, yet God does break through our worldly preoccupations or lack of preparation. We continue as spiritual seekers to learn together. Our weaknesses and failures should not deter us. When a meeting gathers for worship in active expectancy of God’s presence with openness and humility of heart and mind, the power to change lives can arise.
Early Friends discovered that if they gathered for worship “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), God’s transforming power would be poured out upon them (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2). They shared George Fox’s experience that “there is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition.” They testified to their experience that Christ had come to teach His people Himself, and could and did work through anyone without regard to age, gender, social class, literacy, or formal theological training.
Early Friends experienced God’s presence as an inward Light that searched their hearts, broke them open, and left them, in Margaret Fell’s words, “naked and bare before the Lord God, from whom you cannot hide yourselves.” That same Light transformed them into changed people, its power overcoming all that was contrary to itself. These Friends testified that Jesus’ promise to plant a new life in the soul and abide there to give it light, to feed it with the bread of life and the living water, and to lead it into all truth was a living reality to be known and experienced by every true believer.
Friends today attempt to yield to that of God within and around us, to reach toward the infinite in whatever way we experience it. In our meetings there are those who know it as Jesus Christ, those who feel the transforming power of the Inner Light, and those for whom it is beyond all names.
It is through the cumulative power of our worship that we most often realize our hopes for a heightened sense of the presence of God, which brings us profound joy. On occasion we experience such a deep oneness in the Eternal Presence that we speak of a “gathered” or “covered” meeting for worship.
If we strive to live in constant awareness of God’s presence and guidance, if we seek unity with the Life that fills all creation, then we will come to meeting for worship prepared. If we make worship, prayer, and openness to God’s leadings a part of our daily lives, then we will come to worship ready to take our part in the ministry, both silent and spoken, and to receive what the meeting offers.
Those gathering for unprogrammed meeting settle into silence as they enter the room. This silence may continue without any spoken words, or someone may feel called by the Spirit to offer ministry. After such ministry, the meeting returns to prayerful silence in which Friends may absorb and reflect on the message. The meeting ends when a designated Friend shakes hands with a neighbor.
Those gathering for programmed meeting may sing; engage in vocal prayer; hear readings from the Bible, Faith and Practice, and other devotional literature; listen to a prepared message; and have a period of open (unprogrammed) worship. Each of these elements is offered as part of the process of centering and gathering together and any of them may be the means by which the heart is opened to the sacred presence. Most programmed meetings employ a pastor who, in consultation with Ministry and Counsel, plays a major role in the structure of the program. The pastor is usually the one offering the prepared message. However, everyone present is expected and encouraged to take an active part in responding to the Spirit.
The sense of a larger presence which we seek in worship is available to all, regardless of age. Children stay through the whole period of worship in some meetings; in others they participate for a short time at either the end or the beginning. Some programmed meetings include a message or story designed for the children. Some meetings hold intergenerational or family worship on a regular or occasional basis. By these arrangements we hope to nurture our children in Quaker worship and to know them as fellow worshippers.
The inner guide of all Friends meetings is the Divine Spirit. We come to meeting with a willingness both to listen deeply to the ministry of others and to offer vocal ministry if urged by this Spirit.
Deep attentive listening is itself ministry. In shared silence we may be as centered and gathered as when vocal ministry has been offered. Whatever the form of our worship, we are all called upon to participate actively and to take responsibility for its quality.
While all Friends are called to listen deeply during worship, some are particularly able to center and ground not only themselves but the meeting as a whole. This spiritual work is done quietly and may appear to go unnoticed, but it is a vital part of deepening the worship experience for all.
Many Friends have developed criteria for knowing when they are called to offer vocal ministry during meeting for worship. The challenge is to discern whether the message is truly from Spirit or arises from their own intellect or emotion. If the message is from Spirit, the next step is to discern whether it is intended for the meeting as a whole, for another individual at a later time, or for themselves. In the end, faithful ministry requires being neither too bold nor too timid.
Friends’ history describes again and again how the spirit of gathered worship propelled Friends to live out their faith in the world.
[Worship] is a preparation for another aspect of life, which lies beyond it. We are organized for action. Our moments of wonder and joy, our experience of invading energy, must not end in emotional thrill; they must be translated into deed and life.
New England Yearly Meeting 1930
In some meetings there are designated people holding the meeting in prayer during worship. They are said to have “care of the meeting.” They settle into worship early, hold the Center consciously during worship, prayerfully anchor those who are ministering vocally, spiritually gather up the whole body of the worshipping community, and discern when it is time to close worship.
Although Queries may often be answered with a simple affirmative or negative, it is vital to ask corollary questions, such as “why,” “how,” or “when.” A qualified answer arising from introspection is more meaningful and constructive than an uncritical “yes” or “no.”
North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 1983
2.01. As iron sharpeneth iron, the seeing of the faces one of another when both are inwardly gathered into the life, giveth occasion for the life secretly to rise and pass from vessel to vessel. As many candles lighted and put in one place do greatly augment the light and make it more to shine forth, so when many are gathered together into the same life there is more of the glory of God, and His power appears to the refreshment of each individual, for that he partakes not only of the light and life raised in himself but in all the rest.
2.02. The Kingdom of Heaven did gather us and catch us all, as in a net, and His heavenly power at one time drew many hundreds to land. We came to know a place to stand in and what to wait in; and the Lord appeared daily to us, to our astonishment, amazement and great admiration, insomuch that we often said one unto another, with great joy of heart: ‘What, is the Kingdom of God come to be with men? And will He take up His tabernacle among the sons of men, as He did of old? Shall we, that were reckoned as the outcasts of Israel, have this honour of glory communicated amongst us, which were but men of small parts and of little abilities, in respect of many others, as amongst men?’
2.03.Retreat
This silence is an ocean, and we stand
Like doubtful children on its mighty brink.
It’s cold to inquiring toes, smooth dark as ink,
Horizon-bare, bounded by no known land.
Yet dare we take our Father by the hand
And wade chin-deep—it’s warmer than we think;
Yield wholly to its power—we do not sink,
In liquid arms it lifts us from the strand.
And then with clumsy strokes, we learn to swim
In this new-found, enfolding element,
And when we shoreward turn, the time full spent,
The dust of earth is washed from every limb.
So if death be as buoyant, and as sweet,
We shall not fear the abyss beneath our feet.
2.04. On one never-to-be-forgotten Sunday morning, I found myself one of a small company of silent worshippers, who were content to sit down together without words, that each one might feel after and draw near to the Divine Presence, unhindered at least, if not helped, by any human utterance. Utterance I knew was free, should the words be given; and before the meeting was over, a sentence or two were uttered in great simplicity by an old and apparently untaught man, rising in his place amongst the rest of us. I did not pay much attention to the words he spoke, and I have no recollection of their import. My whole soul was filled with the unutterable peace of the undisturbed opportunity for communion with God, with the sense that at last I had found a place where I might, without the faintest suspicion of insincerity, join with others in simply seeking His presence. To sit down in silence could at least pledge me to nothing; it might open to me (as it did that morning) the very gate of heaven.
2.05. One day, being under a strong exercise of spirit, I stood up and said some words in a meeting; but not keeping close to the Divine opening, I said more than was required of me. Being soon sensible of my error, I was afflicted in mind some weeks without any light or comfort, even to that degree that I could not take satisfaction in anything. I remembered God, and was troubled, and in the depths of my distress he had pity on me, and sent the Comforter. I then felt forgiveness for my offense; my mind became calm and quiet, and I was truly thankful to my gracious Redeemer for his mercies.
About six weeks after this, feeling the spring of Divine love opened, and a concern to speak, I said a few words in a meeting, in which I found peace. Being thus humbled and disciplined under the cross, my understanding became more strengthened to distinguish the pure spirit which inwardly moves upon the heart, and which taught me to wait in silence sometimes many weeks together, until I felt that rise which prepares the creature to stand like a trumpet, through which the Lord speaks to his flock.
All the faithful are not called to public ministry; but whoever are, are called to minister of that which they have tasted and handled spiritually. The outward modes of worship are various; but whenever any are true ministers of Jesus Christ, it is from the operation of his Spirit upon their hearts, first purifying them, and thus giving them a just sense of the conditions of others. This truth was early fixed in my mind and I was taught to watch the pure opening, and to take heed lest, while I was standing to speak, my own will should get uppermost.
2.06. First-Day Thoughts
In calm and cool and silence, once again
I find my old accustomed place among
My brethren, where, perchance, no human tongue
Shall utter words; where never hymn is sung,
Nor deep-toned organ blown, nor censer swung;
Nor dim light falling through the pictured pane!
There, syllabled by silence, let me hear
The still small voice which reached the prophet’s ear;
Read in my heart a still diviner law
Than Israel’s leader on his tables saw!
There let me strive with each besetting sin,
Recall my wandering fancies, and restrain
The sore disquiet of a restless brain;
And, as the path of duty is made plain,
May grace be given that I may walk therein,
Not like the hireling, for his selfish gain,
With backward glances and reluctant tread,
Making a merit of his coward dread,
But, cheerful, in the light around me thrown,
Walking as one to pleasant service led;
Doing God’s will as if it were my own,
Yet trusting not in mine, but in His strength alone!
2.07. The first thing that I do is close my eyes and then still my body in order to get it as far out of the way as I can. Then I still my mind and let it open to God in silent prayer, for the meeting, as we understand it, is the meeting place of the worshipper with God. I thank God inwardly for this occasion, for the week’s happenings, for what I have learned at God’s hand, for my family, and the work there is to do. I often pause to enjoy this presence.
Under God’s gaze I search the week and feel the piercing twinge of remorse that comes at this, and this, and this. I ask forgiveness for my faithlessness and ask for strength to meet this matter when it arises again. There have been times when I had to re-weave a part of my life under this auspice.
I hold up persons before God in intercession, loving and seeing them under God’s eyes, longing for God’s healing and redeeming power to course through their lives. I hold up certain social situations, certain projects. At such a time I often see things that I may do in company with or that are related to this person or to this situation. I hold up the persons in the meeting and their needs, as I know them, to God.
2.08. As I silence myself I become more sensitive to the sounds around me, and I do not block them out. The songs of the birds, the rustle of the wind, children in the playground, the roar of an airplane overhead are all taken into my worship. I regulate my breathing as taught me by my Zen friends, and through this exercise I feel the flow of life within me from my toes right through my whole body. I think of myself like the tree planted by the “rivers of water ... ” in Psalm 1, sucking up God’s gift of life and being restored.
Sometimes I come to meeting for worship tired and weary, and I hear the words of Jesus, “Come unto me, all that labour and are weary, and I will give you rest.” And having laid down my burden, I feel refreshed both physically and spiritually. This leads me on to whole-hearted adoration and thanksgiving for all God’s blessings. ... My heart overflows with a desire to give Him something in return. I have nothing to give but my own being, and I offer Him my thoughts, words, and actions of each day, and whisper, “Please take me as I am.”
2.09. In Friends’ meetings also, from the fact that everyone is free to speak, one hears harmonies and correspondences between very various utterances such as are scarcely to be met with elsewhere. It is sometimes as part-singing compared with unison. The free admission of the ministry of women, of course, greatly enriches this harmony. I have often wondered whether some of the motherly counsels I have listened to in our meeting would not reach some hearts that might be closed to the masculine preacher.
2.10. [Consider] that we Friends are not a family, but a musical band, a symphony orchestra we would like to think, in which all the instruments and voices are important to produce the harmony which allows the central melody to flow, the theme of it all. At times it would be a hushed, quiet performance, pianissimo, at others there are chances for solos, and other times it would be necessary to find those moments which are appropriate to enter and not cause a disturbance, to know how to enter at the exact moment, and we have opportunities to move in crescendo to arrive at a climax with the participation of everyone, and really make other people feel the music.
But there are two essential things in all this: first to study the music and understand what the composer meant, since after all we are only the interpreters, not the authors; and second to always pay attention to Who is conducting. The first Friends never claimed to be the composers, still less the conductors.
2.11. The first that enters into the place of your meeting ... turn in thy mind to the light, and wait upon God singly, as if none were present but the Lord; and here thou art strong. Then the next that comes in, let them in simplicity of heart sit down and turn in to the same light, and wait in the Spirit; and so all the rest coming in, in the fear of the Lord, sit down in pure stillness and silence of all flesh, and wait in the light. Those who are brought to a pure still waiting upon God in the Spirit are come nearer to the Lord than words are; for God is spirit and in the spirit He is worshipped.
2.12. In silence which is active, the Inner Light begins to glow—a tiny spark. For the flame to be kindled and to grow, subtle argument and the clamour of our emotions must be stilled. It is by an attention full of love that we enable the Inner Light to blaze and illuminate our dwelling and to make of our whole being a source from which this Light may shine out.
Words must be purified in a redemptive silence if they are to bear the message of peace. The right to speak is a call to the duty of listening. Speech has no meaning unless there are attentive minds and silent hearts. Silence is the welcoming acceptance of the other. The word born of silence must be received in silence.
2.13. And it’s especially to be observed that in the whole New Testament there is no order nor command given in this thing but to follow the revelations of the Spirit, save only that general, of meeting together: a thing dearly owned and diligently practised by us ...
2.14. And this is the manner of their worship. They are to wait upon the Lord, to meet in the silence of the flesh, and to watch for the stirring of his life, and the breakings forth of his power amongst them. And in the breakings forth of that power they may pray, speak, exhort, rebuke, sing, or mourn, and so on, according as the spirit teaches, requires, and gives utterance.
2.15. Worship is what happens naturally when a created being is in the presence of its creator. It involves intimacy and it involves communication of truth. Worship can be solitary or gathered in a group. For two hundred years Quakers worshipped in expectant silence without music and with only occasional messages brought up from the silence by different members. Now Friends all over the world have many ways of worshipping. Music and even dance happens in worship. Pastors bring messages. But the common thread should be that worship is an activity and a time when the human and the Divine sit together and focus on their relationship.
Freedom Friends Church (Salem, OR) 2009
2.16. Every person, male or female, is assumed, in this bold experiment, to possess spiritual capacity and, since God is Spirit, can come without mediation into direct living relation with Him. There are no “favorites,” no persons who have exclusive privileges and so can do the “sacred things” for others. Every person must be religious for himself or he will never have any of the fruits of religion. Life is essentially sacramental and many of the common things of daily life bring us to the consciousness of the real presence, so that, here again, there is felt to be no need for special sacrament or for a privileged mediator. Ministry is a very varied service ... There are many types, many forms, many degrees of it. But like life itself, spiritual value will be determined largely by personal faith, qualities of character, dedication of spirit, sensitiveness to guidance and willingness to pay the cost of excellence. This venture of faith in the experiment of lay-religion is one of the most original, one of the boldest and one of the most crucial attempts that Quakerism has made.
2.17. Here indeed is a service of worship that demands that every believer be his own priest. For in the Quaker meeting for worship, the member must still his body, still his mind, must attend to the presence of God, must thank and adore him for being what he is, must feel the incongruities in his own life that are out of keeping with such a presence, must long for their removal and for forgiveness, must be inwardly absolved, must become conscious of persons and situations in special need and draw them into this presence, must wait in utter stillness before God, and if some even deeper insight into his own condition should be discovered by him by any vocal ministry that may occur in the meeting, or by the unhurried stay in the presence of the Divine Listener, he must be ready to yield to what is required of him.
2.18. In a truly covered meeting an individual who speaks takes no credit to himself for the part he played in the unfolding of the worship.... For the feeling of being a pliant instrument of the Divine Will characterizes true speaking “in the Life.” Under such a covering an individual emerges into vocal utterance, frequently without fear and trembling, and subsides without self-consciousness into silence when his part is played. For One who is greater than all individuals has become the meeting place of the group, and He becomes the leader and director of worship. With wonder one hears the next speaker, if there be more, take up another aspect of the theme of the meeting. No jealousy, no regrets that he didn’t think of saying that, but only gratitude that the angel has come and troubled the waters and that many are finding healing through the one Life. A gathered meeting is no place for the enhancement of private reputations, but for self-effacing pliancy and obedience to the whispers of the Leader.
2.19. There are times of dryness in our individual lives, when meeting may seem difficult or even worthless. At such times one may be tempted not to go to meeting, but it may be better to go, prepared to offer as our contribution to the worship simply a sense of need. In such a meeting one may not at the time realise what one has gained, but one will nevertheless come away helped.
Berks & Oxon Quarterly Meeting Ministry & Extension Committee 1948
2.20. Thanksgiving, confession, calming of fears, forgiveness, reproof, chastisement, awareness of our many blessings, instruction, exhortation, support, comfort, challenge, and openness to joy and truth are some aspects of worship we may meet.
But there will be times for all of us when worship will not offer us comfort, uplift our spirits, or speak to our condition. At times we may feel distant from God and our fellow-worshippers; faith and perseverance are necessary to bring us through these dry spells. At other times the spoken ministry may be pointed, prophetic, or disturbing. Worship offers us the experience of the power of the Spirit, but that power is not tame, and our lessons from meeting are not always those we expect.
Inward yielding and waiting for a sense of unity to grow among all present are characteristics of the way Friends conduct their business. The spiritual disciplines of corporate discernment are grounded in the faith that we can perceive and affirm God’s guidance for the gathered community. Our experience of worship undergirds our understanding of reaching unity in the Spirit, a sense of the meeting that sometimes comes as an unexpected blessing when we have labored hard to discern our way. As we listen to each other and seek together for Divine guidance, we can affirm the unity that enables us to respond faithfully.
Our business meetings begin and end with worship, framing the work at hand with centered awareness in the divine presence. Although the business to be addressed requires attention to facts, details, and varying options, we seek to remain spiritually grounded throughout the discernment process. Our decisions do not rely on majority rule, but rather on a unity found through calm attention to the Light Within. The Spirit may speak through anyone present, and it is our task to listen and speak with humility and to trust in the Spirit’s guidance.
The heart of Friends’ business process is the nurturing of spiritual openness and deep listening that allows the sense of the meeting to emerge. At times, there may be unanimous agreement that a proposed action should be carried out. However, when those gathered are not in simple agreement, careful consideration will be given to each speaker, and silent worship may be requested. If all in attendance draw on their disciplines of worship and stay mindful that the purpose is to seek the will of God for the gathered body, unity can be found and acted upon. Sense of the meeting is the understanding of where the gathered body is led and does not mean that every individual present is completely satisfied or in total agreement. Contrasting views and perceptions may be expressed and some disagreements may remain. The sense of the meeting emerges from the committed efforts of a loving community and strengthens its bonds.
Prior to the meeting for business, the clerk prepares the agenda, with input from the appropriate committees and individuals. Notice of complicated or controversial issues should be given to members in advance to allow Friends to come more fully informed and inwardly prepared for the discipline of the meeting. Those reporting to the meeting for business should provide written materials as needed to facilitate the knowledgeable conduct of business. In most meetings, the clerk and recording clerk will sit at a table facing the group and the meeting will begin with a period of worship. In some meetings, a few Friends are appointed to hold the meeting in prayer throughout.
The clerk sets the pace of the meeting, as Friends who signal their desire to speak wait to be recognized. Allowing time to reflect between each contribution and addressing the clerk rather than the previous speaker help maintain an atmosphere of prayerful corporate seeking. Part of the discipline of the process is to refrain from stating concerns or ideas that have already been expressed. While it may be helpful to the clerk to say, “That Friend speaks my mind” when we agree with a previous speaker, care should be taken that this does not become a veiled means of voting.
Sometimes it is the task of a committee to present the necessary background information and bring suggestions for possible courses of action. With a difficult issue, a preliminary threshing session may be arranged to allow members an opportunity to express their views and listen to others without the expectation that a decision will be reached at that time. A threshing session is a time of worshipful listening that allows Friends to gather information; to express their thoughts, questions, and concerns; and to hear one another. Detailed minutes of comments and discussion will be helpful, especially to those unable to attend.
Working through the agenda, the clerk or recording clerk will attempt to articulate the sense of the meeting by proposing a minute. Once the sense of the meeting has been reached, it should be promptly recorded as a minute and read back to the meeting for its approval. The clerk and recording clerk may need time to compose a minute together and will ask the body to uphold them as they do so. Any member may offer a substitute for the proposed minute, and the meeting may approve, modify, or reject it, in exactly the same manner as a minute proposed by the clerk. Friends have not completed their action until they have approved the minute, and no body of Friends will be better prepared to give or withhold its approval than the one that has just reached unity. Since the group is seeking divine guidance together as a faith community, only those present can experience the movement of the Spirit within the group. In some meetings it is accepted practice for a Friend unable to attend the business meeting to give the clerk a written statement of his or her thoughts beforehand, understanding that those present will hold this concern in the Light as they move toward unity.
Often all minutes will be approved at the same meeting for business, although some meetings only read back and approve minutes on complex or sensitive matters. The reading back of the minute tests that the minute captures the unity which has been found. If all are clear, Friends approve the minute, thus completing their action on this item of business. In some cases, when Friends are not clear, the sense of the meeting can best be expressed in a minute of exercise, which states the various perceptions in the meeting on a given matter. This is a helpful tool in recognizing where the meeting is on a given concern.
At times, individuals may feel uncomfortable with an action the rest of the body appears ready to approve. It is important that these concerns are heard and carefully considered. Expediency, time constraints, and impatience to move on are frequent stumbling blocks to deep and careful discernment of God’s will. The clerk may find it useful to call Friends into silent worship to calm heightened emotions and seek divine guidance for a way forward. Faithfulness to the truth given, no matter how inconvenient or incomplete, is essential for the spiritual health of the meeting.
It is the clerk’s task to support the body in discerning where it is being led and whether additional time is needed to clarify the group’s understanding of divine guidance. Passionate devotion to a cause can lead Friends to speak from their own desires rather than from a deeper place of shared spiritual discernment. It is a tender and difficult balance to listen with love to all concerns, while recognizing that the body may be led in a direction with which some individuals are not comfortable. Friends who have strong reservations about the action the group seems ready to take should examine their motivations to determine if the Spirit is calling on them to speak, or if stubbornness or personal preference is motivating their discomfort.
Sometimes after this examination and patient listening to the meeting, a Friend may express misgivings about an action the body seems ready to approve. The clerk must be open both to the meeting’s readiness to act and to any Friend’s sense of discomfort with that action. The group may need to remain undecided for a while longer, holding the possibility that a previously unrealized way may open. It is also possible that the Friend will express willingness to “stand aside” from the proposed action, recognizing that the meeting has reached unity. The act of “standing aside” is an expression of community with the meeting as it seeks God’s will in the matter. It is an acknowledgement that the action being taken is how the meeting is led at this time. What we seek is not unanimity, but unity in the Spirit, which is able to encompass discomfort with the approved action. The clerk may then propose a minute expressing the sense of the meeting. Once a concern is heard, it is no longer carried only by the individual who raised it. It now rests in the community and the name of an individual standing aside is not recorded. The concern may be recorded in the minutes and is part of the sense of the meeting.
On rare occasions, after spiritual searching to ascertain that personal feelings are not blocking divine guidance, a Friend may be unable either to unite with or to stand aside from the decision the body is ready to make. The person with the conviction presents his or her concerns, gives the reasons, and asks the group not to proceed. The meeting must discern whether the objection has enough spiritual weight to require waiting for further light. The phrase “standing in the way” has been used to describe this request not to proceed, but an individual never has the power to prevent the meeting from acting. A concern, however, may have enough weight to cause the meeting either to hold the matter over for further discernment or to abandon the action entirely.
It is important that all members of the meeting proceed with the understanding that everyone is acting with sincerity and based on their understanding of the leadings of the spirit. An inability to find a common understanding of God’s will can create a rift in the meeting community. In such cases, all members of the meeting must work to repair the wounds of this break—reaching out to others in love, seeking to rebuild trust one with another.
If the meeting decides to proceed when one or more Friends are unable to stand aside, the resulting minute will be very similar to a minute written when someone does stand aside, except for recording that a Friend(s) is unable to unite. Again, names are not recorded. In this case particularly, the meeting should humbly consider the possibility that minuting a careful and detailed record of the concern might be of use to the meeting in the future.
Corporate discernment requires practice and the discipline and faith of all Friends present. We must take care to build a loving community, with trust among members and trust in the spirit-led process to which we commit ourselves. We labor together in love and humility, with openness to divine guidance, seeking the will of God.
Although Queries may often be answered with a simple affirmative or negative, it is vital to ask corollary questions such as “why,” “how,” or “when.” A qualified answer arising from introspection is more meaningful and constructive than an uncritical “yes” or “no.”
North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 1983, p.33
3.01. Central to Quaker process is the understanding that our task is not so much to figure out what to do as to understand what the Spirit is asking of us as a corporate body. When we come to business meeting, committee meetings, or smaller meetings of individuals with this perspective, the focus shifts away from outcomes and towards community. Our task is to seek together, the same way we seek in meeting for worship, the experience of God in our midst.
3.02. George Fox wrote this Epistle to the Six Weeks Meeting in London, which was a group of Friends from different London meetings who were particularly concerned with financial affairs.
The Six Weeks Meeting is for to see that all their meetings are preserved by the wisdom of God in the unity of the spirit, the bond of peace, and in the fellowship of the holy ghost ... . And that all may be careful to speak short and pertinent to matters in a Christian spirit, and dispatch business quickly, and keep out of long debate and heats; and with the spirit of God keep that down, which is doting about questions and strife of words, that tend to parties and contention: which in the church of God there is no such custom to be allowed. And likewise not to speak more than one at a time; nor any in a fierce way; for that is not to be allowed in any society, neither natural nor spiritual; but as the apostle saith, “Be swift to hear, and slow to speak;” and let it be in the grace, which seasons all words ...
3.03. “Consensus” is a word sometimes used to describe a Quaker-like process. Yet Quakers would insist that this is not the most suitable term. Consensus (or unanimous consent, or general agreement) are based on the work of human wisdom and reason, whereas “the Sense of the Meeting” is based on the prompting of the Spirit. Consensus is commonly understood to require mutual compromise—shaving away at positions until we find a core which is objectionable to none. The Quaker approach tries instead to reach toward a higher and greater Truth that speaks to all concerns in ways that could not have been foreseen. We discover what God wants for us, as opposed to what we thought we wanted. “Consensus is the product of an intellectual process. Sense of the Meeting is a commitment of faith...” .
Most Friends are painfully aware of how our humanness falls short of the spiritual ideal, and of how fragile our process can seem. Corporate discernment of the will of God is a risky and imperfect proposition. In relying so extensively on the Holy Spirit, we make ourselves vulnerable to pitfalls and failures. However, far from being a weakness, such vulnerability is central to our understanding of the power of worship (and business) “in spirit and in truth.” To fall into the hands of the living God requires leaping, laying ourselves open to risk. Our commitment to this process, and our assurance of its outcomes, can only be proven [at the end of time], but still we give testimony to the truth we have been given, and are able to say that we have tested this method and found that it does indeed bring us into Unity with the will of God.
3.04. The danger in Society doth not lie so much in that some few may have a differing apprehension in some things from the general sense, as it doth in this, namely, when such that do so differ so suffer themselves to be led out of the bond of charity, and shall labour to impose their private sense upon the rest of their brethren, and to be offended and angry if it be not received. This is the seed of sedition and strife, that hath grown up in too many to their hurt.
3.05. In 1757, John Woolman attended Virginia Yearly Meeting. A committee of that Yearly Meeting had examined the Pennsylvania queries and brought them forward for consideration with some alterations. One change troubled him. A Pennsylvania query, “Are there any concerned in the importation of negroes, or in buying them after imported?” had been revised to “Are there any concerned in the importation of Negroes or buying them to trade in?” Woolman had been pleased that the Pennsylvania queries found both importing slaves and buying any to be unacceptable. He was troubled at Virginia’s change, which implied that while importing slaves was unacceptable, buying them was acceptable as long as they were not bought for resale. Woolman expressed his unease with the alteration.
Friends appeared attentive to what was said; some expressed a care and concern about their Negroes; none made any objection by way of reply to what I said. But the query was admitted as they had altered it.
As some of their members have heretofore traded in Negroes as in other merchandise, this query being admitted will be one step further than they have hitherto gone, and I did not see it my duty to press for an alteration, but felt easy to leave it all to him who alone is able to turn the hearts of the mighty and make way for the spreading of Truth in the earth by means agreeable to his infinite wisdom.
3.06. [It is] our concern that Friends should work with one another in a humble and loving spirit, each giving to others credit for purity of motive, notwithstanding differences of opinion, and being ready to accept the decision of the meeting even when it may not accord with his [or her] own judgment. The mutual forbearance and understanding which are produced by a constant dwelling under the power and control of Christ do much to prevent jealousies, misunderstandings, or any breach of love.
3.07. In Mount Toby (MA) Meeting, the clerk poses a question after the opening worship of meeting for business. A period of worship-sharing follows and the recording clerk crafts a minute expressing a corporate response.
The clerk invites Friends to reflect on the questions, “In Friends’ decision making, what is unity? What is my role and responsibility in reaching unity?”
Friends express the importance of being patient, being willing to hear each other fully and openly. When we take into account our knowledge of one another in community, when we ask ourselves to listen deeply, to release our own individual opinion and surrender our individual will, we find profound connection with others and with the divine. We are all separate ingredients in a pot, each carrying our individual flavors, but simmering together until we create a flavorful soup. This unified creation can be a difficult but amazing process. It brings us closer to one another and to God.
3.08. Bill Taber, earlier in the excerpted article, describes the Mindof Christ as that state of consciousness where we feel we are “dwelling timelessly in the light... At this point there may be no words, only a sense of unity, unity, unity.”
Spiritual discernment seems to flourish best from this contemplative, reflective, nonlinear state of mind, which is a wide, non-judgmental, almost non-attached but very alert attentiveness. Being in the Mind of Christ, however, does not mean being “spaced out,” for the analytic faculties are not suppressed; they are cushioned by a more vast mind which takes all things into account. Indeed, our analytical faculties are at least as sharp, if not sharper, in the Mind of Christ than they are at other times; the difference is that here we know that we are not just our surface mind, as we Westerners tend to assume, and the difference is that this surface mind is no longer the master, but the tool, of the more integrated person we become in the Mind of Christ.
3.09. The sense of the meeting is not unanimity—everyone present need not agree with the action being taken. I have had the experience of concurring in a sense of meeting with which I disagreed, knowing it was the sense of the meeting. I have wept, wishing the meeting could go further than it was ready to go, but clearly it was not ready to do so.
When I am disappointed with a sense of the meeting, I try not to give much attention to why we didn’t do more, but to focus on openness to the next step, based on the experience that will follow carrying out the clarity we did reach. I also try and listen to the love within me that accepts people in my faith community for what they are, and pray that God will use and transform us all. Let me also say how much I appreciate the further light we get from each other along the way from monthly meetings to quarterly meetings to Yearly Meeting—we learn and are challenged by concerns beyond our local community of faith.
As I see it, there is only one necessary query: Is the Spirit present? Is new experience teaching me that it is present in places I have previously thought it couldn’t be? If so, maybe I need to change.
3.10. After due consideration has been given to all points of view expressed in the meeting, it is the duty of the clerk to weigh carefully the various expressions and to state what he or she believes to be the sense of the meeting, not alone according to numbers but also according to the recognized experience and spiritual insight of the members. This matter of weighing the individual utterances in arriving at the sense of the meeting is quite fundamental to the Quaker method. Several Friends may quite sincerely speak in one direction, and then one Friend may express an insight which carries weight and conviction in the meeting in a different sense. This one acceptable communication may outweigh in significance several more superficial ones.
3.11. We reminded ourselves of the traditional practice of minutes of exercise—which we also called “process minutes”—to affirm where the meeting is at a given moment when there is as yet no clarity to act. These minutes simply state the various perceptions in the meeting on a given matter at that moment, and can be helpful in building a sense of the meeting. Often if we can clearly affirm where we are, it frees us to perceive new light. We heard that reading such minutes in North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative) gives a clear sense of the steps in growth toward unity in opposition to slavery.
We contrasted these minutes of exercise with minutes which polarize. If a minute is proposed to the meeting by a committee with the implication that the acceptance of the minute is the goal, then Friends are seen as either “for” or “against” the minute.
This polarization does not contribute to the sense of unity in seeking God’s will which is essential to our business process. A minute of exercise might state the proposed minute, but then describe fully the range of responses to it in neutral terms, waiting for the Spirit of God to open a way forward from there. We need to remember that we are always resting in the unity of God and are held there despite our differences on a given question.
Friends Consultation on Worship 1989
3.12. An ad hoc Web Committee brought a minute on electronic decision-making to the New England Yearly Meeting Permanent Board concluding with a paragraph “urging Friends to consider decisions reached via electronic communication to be provisional until the body has gathered and affirmed their decision.” Here is a minute of exercise on the matter.
While we affirm the essential value of face-to-face meetings in discerning God’s will in Quaker business, and hold serious reservations about the use of electronic decision-making as a routine practice, we were unable to reach unity on a proscriptive policy at this time, as Friends continue to wrestle with the use and misuse of new technologies.
We are called to be agents of the spirit and should aspire to allow the spirit its fullest functioning. Toward that end we desire to achieve unity. Finding the tools that work best in achieving unity should be our concern. We are at a point of evolving clarity and are not ready to accept absolute statements. This is a creative time of exploring how our core faith and our evolving experience of technology come together in a place of greatest integrity.
New England Yearly Meeting Permanent Board 2004
3.13. As we close these sessions I would like to reflect a minute on what took place here all week and especially last night. What we said was that we did not find unity, which is not exactly right. We did not find clarity to change our policy on tax withholding.
But there was a deep unity, which I suspect had something to do with the spiritual faithfulness of many Friends.... Those who had come into the meeting sure that they could not support the proposal found a willingness to stand aside. And then, instead of accepting that gracious offer, those who had come in fervently hoping we could move forward were led to let go of that, unwilling to move while any were reluctant, willing to wait [for] God’s guidance and God’s timing.
New England Yearly Meeting of Friends 1992
Words in bold are advices articulated by Michael Birkel in his article “Some Advice from John Woolman on Meeting for Business” in the January 1995 issue of Friends Journal. The text in bold is copyrighted by Friends Publishing Corporation and has been reprinted with permission. To subscribe: https://www.friendsjournal.org.
For some of the advices, Michael included actual quotations from Woolman. The Faith and Practice Revision Committee has added quotations for advices where he did not do so. All quotations are from The Journal and Major Essays of John Woolman, 1971 (edited by Phillips P. Moulton).
I had occasion to consider that it is a weighty thing to speak much in large meetings for business. First, except our minds are rightly prepared and we clearly understand the case we speak to, instead of forwarding, we hinder business and make more labor for those on whom the burden of the work is laid (p. 95).
If selfish views or a partial spirit have any room in our minds, we are unfit for the Lord’s work. If we have a clear prospect of the business and proper weight on our minds to speak, it behooves us to avoid useless apologies and repetitions (p. 95).
Where people are gathered from afar, and adjourning a meeting of business attended with great difficulty, it behooves us all to be cautious how they detain a meeting, especially when they have sat six or seven hours and a good way to ride home. In three hundred minutes are five hours, and he that improperly detains three hundred people one minute, besides other evils that attend it, does an injury like that of imprisoning one man five hours without cause (p. 95).
To see the failings of our friends, and think hard of them, without opening that which we ought to open, and still carry the face of friendship—this tends to undermine the foundation of true unity (p. 112).
[T]hrough the strength of that love which is stronger than death, tenderness of heart was often felt amongst us (p. 102).
I heard that the case was coming to our Yearly Meeting, which brought a weighty exercise upon me, and under a sense of my own infirmities and the great danger I felt of turning aside from perfect purity, my mind was often drawn to retire alone and put up my prayers to the Lord that he would be graciously pleased to strengthen me, that setting aside all views of self-interest and the friendship of this world, I might stand fully resigned to his holy will (pp. 91-92).
And though we meet with opposition from another spirit, yet as there is a dwelling in meekness, feeling our spirits subject and moving only in the gentle, peaceable wisdom, the inward reward of quietness will be greater than our difficulties. Where the pure life is kept to and meetings of discipline are held in the authority of it, we find by experience that they are comfortable and tend to the health of the body (p. 68).
If such who were at times under sufferings on account of some scruples of conscience kept low and humble and in their conduct manifested a spirit of true charity, it would be more likely to reach the witness in others, and be of more service in the church, than if their sufferings were attended with a contrary spirit and conduct (p. 98).
And in the heat of zeal, I once made reply to what an ancient Friend said, which when I sat down I saw that my words were not enough seasoned with charity, and after this I spake no more on the subject. ...
And then after some close exercise and hearty repentance for that I had not attended closely to the safe guide, I stood up, and, reciting the passage, acquainted Friends that though I dare not go from what I had said as to the matter, yet I was uneasy with the manner of my speaking, as believing milder language would have been better (pp. 110—111).
Our current committees on Ministry and Counsel grew out of early Friends’ call to spread the Quaker message and nurture the fledgling worshipping groups that were forming across the English countryside. Traveling ministers were acknowledged spiritual leaders within the Quaker community. They moved through districts where they were often already known, where worshipping communities were eager to engage with the gospel as Quakers understood it. At the same time, Friends were needed to nurture the seeds planted by the traveling ministers. In 1653, William Dewsbury wrote of the hope that in every meeting one or two Friends would be raised up who were “most grown in the Power and the life, in the pure discerning in the Truth” (Dewsbury, Works, 1689). These “elders” were to organize regular meetings for worship and to arrange General Meetings. This loose organizational structure developed into meetings of ministers and elders. In addition to participation in their local meetings, the ministers and elders formed a strong and weighty leadership, which met regularly as a distinct body within the Society.
From these meetings of ministers and elder evolved our committees of Ministry and Counsel. In New England these committees are given varying names depending on their function within the meeting, such as Ministry and Worship and Pastoral Care. These committees nurture the ministry and the life within the meetings in order to sustain an engaged and vibrant faith community. They also have care of the overall wellbeing of both the meeting and the individuals within them. When the meeting is strengthened, the individual is nurtured; when the individual is nurtured, the meeting is enriched.
Friends have no creed, but we affirm an Inward Guide, a divine presence, by whatever words we name it—God, Christ, the Inner Light, the Divine, Spirit, the Great Mystery. We are called to be aware and sensitive to the moving of this spirit in our own lives and in the life and ministry of our meeting community. We understand this spirit to be invitational, to be challenging, and to be inclusive, and to call us into community in order to bring this spirit into fuller reality in our daily lives. Ministry and Counsel seeks to be aware of the movement of the spirit within the meeting and its members, in order to be alert to the ways in which the community may need to be renewed, disciplined, refreshed, or enlivened in its spiritual life.
The committee uses faith, trust, openness, and humility. In times of conflict, these disciplines can encourage members to listen attentively to others and to stay in community, waiting on the opening of the spirit. The authority of Ministry and Counsel lies in its ability to discern and articulate God’s invitation into a Spirit-guided life.
How is our reluctance to acknowledge spiritual authority, to accept guidance, and to submit to the discipline of our meetings retarding our growth as a Society?
NEYM Faith and Practice Revision Committee
Presented at the 2017 NEYM Sessions
Cover Sheet
This year we offer you a draft text on personal spiritual practices for the purpose of gathering feedback to inform future work. You will see that we have followed our previous practice of including Advices and Queries as well as Extracts specifically oriented to the chapter. We will discern later whether to incorporate this structure in the final book.
Personal Spiritual Practices is one of a series of topics in a planned chapter on Personal and Communal Spiritual Life.
As always, we depend upon you to provide us with your sense of where we have served you and the Yearly Meeting well, and where we have missed the mark. In particular, what have we left out? Are the ideas in the document clear? We welcome your feedback and we would especially welcome suggestions for extracts to include.
Please send your comments to fandp [at] neym [dot] org (subject: Comments%20on%20the%20draft%20text%20on%20%22Personal%20Spiritual%20Practices%22%20chapter%20for%20the%20revised%20Faith%20and%20Practice) by February 1, 2018.
The working paper can be found at http://neym.org/fp-revision [5]
Draft Text on Personal Spiritual Practices
Presented at the 2017 NEYM Annual Sessions
...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. ... If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Galatians 5: 22-23, 25 [6]
1) Spiritual discipline is much like any discipline a person chooses for their life and there are many practices associated with it. Just as one supports a busy life with healthy personal practices, which vary from person to person, Friends choose spiritual practices which help ground them in the life and guidance of the Spirit. Although most spiritual practices are shared with other faiths, a few are especially valued by Friends, such as intentionally taking time to “stand still in the Light”[1] and to “sink down to the Seed”[2]. Friends believe that the Light can illuminate the whole of one's spiritual being. It may fill one with joy and comfort, and it may show what is distressing and difficult, shedding light on places one may not wish to acknowledge or face. By embracing this guidance of the Spirit, Friends open themselves to transformation.
2) Friends seek to live in continual awareness of the Spirit. It is the underlying intention of awakening to the Presence that makes something a spiritual practice. Many people commit themselves to a daily spiritual practice to settle their hearts and minds and to restore an awareness of God's presence and guidance. Early Friends recommended daily times of “retirement”: time spent in worship, prayer and Bible reading, in silent waiting upon the Spirit, and in journal writing. Contemporary Friends have augmented these with meditation, gratitude practices, movement, music, artistic endeavors, and service, among others. Friends may also look for those moments in their lives when they feel particularly centered or open to the movement of Divine love and find ways to use these times of awareness as a spiritual practice. When Friends embrace these times as a priority, they make space for them, integrating these practices into their lives, sometimes in unexpected places, for times of worship amidst the busyness of life.
3) A daily spiritual practice helps bring one to the place of standing still in the Light that “shows and discovers”[3]. Some Friends experience this spiritual reality as the sense of being grounded in the eternal; others name it as “being in the Mind of Christ”[4]. Friends understand that in opening themselves to the enlivening influences of the Spirit, their experience of the “ocean of light and love” allows them to become more open channels of God's love and wisdom flowing through them to the world. Spiritual practices also help one to stay in balance, bringing one back to center and so more available to the motions of divine love. Though a spiritual practice is the journey of an individual with the Inward Light, it bears fruit in the world.
4) Over time it is not uncommon to find that a particular spiritual practice no longer opens the space of refreshment and inspiration that it has in the past. An ebb and flow of motivation to continue in a daily practice is also a common experience. Spiritually dry periods can be discouraging, yet with worship, patience and trust important lessons may be revealed. By remaining alert to the changing dynamics of living in the Spirit, one may come to discern whether it is right to continue a particular practice, despite the dryness, or whether it is time to move on. The counsel of a spiritual companion can be a great aid in this discernment. Seemingly independent of one's effort or awareness, experiences of breakthrough may arrive.
5) Children also experience spiritual insights, and they learn to nurture spiritual awareness by observing the practices of adults in their lives. Many families use mealtimes to pause together for silent grace or a spoken prayer of gratitude. Couples and families who share a spiritual practice often find that it adds new dimensions to their relationships. Children understand, at an early age, the impulse towards moments of quiet joy or spontaneous expressions of gratitude. A child’s awareness of the Presence often reveals itself in unselfconscious expressions of awe and wonder at life. The freshness of a child’s trust and their exuberance of discovery are gifts to adults. Times of shared reverence and gratitude can be a source of joy for both parent and child, and can encourage a child toward a lifetime of spiritual practice.
6) When Friends adopt the discipline of regular spiritual practice during the week, it is a gift to the meeting community. Coming to meeting for worship and for business with heart and mind prepared often helps an individual center more quickly, and contributes to the quality of worship for all and aids in the faithful conduct of business.
7) Spiritual discipline, at its heart, involves a decision to listen for, and be obedient to, the Inward Guide in every situation, holding the commitment to do whatever love requires.
“Begin where you are. Obey now. Use what little obedience you are capable of, even if it be like a grain of mustard seed. Begin where you are. Live this present moment, this present hour as you now sit in your seats in utter, utter submission and openness toward Him.”
Thomas Kelly. William Penn Lecture 1939 “Holy Obedience” delivered at Arch Street Meeting House
1) Retirement may be the practice most accessible to contemporary Friends. Our meetings for worship are times of retirement. Walks in the woods or sitting by the ocean can be times of retirement, as can retreats extended over several days. Thomas Kelly wrote that we can be in contact with “an amazing sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a divine center.” Times of retirement are the times when we pull back from the chatter and busyness of our outward lives, enter that amazing sanctuary, and allow our inner wisdom, the Inward Teacher, to rise up in us.
For early Friends retirement was a prerequisite for a life of faithfulness. Retirement was a daily discipline, sometimes many times in a day. We may think that at the pace of 21st-century life, there isn't time for daily retirement, yet retirement is a basic building block for all other spiritual disciplines. We have to pause, let the static quiet, so that we can hear. Thomas Kelly reassures us that if we establish mental habits of inward orientation, the processes of inward prayer do not grow more complex, but more simple.
2) True silence is the rest of the mind; and is to the spirit, what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.
3) The purpose of meditation is to enable us to hear God more clearly. Meditation is listening, sensing, heeding the life and light of Christ. This comes right to the heart of our faith. The life that pleases God is not a set of religious duties; it is to hear His voice and obey His word. Meditation opens the door to this way of living.
4) Be still and cool in thy own mind and spirit from thy own thoughts, and then thou wilt feel the principle of God to turn thy mind to the Lord God, whereby thou wilt receive his strength and power from whence life comes, to allay all tempests, againstblusteringsand storms. That is it whichmouldsinto patience, intoinnocency, into soberness, into stillness, into stayedness, into quietness, up to God, with his power.
5) I read that I was supposed to make ‘a place for inward retirement and waiting upon God’ in my daily life, as the Queries in those days expressed it... At last I began to realise... that these apparently stuffy old Friends were really talking sense. If I studied what they were trying to tell me, I might possibly find that the ‘place of inward retirement’ was not a place I had to go to, it was there all the time. I could know the ‘place of inward retirement’ wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, and find the spiritual refreshment for which, knowingly or unknowingly, I was longing, and hear the voice of God in my heart. Thus I began to realise that prayer was not a formality, or an obligation, it was a place which was there all the time and always available.
6) Consider now the prayer-life of Jesus... Incident after incident is introduced by the statement that Jesus was praying. Are we so much nearer God that we can afford to dispense with that which to Him was of such vital moment? But apart from this, it seems to me that this prayer-habit of Jesus throws light upon the purpose of prayer... We pray, not to change God's will, but to bring our wills into correspondence with His.
7) As I learned, the Inward Light is unconditional love, yet at the same time, it is a searing of the soul. The Light pierces with total honesty into our behaviors, words and attitudes. This is not an easy thing to experience! In the refiner’s fire, metal is purified so that it can be made useful, as a tool or a sword. The fire of the Light likewise burns away the dross of life—the foolish or harmful things we have done—to reform us closer to the image of God.
8) I have always greeted God in the morning. It makes a difference. There is no way I would have faced my day teaching special education without greeting God. One year I had a girl in my class who was very irritating and irritable. I held her especially in prayer, with me, and put Jesus in the mix as well. I could not do this alone and needed a strong visual to remind me of that. We went from butting heads much of the time to having her be much less crabby with the other children and me, to having her surprise me by giving me a hug. I do not know if the prayers helped her, or more probably, changed me, and my relationship to her, and she responded positively.
9) I love to knit. I love creating lovely things, learning new stitches, designing my own patterns. But really, how many shawls, sweaters, socks can one person use? I have discovered over time that knitting for charity is a useful way to engage in a craft I love without being overwhelmed by things I don't really need. As I was browsing through charity knitting websites I came across the story of a mother who's infant died at birth. She recounted the pain of going to the children’s section of a department store to find a gown in which to bury her child. The store was filled with mothers and healthy babies and adorable clothing her child would never grow to wear. She fled, overwhelmed with grief. I found patterns for burial gowns on the site and thought maybe I should try one. Small, no big commitment, not too complicated. As I began to knit, however, I found myself thinking about that mother. I was grateful that I never had to experience that pain. I grew more and more quiet in my mind, simply letting my hands be guided by compassion. The completed gown and cap were given to a friend who is a chaplain in a hospital that specializes in high risk births. She asked me to knit more. Since then, I have knit many burial gowns, the smallest only 6 inches from neck to hem. I don’t knit them all the time. I wait until I find myself unsettled in my own life, feeling unbalanced, or small minded, or ungrateful. Then it is time. As love and compassion flow through my needles, they also flow through me. As I offer a gift of love and healing, I am also healed, returned to balance, held in loving arms.
10) It is no accident that daily “retirement” (a time of reading the Bible and inspirational writings, personal prayer, reflection and worship) has been frequently recommended throughout Quaker history. ... A person who has already experienced times of spiritual nourishment during the week will require less time to let go of the rhythms and preoccupations of normal life and can therefore enter more quickly and easily into full attention to the living Presence.
11) From the beginning, it was the witness of changed and liberated lives that shook the foundations of the established social, economic, and religious order of England. The Religious Society of Friends—the Friends Church—is about nothing if it’s not about transformation. Helping each other open to the Living Christ among us, allowing ourselves to be searched by the Light at work within us, humbling ourselves to be taught by the Inward Teacher, trusting that surrender (sic) to the Refiner’s Fire, we can be given new hearts. It is and always has been through these new hearts that we are made channels for the Motion of Universal Love.
0) Kelly, Thomas. William Penn Lecture 1939, “Holy Obedience” delivered at Arch Street Meeting House, Philadelphia, PA.
1) McBee, Patricia. “Quaker Spiritual Disciplines for Hard Times”, Friends Journal, August 1, 2003.
2) Penn, William. Advice to his children, chapter 2, #27, A Collection of the Works, 1726, vol 1, p. 899.
3) Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline: The Path of Spiritual Growth, HarperCollins Publishers, 1978.
4) Fox, George. The Journal of George Fox, ed., Nickalls, John L., Cambridge University Press, 1952, p. 346.
5) Foulds, Elfrida Vipont. The Candle of the Lord, Pendle Hill Pamphlet #248, 1983, p. 13.
6) Littleboy, William. The Meaning and Practice of Prayer, London, Friends Home Service Committee, 1937, pp. 7-9.
7) Abbott, Margery Post. To Be Broken and Tender: A Quaker Theology for Today. Western Friend/Friends Bulletin Corporation, 2010. pp 14-15.
8) Reilly, Sue. 2016. Unpublished.
9) Athearn, Marion. 2017. Unpublished.
10) Taber, William. Four Doors to Meeting for Worship, Pendle Hill Pamphlet #306, 1992, p. 4-5.
11) Baker Merrill, Noah. “Reflection on the theme during worship under the care of the Section of the Americas,” Friends World Committee for Consultation, Being Salt and Light; FWCC World Office, London, April 2012, p. 31.
[1] “The first step to peace is to stand still in the light.” George Fox, 1653.
[2] “Give over thine own willing, give over thy own running, give over thine own desiring to know or be anything and sink down to the seed which God sows in the heart, and let that grow in thee and be in thee and breathe in thee and act in thee; and thou shalt find by sweet experience that the Lord knows that and loves and owns that, and will lead it to the inheritance of Life, which is its portion.” Isaac Penington, 1661
[3] “Stand still in that which shows and discovers; and then doth strength immediately come. And stand still in the Light, and submit to it, and the other will be hushed and gone; and then content[ment] comes.” George Fox, 1652
[4] See Extract 3.08, and The Mind of Christ: Bill Taber on Meeting for Business, 2010, PHP #406
Presented at the 2018 NEYM Annual Sessions
For Preliminary Approval
New England Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice Revision Committee
Membership
Submitted for Preliminary Approval to NEYM 2018 Sessions
To be printed in the revised Faith and Practice, a text must be approved at two NEYM Sessions in different years. The first Session gives preliminary approval and the second gives final approval.
A text given preliminary approval is substantially acceptable to Friends for inclusion in the printed book. Meetings and committees are encouraged to start using it, to see how it works in practice, and to send comments to the Faith and Practice Revision Committee.
The Committee may do further minor editing for style and clarity before presenting it for final approval, although major revision would require another preliminary approval. [NB. The original version that was modified in the text below is highlighted by a 'strikethrough'. New text is in bold.]
The time period between preliminary and final approval will likely be more than one year. This will allow both the Committee and the Yearly Meeting to have larger sections in front of them before giving final approval to any, knowing that the precise formatting of a given section will be influenced by what comes before and after.
1) The personal decision to request membership in a monthly meeting in New England Yearly Meeting of Friends represents a marker in a person’s relationship to their spiritual community and in their relationship to the Divine presence. This section is addressed both to attenders who are considering applying for membership and to those who have been members for many years, or a lifetime. It also provides guidance to monthly meetings. Appendix 4 includes templates and other information concerning practical aspects of the membership process.
2) There was no formal membership in the Religious Society of Friends for the first eighty-five years. Individuals were considered Quakers if they participated in meetings for worship, had experienced the Living Christ or Inward Light, felt themselves in unity with Friends, and were prepared to make public witness to their faith. Commitment to how Friends lived their faith was a defining trait and Quakers took care to know, keep in touch with, and support one another. Today the commitment and intention of a person to live according to the faith and practice of Friends is recorded as membership in a monthly meeting following the discernment process of a meeting’s clearness committee on membership.
3) Friends trust that there is an underlying Truth that can unify all our individual perceptions when we open ourselves to direct and unmediated encounters with God. In New England Yearly Meeting we do not ask that all who come into membership name this encounter in the same way. New England Friends name God variously as the experience of the eternal Christ, Spirit, Inward Light, Truth, and Love. New England Friends name this experience variously, including God, Christ Jesus, Spirit, Inward Light, Truth, and Love. Trust in the possibility of Divine guidance that transcends our individual will is crucial because on this rests unity and spiritual authority within the Religious Society of Friends. Experience of the Inward Light gives us the basis for spoken ministry during worship, for how we do business, and for how we “let our lives speak” as we live our testimony in the world. The Society holds the faith that we can witness with transformed lives to the power of the Spirit, known to us individually and collectively. The meeting holds us accountable for our willingness to seek Truth, and the actions that arise from that search.
4) When entering into membership, we ask individuals to describe their spiritual experience and understanding from a place of openness and to hear the experience of others with openness and respect. The life of the Spirit is released and vitalized when we use our own authentic spiritual language and voice. Yet it is also true that the words used to convey spiritual mysteries and understandings that are life-affirming to one person may be distressing for another. The Society will not ask its members, and members should not expect to ask others, to change authentic descriptions of spiritual experience to accommodate another member’s discomfort with that language or way of encountering the Divine. Each member’s perception and attunement to the Spirit of Truth is valuable and needs to be offered and received with humility, knowing that we each perceive Truth only in part. We continually seek through honest and sensitive exploration of our differences to uncover our spiritual unity.
“The Society of Friends might be thought of as a prism through which the Divine Light passes, to become visible in a spectrum of many colours; many more, in their richness, than words alone can express.”
Christian Faith and Practice in the experience of the Society of Friends, London Yearly Meeting 1960, Introduction to Chapter 1.
5) It is important for meetings to articulate clearly the expectations and understandings that go along with membership. Uncertainty, vagueness, or a superficial membership process can inadvertently result in dilution of Quaker faith and practice.
6) Membership is held in a monthly meeting, and by virtue of that membership one also holds membership in a quarterly meeting and in New England Yearly Meeting, our ultimate denominational body. But it should also be recognized that membership is in the Religious Society of Friends as a whole; that we are a part of something larger than the Quakers in the six states of New England. The yearly meeting holds membership in and supports several national and international groups: Friends General Conference (FGC), Friends United Meeting (FUM), and Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC). These cover a diversity of Quaker practice, experience, theology, history, and cultural background. Awareness of this implies acknowledgment that not all Friends meetings are alike and that we may sometimes struggle with those whose beliefs, language, and practices differ from our own. Awareness of this implies acknowledgment that not all Friends meetings are alike and that we sometime struggle with those whose beliefs, language, or practices differ from our own, in some way.
7) It is through experience that a person grows in the Spirit. The journey may begin with powerful experiences of Divine presence and guidance, a pressing need to be in relationship with God, or a feeling of discomfort with other religious paths. At some point a person may become convinced that the Quaker path is where they can best serve others or that their way of seeking and following Divine guidance is Quaker. While an individual may have started their journey toward membership through participation in social justice activities consistent with the witness of Friends, they may eventually find themselves drawn toward the spiritual impulse that lies at the heart of this work. For other individuals the journey begins through participation in social justice activities and witness of Friends, where they encounter the spiritual impulse that lies at the heart of this work. The most transformative values and actions of Friends arise as an outgrowth of obedient listening to the Inward Teacher.
8) Becoming a member is an outward sign of an inward reality. Membership shows an individual’s commitment to the Friends’ faith community, as well as the commitment of the Society to the individual member. While no act of joining imparts any special sanctity or favor, membership is of value and importance because it unites Friends in a shared commitment to a well-traveled path and its disciplines. Friends welcome fellow travelers to walk alongside them on their journeys, but not all fellow travelers seek or are taken into membership. When seasoned members of a meeting discern that a faithful attender may be ready to explore membership, it can be very helpful to gently suggest it to them. The consideration of membership can clarify the attender’s relationship to the meeting and bring increased vitality to their spiritual journey. Joining the Religious Society of Friends affirms to the outside world that a person wishes to be counted as a Quaker. It is a public acknowledgment, a statement of faith, and a commitment to the local meeting and to the Religious Society of Friends as a whole.
9) An understanding of all Quaker ways is not a requirement for membership. The patient accumulation of experience with other Friends and participation in the meeting’s life has been shown to be the most useful teacher. For those who are feeling called into membership, participation in meetings for worship and for business is essential. The essence of being a member is the relationship among the member, the meeting, and the Divine. A careful reading of NEYM’s Faith and Practice will help the applicant gain an understanding of Friends’ ways of worship, the transaction of business, and the responsibilities of membership. Friends come together to learn—to learn from one another, certainly, but most importantly to learn from the Inward Guide.
Queries for those considering membership are found at the end of this chapter following “Membership Advices and Queries”.
10) Membership is a mutual commitment between the individual and the Religious Society of Friends, within the framework of a particular monthly meeting. In accepting someone into membership the meeting’s commitment is to offer opportunities for, and assistance in, spiritual growth; to help individuals discover and use their gifts; and to offer pastoral care as needed. Members commit to living their daily life in accordance with the faith and practice of Friends, to encouraging and cherishing other individuals in the meeting, and to being supportive of the spiritual and temporal well being of others. Members commit to participation in the life of the meeting as they are able: regularly attending meetings for worship and business; contributing their time and energy; and, according to their means, contributing financially. Being a member of the Religious Society of Friends is a relationship of mutual trust before God, and like other intimate, trust-based human relationships it is not always easy or risk-free.
11) Membership comes with different expectations than those held for attenders. With membership comes the privilege and challenge to participate fully in the life of the Society, to be stretched and sometimes made uncomfortable.
12) Some long-term attenders have become valued parts of the common life of their meetings without seeking membership. Some Friends see only afterward that they became inward members long before formally seeking membership, drawn by the bonds of relationship and responsibility that occur naturally in a religious community. In a welcoming meeting, all persons are nurtured by participation in activities and responsibilities at any level of involvement. Yet meetings should discern carefully who has the authority to make decisions important to the life of the meeting. It is the members of a meeting who bear the burden of spiritual and societal accountability for acts of conscience and for decisions that have legal ramifications. For this reason, trustees, treasurer, clerk, and recording clerk of a meeting; members of Ministry and Counsel; members of the Membership committee; and representatives to the quarterly and yearly meeting Ministry and Counsel should be members of the meeting. In small meetings with few members, care should be taken that all legal documents are signed by a member or an individual given such authority by the meeting.
13) The process of becoming a member of a monthly meeting is always initiated by a request. A child becomes an associate member by parental or guardian request. An individual becomes an adult member by personal request. Both types of membership are a formal recognition that the person is a valued part of the life of the meeting and that the meeting has accepted responsibility for their pastoral care. NEYM no longer recognizes “birthright” membership and [I]t is hoped that children who are associate members will eventually choose to request membership in their own right. NEYM no longer grants “birthright” membership. Any member in NEYM who was granted birthright membership in the past retains their membership. Ultimately, all membership that embraces responsibility for full participation in the life of the meeting is through personal request of the individual.
14) When a person feels moved to apply for membership, an application should be made in writing to the monthly meeting, addressed to the clerk of the meeting. The details of the membership process are laid out in Appendix 4.
15) Adult members may request that their children be accepted as associate members. Such a request for membership is made in writing to the clerk of the monthly meeting. Associate membership is granted by the monthly meeting if both parents are adult members of the meeting or if one parent is an adult member of the meeting and the non-member parent consents. Children are not expected to take on the responsibilities of adults but are in every other way regarded as members of the meeting whose spiritual lives are valued and encouraged. Associate membership is an interim membership lasting until the individual has grown in the spiritual life to convincement when they may request membership based on their own personal choice. See Appendix 4 for the details of this process.
16) Embracing young children as members in this way is an expression of the understanding that children and young people have a unique and valued role and relationship within the meeting community. It is a part of the meeting’s covenant to actively nurture the spiritual well-being and growth of its children and to provide spiritual and practical support to their parents in this endeavor. As spiritual maturity develops in parallel with an understanding of the Quaker faith, Friends hope that the young person will embrace this path as their own. At that time the young person writes a letter to the clerk of the monthly meeting stating their readiness for adult membership. The meeting takes up the request as in the case of any applicant for adult membership. The purpose of the clearness process at this time is to provide the meeting and the young friend an opportunity to clarify their relationship and to recognize that its nature has changed. When young adults apply for membership care should be taken to acknowledge that many young people relocate frequently and that this is not a barrier to membership. Some form of regular, reciprocal contact is, however, necessary to maintain the integrity of the membership relationship. Being received into adult membership acknowledges that Quakerism is the member’s spiritual path even though their attendance may be sporadic.
17) Some young adults may choose to postpone adult membership until they are settled and can fully engage with a meeting community. Many have active spiritual lives where they live their witness. The home meeting of such an associate member should inquire whether they would welcome the meeting’s regular contact and continued concern for their spiritual well-being. If the answer is affirmative, the meeting should make a commitment to the care of these Friends, maintaining regular contact with them as an encouragement to continue to stay engaged with their Quaker community.
18) A member who is temporarily living away from their home meeting may become a sojourning member of the meeting they are attending without giving up membership in their home meeting. (See Appendix 4F)
19) It is important for meetings to keep in touch with members who live at a distance, including those sojourning in another meeting or who spend part of the year in another location. For those living full-time in another location a personal letter at least yearly is suggested, with a message of kindly interest and inquiry into the Friend’s religious life and activities. When appropriate, members should be advised of the advantages of transferring membership to a meeting in their immediate neighborhood or, if their absence is temporary, of becoming sojourning members in such a meeting. If, following outreach, no information is forthcoming from a member for a number of years, the monthly meeting may consider the membership to have lapsed.
20) For some non-resident members, attending a meeting is not possible due to distance, transportation limitations, or other extenuating circumstances. In these cases, it is especially important for the meeting to maintain regular contact with the absent member so that their spiritual connection with, and support from, the home meeting can be maintained.
21) Many Friends in New England today have come to Quakerism from other spiritual traditions. They often bring with them deep spiritual ties to that heritage which they wish to acknowledge while being members of the Religious Society of Friends. These Friends often continue to participate in these traditions when visiting family or at times of specific religious celebrations. The acknowledgment of these gifts from their ethnic heritage, or their previous spiritual path, and their continued appreciation of them does not disturb their commitment and witness as Friends.
22) There are also Friends who find ongoing inspiration in the wisdom and devotional practices of various Christian churches, as well as other religions. This enriches their spiritual lives and brings that enlivened spirit to their meeting. Since the early days of the Quaker movement, Friends have recognized the unity of peoples witnessing to the Light within their chosen religious affiliation. Friends encourage members to value and deepen their understanding of the spiritual insights of other religions through reading and participation as led, and to seek the ways in which Friends can unite with them.
23) Membership in the Religious Society of Friends, at its best, expresses a settled recognition that this is our life’s choice and the best framework to allow our spiritual and temporal lives to flourish. It is a commitment to God and to the other members of the meeting, in covenant relationship. When an individual requests membership in the Religious Society of Friends, and at the same time wishes to retain membership in another tradition, it is important for their clearness committee to explore with them their reasons and the implications of this. It is essential for the clearness committee to question whether their desire to be in a formal membership relationship with two faith traditions indicates a lack of clarity regarding their spiritual path. In most cases, membership in two faith communities will not work: the commitment needs to be wholehearted. In other cases there is more ambiguity, and Friends need to be flexible, as well as careful, to discern what is at stake.
24) ”Dual membership” implies that an individual wishes to commit fully and formally to the covenant responsibilities and spiritual understandings of two different religious traditions. It also implies that both these religious bodies will be engaged with, and supportive of the same individual. Through membership, an individual is taking on the commitment of contributing to the life of the religious community not only through committee work, attendance at worship and financial support, but also in the care, concern and responsibility for other members and the children of the community. For many meetings and individuals there remains the sense that our hearts cannot be divided.
25) It is currently the practice of New England Friends to address the question of “dual membership” at the monthly meeting level, where a committee for clearness can fully explore the implications of such a request. It is strongly recommended that if such a request is considered, a representative of the other faith community be included in the clearness process so that the nature of the dual commitment is clear.
26) Many Friends who have grown up in meetings, or been active members of a meeting, understand themselves to be Quakers long after they have ceased to be active with Friends in any way. It is not a denial of this spiritual identity for a meeting to acknowledge that the individual is no longer a participating member of the Quaker community. Meetings should engage sensitively with such members, letting them know that the meeting believes that their membership has lapsed. In such a case, Ministry and Counsel recommends to the monthly meeting that it remove the name from the membership rolls. The meeting may encourage them to remain in contact with the meeting and with Friends. Such individuals may apply for membership in the future if so led.
27) If for a number of years the meeting has been unable to sustain a relationship with a member over the age of twenty-five, it may consider the membership to have lapsed.
28) Membership in good standing is transferable from one monthly meeting to another, unless either meeting has discerned for weighty reasons that transfer is not advisable. Members transferring to another yearly meeting should become familiar with the book of Faith and Practice of the new yearly meeting. Members transferring to and from another yearly meeting should become familiar with the book of Faith and Practice of the new yearly meeting. Transfer may be requested for personal reasons after careful consideration, or it may be due to relocation. Transferring membership after one relocates encourages one to engage fully with the new meeting. A letter of transfer from the original meeting is sent to the clerk of the new meeting, recommending the member to the care of the new meeting. When the letter is received, Ministry and Counsel appoints a clearness committee to consider the request for the transfer and to acquaint the member with the spiritual life of the new meeting. There is wide diversity among Friends and care should be taken that both the meeting and the new member are aware of how this diversity might be present in the new relationship. When the membership transfer is accepted by the new meeting the member is formally welcomed into the new meeting. An adult who is a birthright member in another yearly meeting, will transfer as a member. A child who is a birthright member will transfer as an associate member. An adult who is a member by parental request may apply for adult membership to their home meeting before transferring or may apply for adult membership in the new meeting. (See Appendix 4D for a full description of the process and a sample transfer certificate.)
29) Members wishing to resign their membership in the Religious Society of Friends should put the request in writing to the clerk of the meeting. Where appropriate, the meeting may reach out to the individual and offer to convene a committee to visit the member in a spirit of loving care to be clear concerning the cause of the resignation. While a resignation may be a sign of alienation from the meeting, some Friends may simply grow in a direction that makes membership in a different religious body right for them. The meeting may grow from understanding and considering the reasons for a member’s resignation. Resignation of membership from the monthly meeting also signifies resignation from the Religious Society of Friends. The meeting drafts a minute accepting the Friend’s resignation with a copy of the minute sent to the individual.
30) Discontinuing a Friend’s membership may be considered when the conduct or publicly expressed opinions of the member are so much at variance with the principles of the Society that the spiritual bond has been broken. Friends may find that for this person to continue to be considered a member carries with it a lack of individual and/or corporate integrity.
31) There may come a time when the meeting community can no longer live with the spiritual or human costs of maintaining a relationship with such a member. While the meeting does have significant responsibility to work with the person via support committees, clearness committees, counseling, and individual personal contact, the meeting cannot sacrifice itself for the preservation of the membership relationship with any one individual.
32) Much responsibility falls to Ministry and Counsel in times of such difficulties. The quarterly and/or yearly meeting Ministry and Counsel may be called upon for support and resources. Often these resources provide emotional and spiritual support for those within the meeting who are working to restore or maintain the unity of the meeting community and are working to provide pastoral care for the individual.
33) Within the meeting, the work needs to be done in a way that honors both the member in question and the members of the community. The final decision to discontinue membership is a meeting decision and must be made in a meeting for business after sufficient work within the community to be sure that everyone understands the process and the purpose. It is important that personal support be offered to the individual whose membership is being discontinued during this process in whatever way is acceptable, and that the individual be kept fully informed when such a meeting is being held.
34) It may also be possible to continue to care for the individual after membership is discontinued by working with the person’s community and family outside of meeting, making sure support systems are in place if they are needed.
35) A Friend whose membership has been discontinued by the monthly meeting may, if dissatisfied with the decision, file an appeal within one year with the quarterly meeting for a review of the matter. If either the Friend whose membership is in question, or the monthly meeting concerned, is dissatisfied with the decision of the quarterly meeting, an appeal may be addressed to the Permanent Board of the Yearly Meeting. The decision of the Permanent Board is final.
36) One whose membership has been discontinued may subsequently apply for membership in the usual manner, after one year.
1) Membership is still seen as a discipleship, a discipline within a broadly Christian perspective and our Quaker tradition, where the way we live is as important as the beliefs we affirm. Like all discipleships, membership has its elements of commitment and responsibility but it is also about joy and celebration. Membership is a way of saying to the meeting that you feel at home and in the right place. Membership is also a way of saying to the meeting and to the world, that you accept at least the fundamental elements of being a Quaker: the understanding of divine guidance, the manner of corporate worship and the ordering of the meeting’s business, the practical expression of inward convictions, and the equality of all before God. In asking to be admitted into the community of the meeting you are affirming what the meeting stands for and declaring your willingness to contribute to its life.
2) Membership is a covenant relationship, a commitment both to God and to a community. People in a covenant relationship are bound together by love, answerable to each other for their words and actions. There are mutual expectations in a covenant: trust, open communication, forgiveness, participation, and perseverance in the face of differences.
3) ... [M]embership is simply a rite of passage in that [life-long] process of [transformation], the moment of adult declaration that this is the church structure, this is the spiritual community within which we feel called to live out the process of our spiritual maturing. This is the trellising that best supports the growth of our interior relationship with God and our exterior relationship with the world. These are the people with whom we will live out the vicissitudes of our inner and outer lives. Worthiness has nothing to do with membership. God has already accepted us in our imperfection and is loving us forward toward a more perfect image of God’s self. The real issue in membership is commitment on the part of both the meeting and the applicant to remain faithful to the development and requirements of the process within Quaker tradition.
4) The test for membership should not be doctrinal agreement nor adherence to certain testimonies but evidence of sincere seeking and striving for the Truth, together with an understanding of the lines along which Friends are seeking Truth.
5) I felt so at home among Friends that I realized I had actually been one for a long time without realizing it. It never occurred to me not to ask for membership, but the process—clearness committee, the whole works—forced me further on: I had to consider issues that, like it or not, needed to be wrestled with. For me, the main wrestling match was with the Peace Testimony—a bout which is not over.
(I keep running into Hitler and the Holocaust, and it’s still a matter of "I believe. Help thou my unbelief.”)
6) I resisted membership in any group for many years, feeling that it was unnecessary and that all people, of all faiths, who were trying to live based in their experience of the divine, were “the church universal”. I didn’t like the idea of making formal separations between us. While I experienced and still experience the informal drawing together, as if by a magnetic force, of those who are my “companions along the way” I began to feel a need for a group to join where I could be part of a larger communal voice and work in the world. I had been attending an unprogrammed Friends meeting for several years and had realized that this was where I “fit in” spiritually .... For me, membership is akin to marriage. It is hard to describe what the inner difference is except that it is a deeper commitment, a sense that a decision has been made and barring something which arises within the context of that commitment which threatens to be destructive to me, I will stay with it.
7) I find myself surprised, time and time again, when I hear older Friends speak with urgency about the future vitality of the Religious Society of Friends and express dismay at the lack of young adults in their meetings. If Friends are committed to addressing these concerns and not simply wringing their hands, perhaps it is time to explore new approaches to membership with the needs of the younger generations in mind. If the monthly meeting structure is frequently less relevant to the “next generation” of Friends, then is it wise to use monthly meeting membership as the primary measuring stick by which we gauge the health and vitality of our faith community? Quakerism is vibrant and thriving in many worship groups and Quaker colleges, to name two examples, yet our declining membership statistics fail to take these groups into account and thus paint a rather grim picture of our future. Perhaps we can envision a more optimistic landscape if we let go of our historical attachment to monthly meeting membership as the locus of all meaningful Quaker community?
8) Our membership of this, or any other Christian fellowship is never based upon worthiness .... We are none of us members because we have attained a certain standard of goodness, but rather because, in this matter, we still are all humble learners in the school of Christ. Our membership is of no importance whatever unless it signifies that we are committed to something of far greater and more lasting significance than can adequately be conveyed by the closest association with any movement or organization.
9) In describing our own religious experiences, we should use words which liberate rather than words which imprison the spirit. Jesus said, “I am the way.” He did not say, “I am the End of the road.” We say to an applicant for membership: “We expect you to have a belief, but we do not require you to accept a particular statement of belief. You need not have formulated a full theology, and you need not subscribe to a particular theology, but you must be sincerely seeking Truth. We expect you to be a humble learner in the School of Christ. We hope you will study the Scriptures and we hope you will try to formulate your beliefs, but you need not have arrived at Truth, what we ask is that you be sincerely seeking Truth.”
10) Convincement is that moment when the idea of being a Quaker becomes a lived reality of being a Quaker, in which the Quaker way comes into the heart and finds a home and makes a nest and settles. It’s a subtle, subtle thing, but it’s everything also. It’s everything. When Jesus said, “I am the way,” my understanding of that is that when we come to Spirit and we say “yes” and we allow Spirit to be in us, we live in the world in a different way, and it becomes our way of being.
So I am now a Quaker. I am a member of this tribe and I’m committed to its health. But every time that I say yes to something there’s a new level, a new arena, a new something that I’m ready to learn that God is calling me into, and there is a deeper connection to Spirit.
So when I first came into the Religious Society of Friends, I was not conscious of the need to work on issues of racism, but recently I have become convinced that that is a part of my piece in this fellowship. And I don’t even know what it is are the future pieces of convincement that need to happen in me that I need to be open to.
And, so, yes, I’m a Quaker but I’m not yet fully the Quaker that I might be. And it’s when I stop and say “Been there, done that, it’s over” that I think I stop being a Quaker. And I need to, maybe, become convinced again.
11) For as in one body we have many members, and not all members have the same function, so we who are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.
12) In a true community we will not choose our companions, for our choices are so often limited by self-serving motives. Instead, our companions will be given to us by grace. Often they will be persons who will upset our settled view of self and world. In fact, we might define true community as the place where the person you least want to live with always lives!
13) While her children were in their infancy she had a great concern to become a member of Friends Society not only because she was fully convinced of the excellence of the principles professed by that society, but because she earnestly desired that her children should receive the guarded education Friends give theirs. She mentioned her concern to a Friend who said do not apply, you will only have your feelings wounded. Friends will not receive you. Thus admonished, and feeling that prejudice had closed the doors against her, she did not make her concern known to the Society. There was nothing but my Mother’s complexion in the way to prevent her being a member, she was highly intelligent & pious; her whole life blameless.
14) This was the way that Friends used with me, when I was convinced of truth, they came oftentimes to visit me; and sate and waited upon the Lord in silence with me; and as the Lord opened our understanding and mouths, so we had very sweet and comfortable seasons together. They did not ask me questions about this or the other creed, or about this or the other controversy in religion; but they waited to feel that living Power to quicken me, which raised up Jesus from the dead. And it pleased God so in his wisdom to direct, that all the great truths of the Christian religion were occasionally spoken to. Now this was Friends way with me, a way far beyond all rules or methods established by the wisdom of the world, which is foolishness with God: And this is their way with others that are convinced of the truth.
Become familiar with all aspects of the meeting’s life and help each other to discern where and how it might be appropriate to become engaged.
15) My first impression of Quaker Meeting was confusion. I could not believe that people really were uniting together in practice not in dogma. It was literally incomprehensible to me, the fact that people believed different things and used different language but could be a community — and such a great community — because they shared the same set of practices, and because they came together in the same space and through that shared worship — that waiting worship — they developed a kind of sense of community and a sense of body, a sense of integration.
16) I said to one of the Cuban Friends, “It must be hard to be a Christian in Cuba.” He smiled. “Not as hard as it is in the United States,” he said. Of course, I asked why he said that, and he went on, “You are tempted by three idols that do not tempt us. One is affluence, which we do not have. Another is power, which we also do not have. The third is technology, which again we do not have. Furthermore, when you join a church or a meeting, you gain in social acceptance and respectability. When we join, we lose those things, so we must be very clear about what we believe and what the commitment is that we are prepared to make.”
17) Today membership may not involve putting liberty, goods or life at risk but the spiritual understanding of membership is, in essentials, the same as that which guided the ‘Children of the Light’. People still become Friends through ‘convincement’, and like early Friends they wrestle and rejoice with that experience. Membership is still seen as a discipleship, a discipline within a broadly Christian perspective and our Quaker tradition, where the way we live is as important as the beliefs we affirm.
Although Queries may often be answered with a simple affirmative or negative, it is vital to ask corollary questions, such as “why,” “how,” or “when.” A qualified answer arising from introspection is more meaningful and constructive than an uncritical “yes” or “no.”
North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 1983
Presented at the 2018 NEYM Annual Sessions
1. None of us knows how we are going to die, or when we might expect the death of a loved one. Will death come through illness, injury or old age? Will it come quickly or slowly? Will we have warning? Each death is unique, and not everyone dies easily at the end of a long life. Each life, whether short or long, is whole and precious.
2. Accepting our mortality helps us embrace life and appreciate all its gifts. We can understand death as part of the natural order of creation, evoking a sense of wholeness and ease with our finite place in the universe. A sense of the spiritual dimension of life puts death in a broader context, as we open our hearts to a reality which transcends the here and now. We do not know what comes after death; it is a mystery, but we trust in a universe sustained by Divine Love. Our witness is that we already live in God’s realm. We do not base our life choices on possible consequences in an afterlife, but on what will embody that realm in the present.
3. When early Friends referred to the eternal, this was as an aspect of the present, a challenge to more worldly values. Early Friends saw the period of dying as a liminal space in which one is peculiarly conscious of the Eternal. It was common for Friends and family to gather to hear the testimony of a dying person.
4. Nowadays, Friends may find it harder to stay in right relationship with their own mortality and that of others and make space for that sense of the Eternal. Being present at the deaths of our loved ones may not be possible because of geography or hospitalization. Also, we live in a culture which distances itself from the realities of death. One of the ways in which we do that is through dependence on the funeral industry rather than caring for the bodies of our loved ones ourselves after death, as was the custom in earlier times. Our doctors often see death as a medical failure and concentrate on prolonging life. People tend to avoid talking about dying while at the same time death is graphically shown on news media and in entertainment media. It becomes easy to objectify it as remote and somehow unreal. But living and dying are complementary parts of the cycle of life in which we are anchored in the Spirit.
5. For many of us it is the process of dying we fear, rather than death itself. We can prepare ourselves for the experience of dying, our own or that of someone else, by understanding some of the physical, psychological and spiritual elements of this experience. Raising the topic of death, and asking others about their experiences of being with someone who is dying, can help to confront and transform that fear. One can face the fact that there are many ways death arrives, not just one predictable or expected way. Such conversations also offer the chance to explore spiritual questions together. When facing death, one may need to talk about fears, regrets, and concerns for those being left behind. Sometimes there is vital work of forgiveness of self or of others to be done. Some who are dying, have said that once the fear of death is faced, it fades away, leaving room to fully live and appreciate the last part of life.
6. Support for a caregiver is as important as care for the one who is dying. They are likely to be sustaining major responsibilities for practical care, overseeing medical and financial decision-making, coordinating communication with family and friends, and providing emotional support. All these require much energy. At the same time the caregiver may be experiencing private emotional turmoil. It is normal to swing between hope and fear as symptoms change, to feel drained and tired, resentful, scared, overwhelmed, and sad, as well as tender and loving. As the caregiver provides support to the dying relative, close friend, or spouse, that person in turn needs nurturing.
7. While it is helpful to all involved to make choices and plan, death can happen in unexpected ways over which one has no control, and for which there has been no preparation. Accidental death, violent death, miscarriage, death of a child at any age, and death by suicide, all challenge our ability to accept or understand.
8. At times there are very difficult decisions to make concerning death — whether or not to end a pregnancy, choosing to forgo food or medical treatment which would prolong one’s own life, choosing to hasten one’s own death in the face of pain and suffering under “death with dignity” laws. Reaching out to one another for support can help with such discernment.
9. Taking the time for advance planning when one is still able is an act of love for those who will be left behind. It allows for careful consideration of what one’s own wishes are, as well as time for conversation with loved ones about what they need and want. It also relieves them of worrying about details when grief is fresh and may be overwhelming. Formal steps may include: advance directives, a will, a list of important contacts, the location of personal documents and passwords, a draft obituary, plans for a memorial service, and choices concerning organ donation and disposal of the body. It is important to discuss these choices and the whereabouts of important information with family members. Meetings may also keep members’ Final Choices on file.
10. Death involves grieving by family and friends although, depending on circumstances, this may be mixed with gratitude, a sense of completion and rightness, or a sense that something sacramental has happened. Grief sometimes begins early as those who love and care for the individual watch the progress of the illness, perhaps witness pain and suffering, and realize their loss has already begun. When the death occurs, there are more emotions. The pain of those close to the deceased needs to be held tenderly. It can be a complex and stressful time for families, and negotiating family expectations and sensitivities can benefit from spiritual support. This is especially important when a bereaved person has been unable to celebrate the life of their loved one with others, either because of geographical distance or the decision of a family member not to hold any kind of funeral or memorial service. Loss of a loved one may change the shape of our world, even if it has been foreseen and comes at an expected time. Not only one’s feelings, but one’s very sense of identity and one’s roles in life may change.
11. It helps to remember that grief is a process of healing. It is not linear, even though it has stages, and it has no time limit. The acute pain may dissipate, but it may resurface at unexpected intervals. Other feelings may arise: anger, regrets, and unresolved issues. There is an alchemy involved in entering fully into grief, a process whereby feelings of despair and sorrow are accepted, fully experienced and transformed. The grief does not go away, and one’s life is never the same, but a new perspective can be found where gratefulness and even joy can enter in. Being present to those who are bereaved may be of the greatest help.
12. The meeting community may be a meaningful source of solace, comfort, and strength for those affected by a death, if the community is prepared to be fully present. Even as members of the meeting share in the experience of the bereaved, so they too will transform and grow in their spiritual understandings of death and the capacity to meet difficult experiences with love. Many meetings have a time to share the joys and sorrows of the community. Meetings can also offer support to the bereaved through a clearness or support committee process. Preparing for the eventuality of illness, aging, dying, and death of oneself or one’s loved ones is eased in the context of an open flow of communication and exploration about these topics before such events occur. Meetings can facilitate an individual’s advance decision-making process by holding discussions on such topics as eldercare, hospice, advanced directives, wills and burial options.
13. A valued spiritual practice of Friends is to hold memorial meetings and to write memorial minutes. Shortly after a death the meeting helps organize the memorial meeting. As the time for planning a memorial meeting arrives, it is important to be aware of both the needs of the family and those of the meeting. If the family is not used to Quaker ways, flexibility is needed in order to meet their needs. In some instances a second memorial meeting may be held so both family and meeting needs may be met. Early Friends held a simple memorial meeting for the departed Friend during a regular meeting for worship. Burials were simple, often without markers. A memorial minute testifying to the Grace of God in the life of the Friend was written — a practice Friends continue today. A memorial minute celebrating the spirit, life, and contributions of the individual, may reflect ministry that has arisen during the memorial meeting, include excerpts from an individual’s pre-written spiritual autobiography or other writings, and sometimes is written in consultation with other meetings of which the individual was a member. (See appendix for guidance on writing memorial minutes and conducting memorial meetings.)
14. Some meetings have a burial ground, a system of green burial, or a memorial garden for ashes. Meeting clearness and pastoral care committees (described in the pastoral care section) can also support the individual through the stages of illness, dying, and death. The meeting may have a burial committee to assist Friends in choosing and carrying out their final wishes with dignity and simplicity. Should a cause of death present particular challenges to the meeting, such as a death by violence, additional support for the community may be needed from Friends beyond the monthly meeting.
1) About a dozen years ago I became critically ill and I have a vivid memory of looking down on my self on the bed; doctors and nurses worked on that body; and I felt held in such secureness, joy and contentment, a sense of the utter rightness of things — I was held in the hands of God. The crisis passed and I was filled with wonder at the newness of life...
Can we face up to the fact of death? Can we prepare ourselves in some measure for dying? I feel I have to try and tell you of my experience and the understanding it brought me — however personal and limited. From the closeness of my own dying, I know God is. Death is not a negation of life but complements it: however terrible the actual dying, life and death are both parts of the whole and that wholeness is in God. I still fight the conventional words of ‘resurrection and life everlasting’ but I know that after Jesus died the overwhelming certainty of his presence released his disciples from fear. I believe eternal life is in each moment of life, here and now; the real tragedy is not how or when we die but if we do not live the life we are given to our full potential.
2) She (my sister) reminded me that Quaker faith was not written down; it was lived, and I was living it. I was trying to find answers in books and histories that weren’t meant to provide guidance. The answers would only come from me being present in the light, and living my faith.
So I put the books down. I thought back over the past few days as my father lay dying. And there I saw my faith. My father was surrounded by his family: his three daughters, his brother and sister, and his best friend of 37 years. He was never alone. Even as he began to fade in and out, we were present on his behalf and holding him in the light. Some people prayed; others held his hand. It didn’t matter what we did, because we all loved. And as all Quakers know, God is love, and God was with us. Friends from his meeting stopped by to see him and ask what they could do. He simply asked that they hold us all in the light. When he became too ill for visitors, some Friends met separately or worshiped alone on our behalf. My sister reminded us that death is a heartbreaking but natural and normal thing. This was going to be a sad time, horribly sad, but it should not be horrible. And it wasn’t; instead, it was filled with a kind of light I had never experienced before: somber and soft.
...Looking to my past Quaker experiences to try to understand death, I had been overlooking my current experience as a Quaker. Being a Quaker doesn’t stop, and neither had my Quaker education. I learned about how Quakers experience death because I journeyed alongside someone who was dying, and rested in the silence of those who journeyed with me.
... When my father slipped from this world, the entire family gathered around him. In retrospect, it strikes me how much this process was like a meeting for worship. In the silence, his brother, sister, and best friend told stories about his life. We opened ourselves up to our memories, and our sorrow. We cried but we also laughed. It was our way of holding him in the light as he began his journey. I also think it was our way of gathering ourselves and finding the light in our sorrow.
3) Each family made decisions based on their understanding of the human condition—physically and spiritually. Each family made the decision as a family, looking to one another for wisdom and support. Each family sought to discern the wishes of their loved one, the wishes of one another, in such a way that their loved one was still respected and treated with dignity. The decision to maintain life, or to end it, was done thoughtfully, emotionally, and spiritually. The families walked away from ICU knowing they acted with integrity.
... when someone is faced with imminent death, the best gift we can give anyone is our presence, our undivided presence. Use those active listening skills you’ve mastered over the years, and make that person the center of your universe. You don’t have answers to the hard questions—no one does. You don’t know why they became ill. You don’t know why people suffer. You don’t know that everything is going to be all right, because it might not be. Living and speaking with integrity means that you admit to the person or persons that you don’t have the answers, but you’re happy to be with them at this time. You don’t know what’s going to happen, but you’re willing to be with them when it does. Don’t be afraid to look people in the eyes and cry with them when they cry. Don’t shove tissues at them because their crying makes you uncomfortable and you want them to stop. That’s an example of sympathy. An empathetic person allows their friend to cry until they want to finish, and maybe shed a tear with them as well.
4) We are used to hear the term “centering” and I haven’t before had a really good image for how that feels, just that there is a lightness and a clarity of focus which doesn’t have words.
I was a holding a sense of this when a small group of us went to have worship with Friends I will call Kate and John in their home. Kate had recently been discharged from the hospital into hospice care at home and was mostly bedridden. During the week I had felt increasingly concerned about what seemed like a chaos of activity that was set in motion following Kate’s diagnosis and the need to set up for her needs during these final weeks of her life. So much felt like triage. Had anyone really had time to stop and consider what was most important? Was it to do everything possible to care of Kate at home or was there something more important that might be freed up if her basic needs were being met in a professional setting and her family and close friends were freed to concentrate on the quality of the time they had left with one another?
As we sat together in a circle I became aware of so many other concentric circles of caring beyond us. What surprised me was that Kate was not at the center of these circles. At the center was a shining entity like a pillar, filled with its own dynamic movement, and she was one of the people who was tending this central entity. It felt that this central entity was the beautiful dance of relationship between Kate and everyone present, but especially with her husband and her daughter and all those closest to her. They were not primarily tending her; she and they together were all tending the quality of their relationship and their love for one another. I felt strongly that Kate still had work to do, the most challenging work she had ever undertaken – to tend this flame of love together with her loved-ones. When I voiced this sense she expressed what a sense of relief it was for her to feel that she was still part of the circle actively holding something more than herself.
5) One particular evening during Sue’s last days was especially striking. A few of us sat at her bedside, along with her two dogs and her son, who lay red-eyed alongside her on the bed. In conscious awareness, we of her and she of us, we were together in our letting go. Together we were packing her bags for the walk between worlds to whatever might be next for her. There was a telling instant that lifted our tired and teary eyes. With a soft giggle from her frail and translucent body, she comforted us. Sue’s presence was almost regal as she signaled her acceptance of death. That soft laugh spoke to a faith and basic trust that clothed her in comfort, while equally clothing the rest of us. So it is with dying. Someone is leaving, and friends and family are equally participating in the parting. Conscious separation has always seemed important to me, and it can be one of love’s finest moments. Of all the many kinds of love, this love may be the kindest of them all. With all of the uncertainties on the bridge between one world and another, our trusting acceptance is what really allows a loving and lasting embrace.
6) The time to think about death, most truly to face it creatively, is not when it is near, but rather when one is at the peak of one’s life’s energy and creativity. Certainly this was the attitude of early Friends. Of course they knew death would come, but in the reading of thousands of the pages of the writings and journals of early Quakers, I have been impressed by how little concern the journal writer expressed for her or his own death or for what would happen after death. This is all the more remarkable when one remembers how common death was in those times, how central it was in most thought, and that the religions contemporary with Quakerism heavily emphasized the transition at death from physical life to heaven, hell, or purgatory, and each religion promised the best road to heaven.
Instead, Quakers, quietly placing their faith in the God they worshipped to handle all that happens after human death, concentrated their energy and their faith on the living of a holy life. I or, as Fox says repeatedly, our task, our responsibility is to make this present life holy, consecrated, a temple of the living God, the indwelling Christ. This gives to us the power to be the people of our God, to master and conquer temptation, to order our lives by the divine principles steadily revealed to us.
7) ... (D)eath is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity. Death then, being the way and condition of life, we cannot love to live, if we cannot bear to die.
They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies. Nor can spirits ever be divided, that love and live in the same divine principle, the root and record of their friendship. If absence be not death, neither is theirs. Death is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas; they live in one another still. For they must needs be present, that love and live in that which is omnipresent. In this divine glass they see face to face; and their converse is free, as well as pure. This is the comfort of friends, that though they may be said to die, yet their friendship and society are, in the best sense, ever present, because immortal.”
8) I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor powers, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
9) In view of the triumphant attitude Christianity takes toward death, it is strange that most of us avoid it as a topic of conversation. If we are not afraid of death, we seem to be afraid to speak of it. Yet death is as natural as life, and one is the counterpart of the other. If we cannot speak freely of death, we cannot speak freely of life....
The first natural response to death is fear. That is about as far as ever I got when death seemed a possibility during flights over the Pacific when motors stopped working. Yet death is a certainty we all face. We usually refuse to face it for ourselves until something forces us to. Then, strangely, the response is not fear any longer but acceptance, even contentment. So long as there is no predictable end to life, one forces himself to the fullest in the achievement of whatever goal or goals he has set himself. But when death appears as a certainty, such forcing seems foolish. You can relax, take time to drink in all that is beautiful, listen to all the music your soul longs for, make your own music, read the books you have longed to go back to, let nature sink in through every pore, spend more time with those you love, and ease the string to your bow so that living loses its tenseness but not its joy.
Thus death opens the door to life, to life renewed and re-experienced as a child experiences it, with the dew still on it. And so comes the next opening — the sense of being part of a universe, of a personal relatedness to all life, all growth, all creativity. Suddenly one senses that his life is not just his own little individual existence but that he is bound in fact to all of life, from the first splitting off of the planets, through the beginning of animate life and on through the slow evolution of man. It is all in him and he is but one channel of it. What has flowed through him, flows on, through children, through works accomplished, through services rendered; it is not lost. Once given the vision of one’s true place in the life stream, death is no longer complete or final, but an incident. Death is the way — the only way — life renews itself. When the individual has served his purpose as a channel, the flow transfers itself to other channels, but life goes on. And in this great drama of life renewed, one sees and feels the divine presence, and feels himself one with it.
Facing the possibility of death, I saw that I did not fear it. Why should I? Since life carries death with it like a seed, since this is normal, what is there to fear? The gift of life is inseparably united to the promise of death: on no other terms is life ever given. And death is a promise rather than a threat, for who would want to continue a life that is worn out?
10) I sat in a bedside chair and waited. Minutes went by and after a while I didn’t hear Glenn’s labored breathing. The sound of machines, monitors, and people in the hallway evaporated. It felt like being in meeting for worship when the gathered center down and it’s just us and the Light of God losing ourselves in a blessed silence. For a moment it was as if Glenn and I were lifted up and held in peace.
11) The following experience relates to the death of his son Lowell at the age of 11, while Rufus Jones was on a visit to England in 1903.
The night before landing in Liverpool I awoke in my berth with a strange sense of trouble and sadness. As I lay wondering what it meant, I felt myself invaded by a Presence and held in Everlasting Arms. It was the most extraordinary experience I had ever had. But I had no intimation that anything was happening to Lowell. When we landed in Liverpool a cable informed me that he was desperately ill, and a second cable, in answer to one from me, brought the dreadful news that he was gone. When the news reached my friend John Wilhelm Rowntree, he experienced a profound sense of Divine Presence enfolding him and me, and his comfort and love were an immense help to me in my trial.
I know now, as I look back across the years, that nothing has carried me up into the life of God, or done more to open out the infinite meaning of love, than the fact that love can span this break of separation, can pass beyond the visible and hold right on across the chasm. The mystic union has not broken and knows no end.
12) However much death has been expected and prepared for, it is still a shock when the moment comes. This shock produces a numbness at first which is merciful. It may enable the bereaved person to carry out the practical tasks which follow a death. But it may not. If we are sensitive we will see what help the bereaved person needs... How often we hear people say in those early day: She is being marvelous’. But this stage passes, and a period of great inner chaos can follow.
[The] loss of one’s partner can be one of the severest forms of psychological stress. The emotions can be quite overwhelming. Some say it feels like insanity.
Slowly life can be found to have meaning again, and at the heart of that meaning lies the word ‘love’. Growth into true life’ wrote one widow, ‘lies in love of one another. We have the choice of letting grief shadow our lives or growing from it.’ This healing love is beyond us and within us and continually seeks us out. Those whose privilege it has been to come right through grief know this in a deep and personal way. They can in their turn reach out to others in distress. The true meaning of the word ‘compassion’ is ‘suffering together with someone’. Perhaps they have discovered for themselves that the sense of the absence of God which came with the depression made them know how much they need God.
13) Grief is a holy madness. It is not a puzzle to be solved, a problem to be overcome, or a situation to be managed. It is a wilderness we wander in search of the sacred — an absent other, a missing self. No one can take this wilderness from us, and no one should. You who grieve, stay away from people who want you to get over it fast. They don’t know that the work you’re doing is holy.
… "The Truth must dazzle gradually/Or every man be blind Dickinson wrote. Grief is just as dazzling. It is a madness that makes divinest sense. The truths it reveals cannot be known all at once; they must be seen on the slant of time.
One of the most powerful truths I leaned was that the loftiest part of myself was always on duty. It was present despite the chaos, within the chaos. Present wherever I wandered, whatever I found: snake or squirrel, bee or bone, rock or razor. In the place I call North, I felt found, rescued, met, known, led, righted, given to, bestowed upon, inspired — all words claimed by religious tradition. What do you call this place? What is its center? For me, North is the soul’s magnetic pole; the divine is its compass, nothing less.
Patricia McKernon Runkle, 2017
Although Queries may often be answered with a simple affirmative or negative, it is vital to ask corollary questions such as “why”, “how”, or “when”. A qualified answer arising from introspection is more meaningful and constructive than an uncritical “yes” or “no”
7A, 7B and 7C: advance planning
7C and 7D: planning a memorial meeting
7F: preparing a memorial minute
Related Chapter:
Pastoral Care: means of providing support
Presented at the 2018 NEYM Annual Sessions
“Knowing one another in that which is eternal” is the ground and basis for walking with each other every day and learning to care for each other.”
1) Pastoral care is a reflection of the loving concern for the spiritual and physical condition of Friends within a meeting. Thoughtful attention, careful listening, and prayer are at its heart. The impulse to offer such care grows out of the increased awareness, sensitivity and love for one another that flows out of shared worship and a sense of unity in the Spirit. It is an extension of the direct Divine care offered to each one of us. It happens most effectively in a meeting where members know and trust one another. As a religious community, we share the responsibility to be attentive to the needs and conditions of the members and attenders in our meeting.
2) Times of fellowship and shared work allow personal ties to form which help open the way for Friends to both ask for and to receive care from one another. We come to know each other as we worship together, do business, and work together on meeting committees. When we gather less formally in discussion and study groups, to share meals and to work on social service projects, the bonds of the community may grow into personal friendships. It is important for meetings to encourage such opportunities for fellowship across generations and between new and longtime members and attenders. When our meeting community is gathered in fellowship and in the Spirit, we are more prepared to offer, or ask for, support when the need arises in our spiritual and personal lives.
3) There are times when Friends need more than the usual support that fellowship and friendship provide. In times of illness or grief, of transition or personal struggle, an individual, couple or family may reach out for more focused support from the meeting community. True care requires an open heart and a humble willingness to be of service. It is a journey taken together, each person open to leadings of the Spirit. The individual asking for help can then receive support without feeling diminished. When a meeting discerns that professional resources are needed, the meeting can support the individual in seeking them.
4) Whatever the size of the meeting and whatever form its structure takes, pastoral care is a vital part of a healthy meeting.
5) Pastoral Care can take as many forms as there are needs, and these needs may change over time. Sometimes it may be as simple as a meal delivered or a walkway shoveled, and at other times it may mean ongoing prayer and meetings for clearness or support.
6) At times of crisis, prayer and spiritual companionship are especially important. While the meeting may also provide practical assistance, we have a particular responsibility to offer each other spiritual support. Listening carefully and patiently, without judgment, can be of immense help. Worshipping and praying together can help bring reassurance and grounding. Knowing that others are offering prayers at other times and places can provide comfort, strength and consolation.
7) Friends extend practical care to one another to the extent they are able. In addition to helping an individual, such care may ease stress for the person’s family members. Help with shopping, meals and transportation are all examples of practical care that can support an individual, or a family, at a difficult time.
8) At times it may become clear that professionally-trained help is needed to responsibly address practical or counseling needs. It is of the utmost importance for a meeting or individuals doing pastoral care to discern when this is the case. The often-fractured quality of our society means that people may not have sufficient support networks when they are in crisis. Meetings today are seeing people in need of help that the meeting cannot provide. Even when professional help is needed, Friends may still, as a meeting, offer support through prayer, practical assistance, advocacy, and coordination of services.
9) Pastoral care is concerned with people of all ages and social conditions within the meeting. A healthy religious community will explore ways to keep all members engaged with the meeting’s life.
10) Pastoral care includes finding ways to keep connections with Friends who are unable to attend worship or social events for reasons that might include age, illness or personal crises. It may be appropriate to offer regular times of worship or discussion groups in their homes or other activities that help them stay engaged with the meeting. Remember that these Friends may also have practical needs.
11) There are Friends whose life circumstances prevent them from engaging as fully as they would wish in the life of the meeting. It is part of the pastoral care of the meeting to address as many of these impediments as possible. Solutions may range from fresh batteries in hearing assistance devices, to the creation of a mid-week meeting for worship, or childcare during committee meetings.
12) Sometimes it is unclear why a person is not attending meeting. When it is noticed that a Friend has been absent for some time, an individual may enquire if all is well. It may be that the Friend has found that the meeting is not the right spiritual home for them and their spiritual search has taken them elsewhere.
Alternatively, if it becomes clear that a Friend is absent because of disaffection with the meeting, Ministry and Counsel may offer an in-person visit. Friends are called to overcome a hesitation born of uncertainty about how they will be received, or from a sense of inadequacy, or fear of being with a person who is angry or in crisis.
13) Friends also need to be alert to the subtle societal differences that can create a sense of exclusion for an individual in the community. Members and attenders come from a variety of social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds.
Meetings where many members are affluent, for example, may not feel welcoming to those who struggle financially. People of color may find meetings ignorant of or unsympathetic to their experience. Those who feel there is disapproval of their choice of spiritual language may feel their spiritual insights are disregarded or unwelcome. It is important for meetings to actively examine their assumptions, expectations, and practices in order to ensure all who are committed to the search for Truth are welcome. It is difficult to be aware of our blind spots, but if our Society is to be genuinely inclusive it is essential that we do this work together. In some cases, the meeting itself may need pastoral care.
14) There may be times when Ministry and Counsel calls on the meeting to recognize ongoing revelation of Truth and places where falsity and discord persist in ourselves as individuals. This occurred in the past, for example, when meetings examined the participation of their members in the slave trade and in the ownership of enslaved peoples. Friends continue to be challenged in addressing racism in our midst. Structural inequalities of privilege and other deep concerns will continue to challenge the Society and provide opportunities for an evolving understanding of Truth.
15) Modern technology has increased the variety of ways we can keep in touch — phone, email, social media, list serves, etc. These may be useful tools, especially for keeping in touch with members who live at a distance. Some people who need counsel either cannot, or would prefer not, to meet in person. Long distance communication may be very welcome and helpful; however, Friends should be aware of the possibilities of misunderstandings and breaches of confidentiality when electronic communication is used. In addition, it should be remembered that the ease of more indirect, though more immediate communication, may also pose great risk if it is too frequently used in place of face-to-face meetings with one another.
16) Meetings vary in the ways they structure the work of pastoral care and this may depend on their size. Large meetings Ministry and Counsel may have a Pastoral Care Committee under its charge. In small meetings Ministry and Counsel may include pastoral care as part of its charge. In any case, the committee seeks to identify Friends who are particularly gifted in this area. Some New England meetings employ a pastor, part of whose work is to share in the pastoral care of the meeting. It is helpful for Ministry and Counsel to periodically remind the meeting whom to contact when pastoral care concerns arise. Every type of meeting has structures that assist in delivering pastoral care: clearness committees, support committees, and practical care committees, as needed.
17) A Friend facing a major decision or discerning a leading may find it helpful to ask for a clearness committee. The Friend may request a committee, or a member of the meeting may propose this opportunity. Once it is requested, Ministry and Counsel, in consultation with the individual, appoints the committee. The intention of the committee is to help draw out Divine guidance. The committee may need to meet only once or may need to meet several times with the individual. Confidentiality is maintained.
18) One type of support committee is set up in a similar way to the clearness committee process described above. Its purpose is to help a Friend who is going through a crisis or a life transition. Support includes holding the Friend in prayer, listening, responding tenderly, providing encouragement, and discerning whether practical or professional care is needed.
19) Friends also form a support committee for a meeting member who has a defined ministry or position within the meeting, such as clerk. Similarly, support committees are formed for Friends whose ministry takes them beyond the meeting. Such a committee meets regularly with the individual to review how things are going, to listen to concerns, to pray with them, and to help them gain clarity on how to proceed. The committee seeks ways to help the Friend be faithful to their calling. It also serves as an intermediary between the individual and the meeting, letting the meeting know about and helping it understand the work the Friend is doing. It encourages the meeting to hold the ministry of this Friend in prayer.
20) In the case of a paid staff position or a released Friend, care should be taken that the support committee for this ministry is separate from the oversight of the Friend’s job or ministry. See the discussion of paid staff at **** or released Friends at ****.
21) At times Friends need practical assistance in their daily lives as they deal with illness, frailty, bereavement, or other challenges. Care committees are formed, as the meeting is able, to assist such Friends with things like meals for a period of time, transportation, and childcare. This may often be done in conjunction with the Friend’s family members and friends from outside the meeting. It is important for all involved to carefully discern to what extent it is wise for them to be involved, and to balance loving generosity with self-care.
22) Befriending the children and youth of our meeting is something each person can do to build up the young person’s sense of being cherished and of belonging to the community. Their needs and concerns may be heard as older Friends take the time to pay attention to their words and actions. There can be rich sharing and learning between the generations when adults are willing to approach such conversations in a vulnerable and honest way. Children and young people want to have their spiritual journeys taken seriously, they want to be heard and asked challenging questions, and in turn, they want adults to be open with them about their own journeys and questions.
23) Monthly meetings may also encourage families to involve their children and youth in programs beyond the meeting. During the school year, the yearly meeting offers weekend retreats for a variety of age groups and some quarterly meetings host family retreats. There are programs for all age groups during yearly meeting sessions. The yearly meeting camp, Friends Camp in China, Maine, offers a series of programs during the summer.
24) Pastoral care offered by the meeting is usually within the context of the family and with parental consultation. At a certain point, however, children and young people may need confidential care separate from their parents or families. Families experiencing divorce, substance abuse, illness, or death, for example, may be overwhelmed and not equipped to provide the support a child needs. Young people struggling with issues around relationships, sexuality, gender identity, or peer pressure, to name a few, may feel more comfortable exploring their thoughts and concerns with a trusted adult member of the meeting who is outside of their family. When families request the help of the meeting to provide pastoral care for their children it is critical to make boundaries and expectations clear and explicit. When a child requests care on their own, they may request that their concerns not be shared with their family. It is critical in these instances also that boundaries and expectations be clear and explicit. When a child requests care, and does not wish their family to know about the request, the individual or meeting must proceed with caution.
25) All adults providing pastoral care to children, either formally or informally, must be aware of circumstances where confidentiality cannot be maintained, for example situations of abuse or self-harm. Familiarity with mandatory reporting laws is essential. Safety of the child should always be the first concern. Those providing pastoral care, especially those working as individuals, should take great care never to put themselves in a position where the safety of the child could be called into question. The Yearly Meeting has a Child Safety Policy that should be carefully read and understood. Each state has differing regulations regarding the responsibility of churches with respect to child safety. Monthly meetings should be aware of the regulations in their own state. The Yearly Meeting also has other support materials that may be useful to monthly meetings and to others doing work in the wider Friend’s community.
26) The same structures used to support adults may be valuable in support of children. Clearness committees, support committees, visitation, and practical care can be effective in honoring and supporting young people as they face the spiritual challenges of their lives. As in pastoral care for adults, however, the meeting must also take care to recognize when a child’s needs are beyond the meeting’s ability to meet.
See Appendix 8B for further information on structures and procedures to support pastoral care of individuals
27) Within a meeting the needs and desires of individuals are held in balance with the needs and integrity of the whole. It is a work of love that the meeting insure that no individual’s needs, behaviors, or assertiveness dominates the meeting community, while still providing openings for individual insights and community growth. Sometimes it is the individual and sometimes it is the meeting that needs to move to a new understanding.
28) It is important for the health of the meeting that it be sensitive to conflict and move to resolve it without delay, if possible. Addressing conflicts is an opportunity for growth. When there is an interpersonal conflict and the individuals have not been able to resolve the difficulty privately, a Friend, or small group of Friends facilitates listening such that each person in the conflict is supported in hearing the concerns of the other. It is essential that all individuals involved in the conflict, or in its resolution, be willing to engage in the process and be open to finding unity in the Spirit. The same applies to groups within the meeting that are at odds with one another. If a conflict is widely known within the meeting community, it is important for Ministry and Counsel to make a broad statement that the problem is being addressed with love, and to respect confidentiality in terms of names and problem specifics. The process of dealing with conflict, whether resolved or not, may leave meetings themselves in need of pastoral care.
29) Meetings are often reluctant to admit troubling internal differences and to ask for pastoral care for themselves from beyond the local meeting. Friends are called to care for one another and to offer loving support to a meeting just as they would to an individual experiencing difficulties. Support and prayerful discernment can be sought from quarterly or yearly meeting ministry and counsel, remembering that some conflicts require a long, slow healing process. Affirmations and Trust
30) Care of the meeting also takes the form of building up a spirit of faith and confidence. By reminding the meeting of those areas where unity and strength have been evident, we affirm where the meeting has been faithful in the past in following the Spirit’s leadings. In times of difficulty, reminding Friends of how God has been present in facing the challenges of the past can restore a sense of unity.
31) While meetings may have specific people overseeing pastoral care — Ministry and Counsel, a pastoral care committee, a pastor — it is not intended that they do it all. Rather, each Friend is encouraged to be alert to the spiritual, emotional, practical, and physical needs of others and of the wellbeing of the community as a whole.
1. The direct pastoral care of God for each individual is expressed in the shepherd imagery of Psalm 23
1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
2. The eternal God is thy dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms.
Deuteronomy 33:27, American Standard Version
3. Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand.
4. A message about pastoral care addressed to the young Christian churches:
He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.
2 Corinthians 1:4, The Message
5. When I meet with a person, a couple or a family, in need or pain, I consider this meeting a special form of meeting for worship; a meeting where we gather to focus on the needs of the person or family and seek to discern the healing and guiding movement of the Spirit. Such a meeting is sacred. It is a place of meeting — of encounter — with ourselves, with each other, and with God. It is a place where we may be surprised by God, where we may be confronted by painful realities, where we may find a deep sense of relational connection and where we may discover healing, new life and empowerment....
In this sense, we can say that pastoral care is sacramental. Pastoral care affirms the presence and power of the sacred in the everyday realities of our lives and struggles, and it affirms our capacity to experience that power and presence. Proclaiming the presence of a life-giving, healing power at the heart of life, it calls all present into the experience of the transforming power at the heart of our lives.
6. The healing journey is not simple it is not easy. There is a deep restlessness to be totally well, totally healed. Yet I realize having gone through a threatening illness that what held me together was not my own strength, but the strength of a community that held me up in prayer and action. It was all-important. I needed that prayer. I felt it in core places physical and spiritual. At one point in Intensive Care I was in so much pain and unable to communicate...
My world was filled with the endlessness of hospital noise. And I was trying to shut it all out, I was trying to shut down. It was just a draining experience. Then out of the darkness I heard two voices. Judy and Dave were in the room by my bed talking to me, holding me in the Mist of unity. And I had nothing to say.... Well, I had a lot to say but I was having a Zacharias experience—unable to speak, but excited because in that moment I was understanding a lot. My frustration deepened, but only for a moment. It became not important that I could not communicate, that my words were useless. I had an interior understanding and while I was frustrated in my silence, it was in the depth of a deepening understanding that I grew to understand the beauty of our Quaker silence. I gave myself up to it and I was nourished —by Judy and Dave that day and by many other Friends on what seemed like many endless days. I let that blanket of goodness cover me.
“There come times when the Presence steals upon us, all unexpected and not the product of agonized effort, and we live in a new dimension of life.” — Thomas R. Kelly [A Testament of Devotion, Harper, 1941, pp. 93-94]
We are called as Friends to this “new dimension” as we deal with War, Immigration, Urban Violence, Gender Equality, Racism, Poverty, Prisons, Tax Resistance. We are challenged to live a unique silence, an informed silence, a silence of hope. The silence of our meeting worship, must invade our lives on all other days. You and I must savor this reality. We must touch the “Deep” of Silence.
7. All of us deeply yearn to be known, to be “heard into speech,” as Parker Palmer says. Each of us needs to be loved unconditionally, to be given space to grow, to be forgiven, to be nudged gently open, and to join in some sort of communion in awe and wonder. I believe this is what makes spiritual community.
8. When (young people are) asked what they would find helpful, their advice to adults is simple “Treat us like you’d like to be treated. Treat us with respect,” says Ben “and don’t just make chit-chat. I’ve got views on just about any issue, and I like people who actually can talk about things.” Youth want to have significant relationships with meeting adults...
Patti encourages adults to move beyond their stereotypes about young people. “Some people seem not to get beyond the fact that I’m only eleven. Then there are people who just think of me as ‘my dad’s daughter’. I feel like they don’t really try to get to know me..."
Patti continues “I think one reason why adults don’t try to get to know the kids in the meeting that well is because they’re scared of us. Don’t ask me why. And when they get scared it intimidates the kids and also makes the kids a little shyer.”
Marty Smith and Carolyn Terrell, 1995
9. Our meeting had a member who had a very definite view of how things should be, and who was frequently critical of other members and of elements of worship and meeting life. As pastor I frequently heard the distress of those who felt attacked by her and was myself disturbed by it. I decided to sit with her and listen to all her complaints, responding only by briefly reflecting them back to her. Most of the time I listened in silence. After about 45 minutes of this deep listening what I heard was the sub-text “I really care about this meeting” and I was able to express this to her with gratitude. Toward the end of this listening session she started to reflect on her own behavior, to feel that she might try to change her way of dealing with things that disturbed her, and to be open to the possibility that others may care as much as she did but show it in different ways. In the months that followed, there were fewer incidents of the disruptive behavior and when they did happen, I had a better rapport with the woman to address them.
10. People who exhibit behavior which we describe as “difficult” make us uncomfortable, and it is a very normal human response to want a lessening of discomforts. Our discomfort is useful in letting us know that something is wrong, something needs attention — but what?
Is the person identified bringing a message that we need to hear but don’t want to listen to?
Is it what the person is saying which is troubling to us, or is it the manner in which it is being said?
Is there a message (in words or actions), or is the behavior irrational and not rooted in the reality in which most of us are grounded?
Individually and collectively, how might we be causing, or at the very least, contributing to the behavior we find unacceptable? Are we giving a consistent message to the person whose behavior is troubling that we find the behavior unacceptable, or do some of us directly or indirectly affirm the behavior?
These questions and others that you could add to the list, can help us to begin the process of hopefully finding common ground which can serve as a meeting place with the person whose behavior is troubling us
And yes, we need to recognize how we take advantage of qualities which make a person well-suited to a committee assignment, such as being meticulous in the care of property, and then become impatient with them when they carry that to an extreme. I am not saying that we cause difficult behavior, but I am clear that there are ways in which we inadvertently intensify it.
11. Seek to know one another in the things which are eternal, bear the burden of each other’s failings and pray for one another. As we enter with tender sympathy into the joys and sorrows of each other’s lives, ready to give help and to receive it, our meeting can be a channel for God’s love and forgiveness.
Britain Yearly Meeting, Quaker Faith and Practice, section 1.02, No. 18
1) Psalm 23, King James Version [17]
2) Deuteronomy 33:27 [18], American Standard Version
3) Isaac Pennington, Letters, ed John Barclay, 1828, p 139; 3rd edition, 1844, p 138 (Letter LII, to Friends in Amersham, dated Aylesbury, 4 iii [May] 1667).
4) 2 Corinthians 1:4, The Message [19]
5) Maureen Graham Pg. 6-7 “Out of the Silence” Quaker Perspective on Pastoral Care and Counseling edited by J. Bill Ratliff. Pendle Hill Publications 2001
6) Greg Williams, unpublished 2007
7) Gretchen Baker Smith, IMYM Keynote Address published in Western Friend, September/October 2012 as “Living Bravely in Sacred Time, Nurturing a multigenerational spiritual community of Friends”
8) Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Pastoral Care Newsletter March 1995, “Nurturing Families and Children in Meeting” by Marty Smith and Carolyn Terrell
9) Maggie Edmondson, unpublished 2017
10) Arlene Kelly, “Dealing with Difficult Situations,” October 2004, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Pastoral Care Newsletter
11) Britain Yearly Meeting, Quaker Faith and Practice, section 1.02, No. 18 [http://qfp.quaker.org.uk/passage/1-02/ [20]]
New England Yearly Meeting
Faith and Practice Revision Committee to NEYM 2013
New England Yearly Meeting
Faith and Practice Revision Committee to 2013 Sessions
Travels with Testimonies and
A Peculiar People
“Travels with Testimonies” bears witness to the continuing revelation at work in the Faith and Practice Revision Committee, appointed in 2001.
We have worked on a testimonies chapter for 10 years, five prior to presenting a working paper in 2008 and five more pondering your comments on that working paper. Our ever-deepening discernment on what we might be given to say about testimonies has led us to the following clarity:
We welcome reflections on expressing this sense of Testimony as the integration of faith and practice in the core chapters of the book.
In 2003 we distributed a document called “A Peculiar People” and recently some Friends asked us to consider including in the book. We encourage Friends to read it and send us their reflections by February 1, 2014.
As we ask for your further engagement with us in discernment, we again affirm the faith we expressed in our 2010 report, “. . . we maintain our faith that if we listen for the Spirit’s guidance and the Life in the Yearly Meeting, the book will grow organically in ways that nurture that Life.”
Please send comments via email (preferred) to fandp [at] neym [dot] org, or by U.S. mail to Jan
Hoffman, clerk, 343 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002.
|
Doug Armstrong |
Eric Edwards |
Jan Hoffman |
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Marion Athearn |
Kristna Evans |
Sara Hubner |
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Susan Davies |
Eleanor Godway |
Phebe McCosker |
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Maggie Edmondson |
David Haines |
Sue Reilly |
NOTE: If you have an electronic reader, please download this text from the Faith and Practice Revision website https://www.neym.org/fandp/sessions2013 [21] and leave paper copies for those without such access.
Friends, it has not been given to us to present a revision of the working paper “Integration of faith and life: the meaning, understanding and use of Testimonies” for preliminary approval this year. This clarity is part of a much larger process that began 11 years ago. In our first annual report in 2002 we affirmed our trust that God would guide us in this work. In 2013 we can joyfully re-affirm the three-fold faith in which that trust is grounded: faith in our Guide, faith in continuing revelation, and faith that we can be guided together. In that 2002 report we also shared our clarity that we wanted not just to revise the 1985 book, but to engage with you in revisioning it by identifying where the Life is in the Yearly Meeting, and articulating and nurturing it. We hoped that our work would be a stimulus to discussion and prayerful discernment within the meetings, which would in turn inform our work. It has done both, and we are grateful for the insights of many meetings and individuals. We also affirm that these explorations are as valuable, or more so, than the final book.
We have found Life in our process of deep listening, mutual respect, and moving with “the unforced rhythms of grace” (Matt 11:29, The Message [22]). We have sensed the driving force of Spirit when we are on the right track and we have felt the lulls and the stops when we are not yet clear. We have gained a nimbleness in knowing when we are getting off the scent of where we are being led. Working in this way, our vision has been fluid, evolving, and changing and we have tried to let go of anxiety as we proceed without knowing the exact outcome.
This approach has also led us to allow the structure of the book to emerge as we work. Until 2005 we worked without even a “provisional skeleton,” and not until 2007 did we offer a “Draft Table of Contents,” which remains a draft. We are discovering more and more the necessary freedom this has given us to create a form for the book that would follow the Life in NEYM. In 2010 we could still affirm that “Through our nine years of work, we maintain our faith that if we listen for the Spirit’s guidance and the Life in the Yearly Meeting, the book will grow organically in ways that nurture that Life.”
After reading responses to our 2002 questionnaire, we created a document in 2003 called “A Peculiar People,” which gave an idea of the shape and rhythms of the work as we understood it. This past year members of NEYM asked us to consider including it in the book. We are discerning whether to use a revised version of it as an introduction, and encourage Friends to read it (attached) and send their reflections to us on this possibility.
The responses to that questionnaire also led us into work that is not usually that of a Faith and Practice Revision Committee. We prepared the text of the 1985 Faith and Practice for posting online; compiled a spreadsheet of resources on “Recognition, Accountability and Support for Gifts and Leadings”; and created a 120-page collection of substantive NEYM minutes from 1944-2003, keyed by types: 1) Action/Thought, 2) Reflection/Wrestling, 3) Public Statements, and 4) Structural Change.
Our preliminary work on Yearly Meeting organizational structures revealed that there is much in need of clarification. We are grateful that Coordinating and Advisory Committee has affirmed that this is not our task and has taken responsibility for making these processes and structures clear.
Again from our 2002 report, our constant concern has been “to explore those places where faith becomes practice and want the link between them to be clear in the book.” Discerning how to do that is a continuing process. After the Preface, we were clear to begin our work with the chapter on worship (given preliminary approval in 2007). Next we set our work in its New England context by drafting the chapter on the history of Friends in New England (given preliminary approval in 2008). From this foundation, we offered a working paper to Sessions in 2008 in which we hoped to express the spiritual underpinnings of testimony, rather than attempting to convey everything that could be said about the variety of ways faith is expressed in our lives. We titled this chapter, “Integration of faith and life: the meaning, understanding, and use of testimonies.”
Since then we have considered your reflections on that working paper, and that consideration has moved from one small group to another within our committee. We have sensed both the narrowing of focus necessary to express that all testimonies come from the one Source, and the expansion of focus necessary to realize that our whole lives, both personal and communal, are our testimony. We feel keenly what early Friends described as “Truth’s testimony,” the witness of the Inward Light that which we feel and know throughout our whole being when we “stand still in that which shows and discovers” and which causes us to live “in the virtue of that Life and power that takes away the occasion of all wars.” Whether we come to this Source first through inner exploration or through the outer living of its principles, it remains the heart of our witness.
We have been asked repeatedly for a definitive list of Quaker testimonies, but our sense remains both that we cannot make such a list, and that attempting to do so involves the danger of “the testimonies” being held up as a kind of Quaker doctrine or creed. Lists, such as the one represented by the relatively modern acronym SPICE (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality), do indeed have their place in teaching situations. They describe some broad categories into which our faith falls, but they are also limiting, just as a creed is limiting. We want to hold up the central work of the Inward Guide as the driving force from which, ideally, all our actions arise, as well as showing what that looks like in our lives. As we approach Sessions this year, we are in the midst of discernment about how to proceed.
We have the task before us of describing the integration of faith and life in our personal lives, our communal life as a religious society, and in the wider community. Our current sense is that this is not best served by a separate chapter on testimonies. We want to tell the stories of how Friends have been moved to live through the witness of the Spirit within them. We encourage you to send accounts from Quaker authors or your own experience. These will undoubtedly fall into those broad categories we have come to call “Quaker testimonies,” but we are trying to find a way to do that without separating lived faith from the inward working of the Spirit. Every aspect of our lives, every decision we make and how we make it personally, in religious community, and in the wider world is our Testimony.
So, we are not bringing a revised version of the Testimonies chapter this year. Rather, after much work on it, and following the Spirit’s guidance, we hope to make both the inner and outer aspects of testimony clear in how we write the rest of the book. We invite you to join us on this adventure of discernment and welcome your input as both guidance and inspiration for us.
Continuing revelation is expected in healthy spiritual community, bringing new life and constant change. Can we articulate both the solid and unchanging ground of our faith, as well as the motion among us of new insights and leadings that need new structures to free the Life?
Can we embrace our not fully understanding the new life which is being born, but try instead to be in right relationship, with God and with one another, while it is emerging: to be poised, nimble, and committed to responding faithfully?
The first New England Quakers were New Englanders before they became Quakers. Most of them, or their parents, arrived from England in the great Puritan migration of the 1630s. Some sought new opportunities for profit and prosperity. Most had sufficient means to establish successful farms or mercantile ventures. Some came primarily for religious reasons, seeking relief from the strictness of the Church of England.
But the political and religious leaders in Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay left little space for dissenting opinions. A number of settlers, including many who would later become Quaker, found themselves at odds with the authorities. By 1640 Massachusetts Bay authorities had expelled a number of dissidents, including Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. Both leaders settled in Rhode Island with some of their followers, helping set a tone of religious toleration there.
These banishments did not eliminate dissent. By the early 1650s, court records in communities north and south of Boston showed a number of residents fined for not attending church services, holding unauthorized worship in homes, and refusing to pay the tax to support the town minister.
Into this ferment came a handful of evangelists from a new movement in England. They called themselves “Children of the Light [23],” “Publishers of Truth,” or “the people of God.” They also called one other “Friends [24],” both personally and generally, decades later coming to name themselves the Religious Society of Friends.
Their enemies called them “Quakers” because they claimed to tremble before God. They preached that each person could know, directly and immediately, the power of Christ’s love and the light of his Truth, and could receive the power to conform their lives to the rigorous demands of that Light.
One leader in this new movement, George Fox, had searched without success for a priest or preacher who could satisfy his spiritual hunger. In 1647 he wrote, “I heard a voice which said, ‘There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition,’ and when I heard it my heart did leap for joy.” He began an itinerant ministry, proclaiming from hilltops and in churches and market squares that “Christ has come to teach his people himself.” From the top of Pendle Hill in Lancashire Fox had a vision of “a great people to be gathered.”
The charismatic preaching of Fox and other members of the “Valiant Sixty,” as the core leaders of this nascent movement were called, attracted thousands of seekers, especially in the north of England. These communities found that if they gathered for worship “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24 [25]), God’s transforming power would be poured out upon them (Joel 2:28-29 [26]; Acts 2 [27]). They experienced God’s presence, sometimes called the Light, as a power that searched their hearts, broke them open, and left them, in Margaret Fell’s words, “naked and bare before the Lord God, from whom you cannot hide yourselves.” That same Light transformed them, its power overcoming all that was contrary to itself. It knit them into one body; as Francis Howgill put it, “The Kingdom of Heaven did gather us and catch us all, as in a net.”
Quakers taught that this direct experience of grace was potentially available to everyone. That universalism distinguished them from many other Protestants, who taught that only some people could be saved. Quakers also witnessed to their experience that God could choose and use anyone as a messenger, including servants, uneducated laborers, and women.
The primary qualification for becoming a minister was faithfulness to God’s direction. Formal theological training and institutional credentialing were unnecessary, and might even hinder the fresh proclamation of a living gospel.
These Publishers of Truth preached a prophetic message. Like the Hebrew prophets and Christian apostles, they experienced God as a living, energizing power, spurring them to confront what they saw as the hypocrisy and corruption of social and ecclesiastical institutions and to form communities of believers committed to doing God’s will. They encouraged mutual aid, particularly to those who suffered persecution for their faithfulness.
They saw their movement as “primitive Christianity revived,” and looked to the early Christian Church as their model for dynamic organization and loving community. The Bible shaped and guided every decision, though Friends viewed it as a record of God’s action in the human community, not as the Word of God. The true Word of God was the living Christ, alive and active to the present day in the human heart (John 1:1-5 [28]).
As other Protestant churches battled over the proper practice and theology of the sacraments, Friends rejected the outward sacraments entirely as neither Biblically mandated, nor necessary, nor sufficient for salvation. They emphasized, from their own lived experience, Christ’s promise to plant a new life in the soul and abide there to give it light, to feed it with the bread of life and the Living Water, and to lead it into all truth. They proclaimed their experience of a true baptism of Christ Himself, who baptizes His people with the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11 [29]; Acts 2:4 [30]), and a true communion in the spiritual experience of the soul united with God in a gathered community.
Friends expected inward transformation or convincement to show itself in a life of holiness or moral perfection. Their understanding of perfection quickly took specific forms, which would come to characterize Quakers as a sect. Their experience showed them that God works within persons of every class. Addressing upper-class individuals by the plural “you” suggested higher social class and denoted higher worth, so Friends insisted on using the singular “thee” and “thou” to everyone, and refused to bow or remove their hats before judges and other upper-class individuals. Swearing oaths implied a double standard of truth and violated Christ’s express commandment not to swear, so Friends refused all oaths, resulting in thousands of fines, imprisonments, and seizures of goods. They believed the state-supported church was corrupt, so they refused to attend it or to pay the tithes that supported it, resulting in more seizures.
Although formal membership records would not be kept for some decades, Margaret Fell and her daughters at their Swarthmoor Hall home in Lancashire kept track of those in prison or otherwise suffering for their testimony to Truth, and coordinated both material relief and lobbying efforts to secure their release. Although the movement attracted seekers from the Puritan army, many Friends became convinced that their Divine Guide would never order them to fight with outward weapons, even on behalf of a nominally Christian government.
These “Publishers of Truth” felt called to spread their message widely. “Let all nations hear the word,” Fox exhorted. “Spare no place, spare not tongue nor pen; but be obedient to the Lord God ... and be valiant for the Truth upon earth.” The movement spread quickly from the northern counties to London and the south, west into Ireland, and into Holland, Germany, and France.
In 1656 Ann Austin, a middle-aged matron, and Mary Fisher, a young servant-girl, left the north of England to carry the gospel to the English colonies. When they arrived in Boston, they were arrested and strip-searched for marks of witchcraft. After five weeks in jail, they were shipped back to Barbados. The next summer, in 1657, a group of English Quakers crossed the Atlantic in the Woodhouse, a small leaky ship guided, its skipper reported, only by “the Lord leading our vessel even as it were a man leading a horse by the head.” They landed on Long Island, and some of them headed east to Rhode Island.
These evangelists found fertile ground in clusters of dissenters and seekers in Salem, Sandwich, and Pembroke, Massachusetts, and on Aquidneck (Rhode) Island, where Ann Hutchinson’s followers had settled. Rhode Island colony allowed the new groups to worship as they liked. Massachusetts Bay authorities, by contrast, viewed the Quaker proselytizers as scandalous heretics and a dangerous threat to public order. They arrested and fined residents for attending Quaker worship, burned Quaker books, and swiftly arrested and punished any Quaker who defied their decrees by setting foot in Boston.
Whippings, having ears cut off, and banishment only increased the resolve of the growing Quaker community to show the Puritans that God’s will could not be denied. As Wenlock Christison warned his Puritan persecutors, “Do not think to weary out the living God by taking away the lives of his servants.” Two English Friends—William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson—were hanged in Boston in 1659. Mary Dyer of Rhode Island was reprieved and banished, but returned to Boston in 1660, when she too was hanged. William Leddra was hanged in March 1661. After much lobbying by Friends in England, the newly restored king, Charles II, ordered an end to the Massachusetts persecutions. More than a dozen Quakers were released from the Boston jail in June 1661 and cart-whipped across the Rhode Island border, where they joined Friends from throughout the region for a General Meeting that New England Yearly Meeting claims as its first annual session.
Rhode Island, whose 1664 royal charter guaranteed religious liberty, quickly became a base for Quaker missions to other parts of New England. The neighboring colonies tried unsuccessfully to persuade Rhode Island to rid itself of these “notorious heretics.” Over the next decades, as English settlers spread throughout New England, Quaker meetings multiplied in Rhode Island, in southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod, and north from Salem to Dover, Berwick, and Kittery. New England meetings were visited regularly by ministers such as Elizabeth Hooton, one of the earliest and most stalwart ministers. Relying on a royal grant, Hooton persevered through multiple banishments to secure a meeting place for Boston Friends.
In 1671, fifteen years after the first Quakers arrived in New England, George Fox visited Friends throughout the American colonies, from the Caribbean northward. He and his traveling companions sought to strengthen meetings and resolve disputes and factions. He also promoted an institutional framework that he believed would enable the growing and dispersed Quaker community to survive and thrive.
After twenty years and often intense persecution, Fox and other Quaker leaders recognized that the movement needed a degree of order and discipline. Friends’ emphasis on individual experience and discernment of God’s call inherently contained the risk of “Ranterism” or anarchy. Friends insisted that God’s Truth was always the same. But inevitably, it seemed, disagreements arose in discerning and interpreting that Truth. After several major disputes among English Friends, a weekly London meeting of recognized ministers began coordinating ministry and strategy, and both local and national groups took steps to disown or testify against those who might call themselves Friends but whose behavior was unacceptable to the bulk of the community.
Fox’s recommended structure was similar to that adopted by Presbyterian churches. Friends from one or more worshipping groups were to gather for a monthly meeting for business, under divine guidance, for the “well-ordering and managing” of their practical affairs. Fox insisted that women, who had little voice in other churches, should have their own business meetings. Each monthly meeting was accountable to a quarterly regional meeting, and these in turn to the New England-wide Yearly Meeting. All the Yearly Meetings reported to that in London, which throughout the colonial era maintained a central role. This structure helped the charismatic and prophetic movement evolve—not without controversy—into an orderly, disciplined, and respectable religious society.
Fox arrived in Rhode Island in late May 1672. Friends and nonFriends alike came from all corners of New England to hear this charismatic preacher. Roger Williams, the aged founder of the Providence Plantation, sought to debate with Fox directly, but the two never met. In meeting after meeting, some disrupted by hecklers, Fox demonstrated how God’s power could bring the body into spiritual unity. At the close of the General Meeting in Newport, Rhode Island, in June 1672 Fox wrote, “it was hard for Friends to part, for the glorious power of the Lord which was over all and his blessed Truth and life flowing amongst them had so knit and united them together that they spent two days in taking leave of one another, and Friends went away being mightily filled with the presence and power of the Lord.”
In 1676 southern New England was shaken by a devastating war between English settlers and some of the indigenous peoples, following decades of disputes over land usage. A handful of Friends tried without success to negotiate a resolution. Indians and English killed each other’s soldiers and non-combatants alike, burned houses and villages, and took captives. Quakers in the affected area did not object forcibly to the war, nor were they spared its effects. The war solidified English domination of the region, opening new areas to English settlement.
As English settlements expanded up the coast into Maine, inland, and through southern Rhode Island, new meetings formed. They were nourished by local ministers and elders, a steady flow of itinerant ministers, and the regular exchange of epistles (letters) among men’s and women’s meetings in England, Ireland, and the colonies. The Great Meetinghouse in Newport, Rhode Island, built in 1699, housed the Yearly Meeting’s annual sessions each summer. The Yearly Meeting over this period formulated policies and procedures for membership, marriage, care for poor Friends, resolving disputes, and disownment.
During this period a “Quietist” spirit dominated Friends’ worship. Friends were less concerned with evangelism or making converts than with preserving good internal order. Quaker ministers stressed introspection, silent waiting, obedience to the Divine, and avoidance of “creaturely activity” or actions based purely in human will or desire.
At the same time, Friends shared in the economic and geographical expansion of the English colonies. As farmers, ship-owners, merchants, and artisans, they prospered from the growing Atlantic trade in foodstuffs, lumber, whale oil, sugar and molasses, and rum. Quaker shopkeepers and merchants became particularly known for their fixed prices and honest dealings.
Some Friends used indentured labor; some bought and held native people or Africans in a state of slavery. A few participated directly in the slave trade. Through the early decades of the 1700s, a few Friends spoke of their sense that buying, selling, and even holding slaves were actions inconsistent with Truth. But some who spoke out forcefully on this question found themselves silenced or disowned for disrupting the unity of the meeting.
Some individuals decided to free their enslaved Africans, or to refrain from buying slaves or using slave labor. In 1715-18 several monthly meetings brought the question to the Yearly Meeting, but Friends could not agree and put the question aside.
New England Quakers continued to suffer civil penalties as a result of how they lived out their moral and spiritual convictions. In Massachusetts and Connecticut, Friends were regularly subjected to fines and seizures of goods for refusing to pay taxes to support Puritan ministers, for refusing to swear oaths, and for marriages not recognized by the government. In Rhode Island, which had no such requirements, Quakers served in and at times dominated the colonial government.
During the periodic wars between England and France, Friends’ refusal to train as soldiers brought fines, and occasionally imprisonment. Meetings disciplined those who participated in military trainings, enlisted in the militia, paid substitutes, shipped out on privateering vessels, or paid taxes levied specifically for military expeditions. New England Friends did not, however, take disciplinary action against Quakers serving in the Rhode Island Assembly or as governor, who helped the English war efforts against France in their official capacities.
By the 1750s some Quaker ministers, especially in Philadelphia and England, grew concerned that Friends had become indifferent and apathetic. After a century of “birthright” membership, there were many in the Society who had never had a personal spiritual transformation. Prosperity, hard work, and sharing in the “worldly” social life of their communities left little energy for diligent adherence to the Gospel. The reformers hoped to revive the prophetic faithfulness to Truth that had inspired early Friends.
Although these ministers differed in their emphases, all agreed on the prescription for reform: more diligent attention to discipline. Friends needed to build up the “walls” separating themselves from “the world” and its people, especially the rules against marrying out of the Society. Friends should attend meetings for worship more regularly, keep to plainness of dress and language, and stay away from taverns, social events like weddings and corn huskings, and other entertainments involving vain music and dancing.
In 1760 New England Yearly Meeting, responding to these calls for reform, ordered copies of the Book of Discipline (drawn largely from minutes coming from London) for each monthly meeting and preparative meeting. It directed each meeting to set up visiting committees to visit every Friend’s family, report infractions of the rules, and work to convince the Friend of his or her error. Some offenders acknowledged their errors; others were disowned or indicated that they did not care to continue in membership.
One of the matters for discipline concerned Friends’ use of enslaved labor. By the 1750s the number of Friends opposing or at least troubled by slavery had grown, and meetings found it more difficult to ignore them. John Woolman and Anthony Benezet, respected Philadelphia-area ministers, argued that slavery was inconsistent with the Gospel, especially the golden rule, and with the natural rights of humankind. Woolman traveled throughout New England in 1760, laboring with individual slave-owning families and pressuring the Society’s leaders to clarify that slave-owning was wrong.
New England Yearly Meeting gradually changed the wording in the Book of Discipline to clarify first that Friends should not buy or sell slaves, and then, in 1773, that all should “be discharged & set free from a State of Slavery, that we do no more claim property in the human race.” Those who refused to manumit all those held in slavery were disowned, including some prominent and wealthy members. A few Africans joined New England meetings, and more undoubtedly attended meetings for worship, though, as in other churches, they were often required to sit on a back bench or in the gallery.
Friends faced increasing tensions in the 1770s as conflicts grew between the colonies and Great Britain. Most Friends accepted a religious duty of loyalty to the English monarch, based on Paul’s admonition that the ruling authorities were put there by God and should be obeyed. Many New England Friends also had longstanding commercial links with merchants in England and other English colonies. Epistles from London Yearly Meeting, still considered the parent meeting, stressed the need to preserve unity and avoid disruption.
Some New England Friends embraced the growing protests against Crown excesses. But many others scrupled at cooperating in any way with the rebel government, which seemed to them an unlawful rebellion against legitimate authority as well as inherently war-making. Friends disagreed over use of Continental currency and taxes levied by the Continental Congress. The Yearly Meeting advised that those with more restrictive scruples should heed them, and that Friends of varying opinions should treat each other with love and charity.
Once war broke out, meetings firmly disciplined Friends who joined the army or navy or supplied them with provisions. As in earlier conflicts, Friends who refused to participate in military activities faced punishment by the civil authorities. Meetings sent lists of these faithful Friends to the Yearly Meeting’s Meeting for Sufferings, which apparently reimbursed the penalties.
The war significantly disrupted Friends’ lives. During the British military occupation of Newport, Rhode Island, many residents fled the island, and Yearly Meeting sessions had to be held elsewhere. Boston too was occupied by British troops and put under a naval blockade. The Yearly Meeting’s newly formed Meeting for Sufferings appointed a committee who delivered relief to Friends and non-Friends alike; Friends in Philadelphia and Britain also contributed to this effort.
Independence brought many changes to the social and economic life of New England Friends. The rural farms that had anchored many pre-war Quaker meetings declined. Meeting minutes recorded a quickening pace of removals to newer meetings in western Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, and upstate New York.
A Quaker-dominated whaling industry in New Bedford largely replaced the older one on Nantucket. Many New England Quakers invested money and energy in local economic development, including textile mills, canals, and later railroads.
Some Friends sought better education for their children, consistent with Quaker ways, to prepare them for roles in the new economy. In 1784 the Yearly Meeting established a small boarding school in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, with subsidies for poor Quaker children. But the school did not attract enough funds or students to continue. By 1819 a renewed concern enabled the Yearly Meeting to reopen a boarding school. Retired merchant Moses Brown gave considerable money and part of his Providence farm for the school building and would serve on the school committee for many years.
A number of Friends joined campaigns to abolish the slave trade and emancipate those held in slavery. During the 1780s, due partly to pressure from these abolition societies, each New England state took steps toward gradual emancipation. In 1783 the Yearly Meeting asked each meeting to examine past manumissions to make sure that Friends had made an appropriate financial settlement to their former servants. But meetings disciplined some radical anti-slavery advocates for being too “warm” or passionate, for participating in anti-slavery groups with non-Quakers, or for accepting violent methods to achieve abolition.
An unknown number of New England Friends helped formerly enslaved people find new lives in New England or in Canada. Whaling captain Paul Cuffe of Westport Meeting, son of a Wampanoag mother and an African father formerly enslaved in a Quaker family, actively promoted self-help programs for freed slaves in Sierra Leone. Other Friends provided financial assistance to individual freed Africans and to African-run churches, schools, and self-help associations in their New England communities.
In the 1820s theological differences between more orthodox and more liberal Protestants intensified throughout the wider society. Among Friends, some leaned toward a more “orthodox” view that the Holy Scriptures, inspired by God, stood as the primary authority and that Christ’s death, atonement, and resurrection held the key to salvation. Others, including Long Island minister Elias Hicks, stressed that the ultimate authority was the living Christ (or Holy Spirit), the Bible was essential but not binding, and that inward transformation was the essence of salvation. At least in Philadelphia, the more urban orthodox Friends were more willing to work with non-Friends on abolition and other social causes. Rural “Hicksite” Friends criticized the urban meetings’ worldly education, corruption by wealthy evangelicals and Anglicans, and attempts to centralize authority at the expense of local meetings. Each side claimed to be the sole voice of traditional Quakerism. In 1827 Philadelphia Yearly Meeting formally divided. The schism quickly spread as each Yearly Meeting had to choose which Philadelphia group it would recognize as the legitimate Yearly Meeting.
In 1828 New England Yearly Meeting minuted its unity with “those meetings which have continued steadfast in their adherence to the ancient order, discipline and faith of the Society,” that is, the “Orthodox” branch. Nantucket was the only place where “Hicksites” had enough strength to form a separate meeting. Elsewhere, some individuals left the Society to join Unitarian or other more liberal churches.
In the next major division within the Society of Friends, New England played a major role. In 1836, Joseph John Gurney, an evangelical Friends’ minister from a wealthy English banking family, traveled widely in the United States. He criticized the overly formal, uninspired, tradition-bound atmosphere of many Quaker meetings, urging Friends to actively train ministers and leaders, open Sunday Schools, allow hymn-singing as an aid to worship, use new scholarship to illuminate the Bible, and work with other evangelical Christians on reform causes such as education, abolition, and temperance.
Many Friends in New England found Gurney’s advice exciting, refreshing, and forward-looking. Others, however, recoiled in horror, accusing Gurney of elevating the authority of Scripture over the Holy Spirit itself, and of too much influence from his wealthy and social-activist, Anglican friends. As Gurney traveled in New England, Rhode Island minister John Wilbur followed him to warn Friends against Gurney’s errors. After several more years of vehement arguments, in 1845 the majority Gurneyites dissolved Wilbur’s meeting to force Wilbur’s disownment. After an unsuccessful appeal, Wilbur and his supporters, outraged, reconstituted their meeting and joined with like-minded Friends to form their own Yearly Meeting.
After the division the larger “Gurneyite” body, calling itself “the Yearly Meeting of Friends for New England,” had about 8,000 members, most of the meetinghouses, and the Providence boarding school. Most orthodox Yearly Meetings, including London, recognized it as the legitimate body. The smaller “Wilburite” body, retaining the name of “New England Yearly Meeting of Friends,” had about 500 members concentrated in rural Rhode Island. Both meetings continued to use the 1809 Book of Discipline, and both held their Yearly Meeting sessions in late June, as they had since 1661. For almost a century, they barely acknowledged each other’s existence.
During the Civil War, many Friends struggled to reconcile their fervent desire for abolition of slavery with their equally fervent opposition to war. This time, however, meetings generally did not discipline men who served in the Union Army. The peace testimony remained official policy, but increasingly the concrete decisions on how to live it out were considered matters for individual discernment.
For several decades after the separation, the Gurneyite meetings retained traditional patterns of Quaker life and worship. In the late 1800s, however, many meetings adopted a new format, with a paid pastor and a programmed worship service. This “pastoral” system began in the Midwest, as traveling ministers sought to make sure new converts were nurtured and did not fall away, and meetings tried to ensure more consistent leadership by releasing a minister from other paid employment. Some Friends feared that meetings would depend too much on the pastor and fail to develop other members’ gifts in ministry. By 1910, however, virtually all Gurneyite meetings in New England used the new pattern. Many remodeled their meetinghouses to add a raised platform, a pulpit, and an organ. Most meetings had active Sunday Schools; some had Christian Endeavor youth groups and periodic revival meetings.
Gurneyite Friends in New England, echoing Friends’ early enthusiasm for spreading their message, joined in the Protestant zeal for foreign missions. Sybil and Eli Jones of Maine opened a girls’ school in Ramallah, Palestine, which came under the Yearly Meeting’s care in 1888. In 1884 the Women’s Yearly Meeting established a Women’s Foreign Mission Society “to promote the knowledge of the Gospel among heathen women and children, and to assist in their Christian education.” Adults and children throughout New England learned about people in other parts of the world, prayed for them, and sent books and supplies. New England women joined with those in eleven other Yearly Meetings to form the Women’s Foreign Missionary Union of Friends, forerunner of the United Society of Friends Women. Many New England Friends spent anywhere from one year to most of their working lives serving in Quaker missions in Palestine, Cuba, East Africa, and elsewhere as teachers, doctors, or evangelists.
The Yearly Meeting of Friends for New England welcomed opportunities to join with like-minded Friends elsewhere. It sent representatives to an 1887 conference in Richmond, Indiana, which produced a common statement of principles known as the Richmond Declaration of Faith. In 1888 the Gurneyite Yearly Meeting minuted its acceptance of this declaration. The minutes included a report from Friends who attended the Richmond Conference, which said, “[The Conference] produced and published a Declaration of Christian Doctrine, which it is hoped and believed will have a salutary influence upon Friends everywhere. We believe that its excellence is not in its force as a creed, not that it is a perfect summary of Christian truth, but because on the whole it is the most complete statement of doctrine which the time and means at hand allowed, given forth by a body of large experience, of intellectual power and religious weight; and that whatever defects exist in it, still it carries the weight and influence of a broader representation of the Society of Friends, than ever assembled on any other occasion.”
In 1902 the same meetings formed the Five Years’ Meeting (later renamed Friends United Meeting), and approved a Uniform Discipline, which the Gurneyite New England body adopted. These New England Friends were increasingly linked with other Gurneyite Friends through the Five Years’ Meeting, periodic conferences, pastors who moved between Yearly Meetings, and the weeklyAmerican Friend.
Wilburite Friends, though few in number, held fast to the Quaker ways of life and worship as they understood them. Like their Quietist forebears, they treasured waiting worship and ministry given by any member called to it. They valued the Inward Christ more than the “outward” or historical Christ, though they remained deeply rooted in the Bible. They distrusted any source of knowledge outside the Spirit, particularly rational or secular education, and opposed participation in outside causes or mixed societies. The New England body corresponded with Wilburite and conservative bodies in Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa, and Canada, as well as with Philadelphia (Orthodox) Yearly Meeting—sending and receiving epistles and traveling ministers.
By 1900, however, the Wilburite Yearly Meeting also began to change. Younger Friends seemed less concerned than their parents with maintaining purity of doctrine and practice at all costs. Meetings relaxed their enforcement of the Discipline on matters such as dress and marriage outside the Society, although the written rules remained in place and offenders had to make public acknowledgement of infractions. By 1907 the Yearly Meeting gave up separate men’s and women’s business sessions. Opposition to higher education faded, as an increasing number attended non-Quaker boarding schools and colleges. While some members still farmed, many undertook professional work as doctors, bankers, and teachers that increasingly took them away from the Rhode Island communities where the Wilburite meetings had been rooted.
Throughout World War I Friends of both Yearly Meetings maintained their formal opposition to war, both as a personal testimony and in attempts to influence public policy. Meetings sent letters to President Wilson supporting the League of Nations proposal, and lauding the 1913 peace declaration of Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm. Some Friends joined the new interfaith Fellowship of Reconciliation.
When the United States entered the war and introduced conscription, some New England Friends refused to register for the draft, which, due to the fact that conscientious objector status did not exist at the time, resulted in imprisonment and sometimes torture. Others chose hospital work or other non-combatant duty within the military. In contrast to most earlier wars, meetings did not discipline these Friends. Some Friends worked with the newly formed American Friends Service Committee, which sought to bring together Friends from all branches for common relief projects and to provide an alternative to military service. Following the war, an All-Friends Conference in 1920, hosted by London Yearly Meeting, brought together Friends of all branches from throughout North America and Europe to consider the spiritual roots of the peace testimony.
During the 1920s many New England meetings struggled. Young people left rural communities for mill towns, cities, and better farmland in the West. Farm income fluctuated widely.
Many of the Gurneyite pastoral meetings had trouble supporting a paid pastor, relying on students, non-Quaker preachers, or part-time ministers. Some joined in federation with another church. Yearly Meeting of Friends for New England’s leaders pleaded for young people to consider a call to pastoral ministry or service in overseas missions. College exposed an increasing number of Quaker youth to new theories of psychology and Biblical criticism, which led many students to challenge accepted orthodoxies.
In 1925 the Gurneyite Yearly Meeting substantially changed the mission of its boarding school (renamed for Moses Brown) to a college preparatory program for boys only. The Yearly Meeting acquired Lincoln School, a private girls’ school in Providence, and also took on care of Oak Grove Academy in Maine.
The Wilburite New England Yearly Meeting of Friends also struggled. The meeting dwindled numerically; by 1920 it had only about 125 members in three monthly meetings. As attendance declined, midweek meetings, long a mark of spiritual faithfulness, were shifted from mornings to evenings and then discontinued; meetings for business shifted to weekends, to accommodate Friends with professional jobs. A few traditionalists viewed these changes with alarm, as a sign of declining faith.
By the early 1930s, the older generation of Wilburite ministers and elders had died. Many of the Yearly Meeting’s younger leaders held professional jobs in Boston, New York, or Philadelphia and participated in meetings there, but retained their membership in Rhode Island and returned faithfully for Yearly Meeting sessions and committee meetings. But they worried about the spiritual vitality and very existence of their small Yearly Meeting. In 1930 the Wilburite Yearly Meeting adopted a new Book of Discipline—its first since 1809—drawn largely from the 1926 Faith & Practice of Philadelphia (Orthodox) Yearly Meeting.
Building on relationships developed through AFSC and the 1920 All-Friends Conference, the two Yearly Meetings in New England began cautiously to exchange official epistles and visitors, recognizing their differences but grateful for a shared spirit of Christian fellowship. Younger Friends from the two bodies held joint social activities beginning in the late 1930s. Some Friends wondered if it might be possible to merge the two Yearly Meetings. But many found the differences in size and worship style insurmountable.
The 1930s also saw the rise of new unprogrammed meetings within New England, mostly in college towns, which practiced waiting worship without a paid pastor. They brought together Friends (both students and teachers) from a variety of yearly meetings around the country, as well as pacifists and religious seekers attracted by Friends’ message or form of worship. The new groups were encouraged and facilitated by the Advancement Committee of Friends General Conference (a national organization of Hicksite meetings) and by the Message Committee of the American Friends Service Committee, as well as by leading Friends such as Rufus Jones, Professor of Philosophy at Haverford College and editor of American Friend. The new meetings in New England, like many others around the country, chose not to affiliate with either of the existing Yearly Meetings, which they felt represented outdated factions. Several received formal recognition by the American Friends Fellowship Council. The independent meetings grew rapidly during the 1930s, often incorporating members from the two Yearly Meetings.
Most of these new meetings followed a new model with a loosely knit structure, a weak (if any) central organization, frequent rotation of officers, and authority centered in the general membership rather than an elite class of ministers and elders. Membership criteria were loose and flexible, allowing for multiple affiliations and broad freedom of conscience and belief. In many meetings formal membership became almost irrelevant, as all attenders were encouraged to participate freely in vocal ministry and in meetings for business. Seating was arranged in a circle or square, with no elevated facing benches, reflecting an ideal of spiritual democracy. Many of those drawn to the new meetings came from churches they experienced as dogmatic, insular, and authoritarian. Desiring a spiritual home that was totally open and welcoming, many resisted suggestions of obedience to discipline.
Friends from diverse parts of the Quaker world increasingly worked together on common projects. In 1937 a Second World Conference at Swarthmore and Haverford Colleges brought together all who called themselves Friends for fellowship and mutual inspiration, and established an ongoing Friends World Committee for Consultation. New England Friends from the two Yearly Meetings as well as from the independent meetings became part of this organization. During World War II, Friends throughout New England held conferences to discuss conscription, financially supported men in Civilian Public Service camp and prison, and contributed funds and knit sweaters for AFSC material aid programs. In 1943 Friends in New England joined with others from all branches throughout the United States to form the Friends Committee on National Legislation to lobby Congress for changes in U.S. policy.
During the war the question of formally merging the various Quaker groups in New England resurfaced. The growing independent meetings had shifted the demographic balance between “programmed” and “unprogrammed” Friends, easing fears that the pastoral Gurneyite meetings might overwhelm the small Wilburite meetings. By 1944 the two Yearly Meetings and the independent meetings of New England agreed in principle on a merger. Each group was assured that it would not have to change its form of worship, its membership criteria, or its preferred Book of Discipline (if any). On that basis, each group approved the merger.
The reunited New England Yearly Meeting first met in June 1945 with Rufus Jones, long an advocate of unity, as honorary presiding clerk. The meeting quickly affirmed its membership in the Five Years’ Meeting (later FUM).
Within a few years the Yearly Meeting prepared a new Faith & Practice, reflecting the diversity of beliefs and practices among its meetings. Rhode Island Monthly Meeting, which had expressed hesitations about the merger, found the new book unacceptable, and withdrew from New England Yearly Meeting to join what is now Evangelical Friends Church—Eastern Region.
As hoped, the united Yearly Meeting found new energy for expansion and activity. Junior Yearly Meeting, begun in the Gurneyite meeting in 1930, expanded significantly. The Yearly Meeting gradually added full-time youth staff and a growing program of weekend youth retreats. In 1953 the Yearly Meeting opened a summer youth camp in China, Maine.
New England Friends have continued their concern for education, albeit in different forms. The Yearly Meeting ended its oversight of Lincoln School in 1976—though the school continues to affirm its Quaker roots and values—while Moses Brown became coeducational. The Moses Brown boarding department closed in 1982. Some New England Friends with a concern for education founded The Meeting School in New Hampshire (1957), Cambridge Friends School (1961), and Friends School of Portland (2005).
The Gurneyite home for aged Friends in Amesbury, Massachusetts, moved to Hingham, Massachusetts, renamed as New England Friends Home, and later became a certified assisted-living facility. Beacon Hill Friends House and Woolman Hill, each initially proposed as a Yearly Meeting project, were established as independent institutions. In 1974 a concern for aging Friends took shape as an intentional community in North Easton, Massachusetts, though financial difficulties eventually forced the sale of the homes and the laying down of the meeting there.
New England Friends have also engaged with social issues locally and overseas, often in cooperation with the American Friends Service Committee. Many participated in vigils leading to the 1962 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. During the Vietnam War, many Friends provided draft counseling and at least one meetinghouse served as sanctuary to an AWOL soldier. Friends’ long tradition of peacemaking has attracted many new attenders, some of whom remain more interested in social activism than in traditional Quaker teachings. A number of Friends have undertaken prison ministries, leading to recognized worship groups in several correctional facilities. NEYM has endorsed the Earth Charter, and many meetings and individual Friends actively witness for and engage in stewardship of the Earth.
New England Friends have also been involved in various forms of activity against racial segregation and discrimination. Many participated in “Fair Housing” campaigns. Starting in 1969, the Yearly Meeting, responding in part to demands by “Black Power” groups for reparations for African-Americans, raised over $100,000 for scholarships for minority students at Friends’ schools and for economic development projects in poor and minority communities in New England.
Some Friends have participated in educational programs against racism, while others have joined with other Friends of African descent to explore and strengthen their identity as Friends of color.
Changing societal mores during the 1970s also influenced the Yearly Meeting. As divorce increased, many Friends openly questioned traditional testimonies on marriage and sexuality. These conversations moved from the back porch at Yearly Meeting sessions into a committee of Ministry and Counsel, which in 1976 published Living With Oneself and Others, a thoughtful exploration of sexual ethics, marriage, divorce, and family life. Gay and lesbian Friends and their allies began to join members of the wider society in advocating for recognition of their identity and families, including the right to marry under the care of the meeting. Many Friends experienced these changes as the fruits of deep and often painful spiritual discernment. Some Friends feared too much influence from the secular and media-driven world. Many monthly meetings have approved taking same-gender marriages or unions under their care, although as of 2008 the Yearly Meeting has not found unity as a body on this question.
New England Friends have maintained connections with Friends in other parts of the world. A steady list of New England Friends have worked with Quaker meetings, institutions, and projects in Ramallah, East Africa, and elsewhere, under the care of Friends United Meeting, the American Friends Service Committee, and Right Sharing of World Resources, among others. Many others have worked with Central American refugees, economic development projects, and mediation of international conflicts. Many Friends have participated in international Quaker gatherings, including hosting FWCC’s 20th Triennial in New Hampshire in 2000. Young adult Friends from New England attended World Gatherings of Young Friends in 1985 and 2005, and in 1991 attended three Young Friends International Gatherings, each following one location of FWCC’s Fifth World Conference of Friends.
Challenged by this conference and a keynote address given at the 1991 NEYM Sessions by a Cuban Friend, Yearly Meeting subsequently approved establishing a “sister relationship” with Friends in Cuba. Through annual visits in both directions, this “Puente de Amigos” has enriched the spiritual life of both yearly meetings.
Since 1945 the number of unprogrammed meetings has grown, most adopting the model of the formerly independent meetings. In 1959 the united body joined Friends General Conference, an association of primarily liberal, unprogrammed meetings and Yearly Meetings, while continuing its primary ties with Friends United Meeting. As of 2008, only seven meetings retain pastoral leadership and programmed worship, and few of the others have any paid staff. New England meetings have attracted a wide range of seekers, many of whom describe their spiritual path in other than Christian terms.
Almost a quarter of NEYM’s current monthly meetings were established after 1980. A third of our meetings and worship groups are small (under twenty-five participants). Many meetings, small and large, have attracted a large number of new Friends. Some, however, have expressed the need for more grounding in Friends’ ways.
Our diversity has created both rich and inspiring variety as well as tension within New England Yearly Meeting. Many contemporary controversies echo those of the past: disagreements about the relative authority of the Bible and immediate spiritual experience, cultural and political differences, differing views on the authority of yearly and monthly meetings over their members, and differing leadings towards Christian evangelism and social or political activism.
For more than three hundred and fifty years, Quakers in New England have experienced a living faith, rooted in a prophetic vision, and put into practice by each believer in his or her own life and by communities of believers acting together. Friends have responded to myriad challenges with the confidence, born of experience, that a people willing to follow God’s promptings in their hearts can continue Christ’s work in the world. Continued study of our past and ongoing waiting on God in communal worship and spiritual discernment can illuminate the path on which we are now called to travel.
Howard Brinton (updated by Margaret Hope Bacon), Friends for 350 Years. Wallingford, PA: Pendle Hill Publications, 2002.
Ben Pink Dandelion, An Introduction to Quakerism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Thomas D. Hamm, The Quakers in America. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003
— The Transformation of American Quakerism: Orthodox Friends, 1800-1907. Terre Haute, IN: Indiana University Press, 1988.
Allan Kohrman, New England Yearly Meeting of Friends: 1945-1995. Worcester, MA: Mosher Book and Tract Committee, NEYM, 1995.
John Punshon, Portrait in Grey: A Short History of the Quakers. London: Quaker Home Service, 1984.
George A. Selleck, Quakers in Boston, 1656-1964. Cambridge, MA: Friends Meeting at Cambridge, 1976.
The Yearly Meeting at its annual session has sole authority to change or add to this book of Faith and Practice.
Proposals for changes to particular sections of Faith and Practice (like other Yearly Meeting business) may come to the Yearly Meeting business session either from a Yearly Meeting committee or from a quarterly meeting. A monthly meeting wishing to propose revisions should bring a minute to its quarterly meeting, which after due consideration may forward it to the Yearly Meeting with its endorsement.
If the Yearly Meeting business session approves an amendment, the revised or new text should be published with the minutes of that session. The change takes provisional effect upon that preliminary approval, and meetings and individuals are encouraged to use it for a year to gauge its practical effect and help Friends discern whether the change is rightly ordered. The amendment must then come to a subsequent Yearly Meeting business session (normally in the subsequent year) for final approval. Copies of the revised text will then be made widely available in a form easily inserted into the printed book.
From time to time the Yearly Meeting may see that it would be desirable to review and revise the entire book of Faith and Practice. When this occurs, the Yearly Meeting shall establish an appropriate committee and define the scope of its work. In any event, the text of any successor or replacement Faith and Practice must be approved at two annual sessions of the Yearly Meeting, and should be widely distributed throughout the Yearly Meeting during the revision and approval process.
... so far as [our gracious Creator’s] love influences our minds, so far we become interested in his workmanship and feel a desire to take hold of every opportunity to lessen the distresses of the afflicted and increase the happiness of the creation. Here we have a prospect of one common interest from which our own is inseparable—that to turn all the treasures we possess into the channel of universal love becomes the business of our lives.
The advices and queries elsewhere in this book help us to discern what God is asking of us in specific areas of our lives. These general advices and queries challenge us to turn to the Inward Teacher and to nurture faithfulness as a foundation for every thought and action. We seek the particular ways we might be led to serve the one common interest of which Woolman speaks, both as individuals and as meetings, “turning all we possess into the channel of universal love.”
Advices convey the wisdom gained from the inward experiences of Friends trying to live faithfully in the Light. They may reassure us, counsel us, or challenge us. Queries are tools directing us toward the Source of guidance as we reflect on our current condition, as individuals or as meetings. They elicit responses, but not answers. The value of the queries lies in our thoughtful consideration of them, recognizing both the response that rises out of our current condition and the one that expresses our aspirations. Bringing these two responses together is a continuing challenge as we strive to live faithfully. While we may formulate queries related to particular situations, these general advices and queries can be used again and again as a spiritual tool as we grow and change.
It is a common practice for meeting communities to use the advices and queries for inspiration and as a guide for reflection on their spiritual health. Some meetings read an advice and/or a query in meeting for worship or meeting for business. Other meetings have special gatherings to consider a query or a set of queries, where Friends can speak their thoughts and personal experiences during a period of worshipful listening.
Individual Friends use the advices and queries as part of their personal devotional practice and as tools for self-examination, finding both inspiration and challenge in them.
Pray with advices and queries; hold them in your hearts. Consider each of them at some time. Feel which speak to you, challenge you, show you the way. When a query could be answered with a simple “yes” or “no,” go further and ask “why,” “how,” or “when.”
The following are advices of New England Yearly Meeting Young Adult Friends, inspired by their experience at the 2005 World Gathering of Young Friends in England and Kenya.
(See NEYM 2006 Sessions, Minute 51, p. 21-22.)
Ask yourself: Am I down in the flaming center of God? Have I come into the deeps, where the soul meets with God and knows His Love and power? Have I discovered God as a living Immediacy, a sweet Presence, and a stirring, life-renovating Power within me? Do I walk by His guidance,... knowing every day and every act to be a sacrament?
11.01 The corporate Queries are designed to direct one’s attention—more accurately, the meeting community’s attention—to the most important aspects of Quaker spirituality. Rather than making a declaration of the Truth, these questions are designed to engage Friends with important issues in such a way that the truth becomes clear.
By truth I mean truth with a capital ‘T,’ as it often appears in early Quaker writings. ...
The genius of the Queries is that they will engage us wherever we are, spiritually and physically. ... Of necessity Queries are stuck in the moment in time at which they were written down, and sometimes their wording seems archaic or the issues they address are not phrased as we would phrase them today. I would suggest that this is not a shortcoming, and that our efforts to wrap our understanding around the Queries and make them real to us in this moment and place are part of the process of revelation.
... The Advices are the voice of earlier generations of my faith community, passing on their wisdom to those embracing the faith in the present day. They inspire me because I know in my heart the effort these Friends made to live up to them in their day; they challenge me because they are an unambiguous declaration that our inward spiritual condition will inevitably shape and direct our outward lives. If I cannot live in harmony with any part of the Advices, I must undertake a serious self-examination to see whether I am straying from these underlying principles, or am lacking the courage to put my faith into action.
11.02 In 1652 Margaret Fell experienced the power of queries in the preaching of George Fox in her church in Ulverston.
“You will say, Christ saith this, and the apostles say this; but what canst thou say? Art thou a child of Light and hast walked in the Light, and what thou speakest, is it inwardly from God?”
This opened me so that it cut me to the heart; and then I saw clearly we were all wrong. So I sat me down in my pew again, and cried bitterly. And I cried in my spirit to the Lord, “We are all thieves, we are all thieves, we have taken the Scriptures in words and know nothing of them in ourselves.”
Margaret Fox in George Fox 1694
11.03 On the Sunday between my mother’s death and her funeral I attended meeting for worship in Chichester. It was one of those blessed meetings that seemed designed specifically to speak to my condition. A Friend had been charged with the task of choosing an advice to read at the beginning of worship. One particular phrase from it struck me forcefully: “Attend to what love requires of you.” It was a phrase that echoed and re-echoed in my mind over the days and weeks that followed. It was something to hold onto, something simple to bring me back to Center when things got overwhelming or difficult. I wrote myself a note and set it where I would be sure to see it on the morning of my mother’s funeral.
“Attend to what love requires of you” and I breathed it in and out as I waited to begin the service, aware of the ocean of love and prayer support which was holding me up and reaching into me with its stilling, calming influence. I turned it into a query to ask myself each day and in each situation: “What does Love require of me today?”
“What does Love require of me right now?”
Margaret (Maggie) Edmondson 2008
11.04 C. Wess Daniels visited a meeting where he found printed queries on the benches.
I was impacted by these spiritually directed questions this past week when I purchased a new/used bike for my commute. As I was trying to customize the bike to fit my needs I continued to battle the desire to really trick it out, add some of the really nice (i.e., expensive) parts to it to make it extra sweet. One query kept running through my head though, prompting me to wait and consider the choices I was about to make.
Do I recognize when I have enough?
See I’ve reflected on that query a few times in my morning prayer time and it came back to me at the most inopportune time! But I took it seriously and considered it. Because of it I changed my mind about some of the things I was going to do because they were beyond what I really needed. And that’s it, spiritual formation consists in stopping, reflecting and considering where our lives in Christ fit into the choices we make on a daily basis. This process takes a lifetime and I need all the help I can get.
11.05 In 1864 Daniel Pickard bemoans the 1860 changes inone of the Queries Addressed to Ministers and Elders by London Yearly Meeting on preserving love and unity with one another. He was distressed by the 1832 change to the query that revised an earlier query from “harmoniously laboring” to “endeavoring in harmony.” His distress with the 1860 revision is that the sense of laboring together has been eliminated.
[Query pre-1832] “Are they preserved in love and unity with one another, harmoniously laboring for the advancement of Truth, and the spreading thereof?”
O! The thorough convincement of what the truth is; the allegiance to it; the oneness of heart and mind; the brotherly confidence, which must have been to a large extent the happy experience of Friends in those days, to warrant them in issuing so near, so intimate a Query as this! Alas! There is no such freedom, no such courage now…
[Query 1832] “Are Ministers and Elders preserved in love, and in unity one with another,endeavouringin harmony to promote the advancement and spreading of the truth?”
By the revision of 1860 all that remains to be answered as a query are the first few words, “are they preserved in love?”. [He objects to the reason given for this change, part of which states] “it has sometimes been felt difficult to tenderly sensitive minds to assent to a clear affirmative reply to this Query and the attempt to qualify the answer to meet such cases has tended rather to endanger that harmony, which it is the object of the Query to promote.”
Here again by a plausible frame of words, is a case of difficulty evaded and not met; the precious cause of Truth and of harmony therein, is affectedly promoted, but in realitydishonouredand let down. It is made to appear by the above extract that no particular disunity had existed among Ministers and Elders, except such as what is ascribable for its origin to the “tenderly sensitive” condition or constitution of some minds. Oh! How deeply specious, how far from the simplicity ofcandour, is such language as this!
11.06 Third day, the thirteenth of the month, the meeting was engaged during a great part of the day in the reading of the queries and the answers, and in the consideration of the state of Society, as exhibited in those answers. On these subjects the minutes say: Faithful responses to these searching and important queries develop, as in former years, deficiencies in the support of some of our various testimonies, and a lively concern was manifest in the meeting on this account. All the different testimonies which our religious society has felt itself required to bear, we have no doubt are firmly based on Christian ground; and Friends were entreated not to shrink from a faithful support of them, although, in so doing, in relation to some of them, we may be brought to appear peculiar and distinct from the world. The experience of this Society fully demonstrates that this very peculiarity has proved a hedge of safety about us, and that loss has been sustained by those who have disregarded it. Friends were exhorted to undiminished zeal in the observance of those Christian practices which our discipline enjoins—that the standard of Truth may be still faithfully upheld by us before the world.
11.07 The Monthly Meetings in Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative)are asked to consider one query a month in meeting for business and minute a corporate response which is forwarded to the Yearly Meeting. A summary answer is chosen by the assistant clerk, read at Yearly Meeting session and printed in the Minute Book. The following is a response to Query 1 on Meeting for Worship.
Friends have differing responses to and interpretations for many of the terms of the queries, such as worship, Holy Spirit, communion. Some described waiting with expectation or excitement, others more with openness, seeking to be “awake,” sometimes with restlessness or fear. Some wait filling the silence with prior insights, familiar passages or memories. We are at different stages of learning to be silent. One looks forward to “clarity of word and thought,” and is uplifted by that of others. One misses more verbal communication, and another fears that the Divine might be spoken and not recognized.
Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 1998-2006
11.08 In 2004, Canadian Yearly Meeting appointed a Consultation and Renewal Working Group (C’nR) to conduct a listening project throughout Canadian Yearly Meeting. Eight queries were sent to all active monthly meetings and worship groups. After meeting with all these groups, the C’nR reported the following to Canadian Yearly Meeting in 2006.
Query 2. How can we openly engage with the diverse Quaker theology within our Yearly Meeting?
Many Friends and attenders seem to feel that a disinterest in theology is a requirement for being a Quaker. Others are very disturbed by this disinterest. The Consultation and Renewal Working Group believes that this Query raised the number one issue in Canadian Yearly Meeting—whether our diversity is causing us to become an “anything goes” religion and will eventually result in us losing a coherent identity. Most Friends believe that we should be open to diverse theology and different points of view; however we tend not to engage with our diversity. We keep our points of view to ourselves because we often get burned by unpleasant or hurtful responses from others when we share. This seems to affect Christians more than others; e.g., “I believe in Jesus, but I wouldn’t think of mentioning it in a Quaker meeting.” Christians feel silenced because it too often happens that others say (even in response to ministry in Meeting for Worship) that they are offended by Christian language. When asked about non-Christian/ Christocentric tension most Friends agreed that it has created difficulties in their group and that the Christians are the ones leaving. This was often connected with the baggage that Friends and attenders have brought with them from other churches. Very few of us were born into Quaker families. We study our history because of difficulty with defining ourselves in the present.
On the whole appreciation was expressed for diversity of thought and practice. In fact, there was a strong sense that diversity is our main strength and attraction, along with the practice of being “tolerant” and “non-judgmental.” Our lack of creed and dogma, and the opportunity for each person to shape their own spiritual path is very important to Canadian Friends. Along with this is appreciation for the testimonies which were sometimes seen as the alternative to a creed. Some thought that we tend to use our testimonies as a creed. Alongside all the praise for diversity was a small but persistent voice that said yes but, we can’t be all things to all people and we do have commonly held values which we should openly adhere to.
[New query written by C’nR] Can we learn to worship together using the different languages of our diverse beliefs and traditions?
Consultation and Renewal Working Group 2006
11.09 In North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative), monthly meetings consider a query each month and minute a corporate response which is forwarded to the Yearly Meeting. Every meeting’s response is printed in the minute book. The following is one meeting’s response to Query #7.
Query #7: Do we endeavor to live in the life and power that takes away the occasion of all war, seeking to do our part in the work of reconciliation between individuals, groups, and nations? Do we faithfully maintain our testimony against nuclear and all other military preparations, the bearing of arms, and all participation in war?
Rich Square Monthly Meeting: Our sense is that as a meeting we strive to be clear under the headings of this query. We recognize that being in harmony with all human beings requires being in harmony with the Divine. But we are constantly aware of areas in our lives in which we see the challenges in the query. There are always new parts of our lives that are opening for examination, such as disharmony with our place in Creation which can be occasion for discord and war.
North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative), 2007
11.10 In Mount Toby (MA) Meeting, the clerk poses a question after the opening worship of meeting for business. Friends respond to the query out of worship and the recording clerk crafts a minute expressing a corporate response.
The clerk invites Friends to reflect on the question “What are our hopes and expectations for the new clerk and meeting for business this year?”
Friends expressed a deep understanding of and appreciation for the spiritual foundations of Quaker decision-making and the way we conduct our meetings for business within the context of worship. Many see meeting for business as an essential component of the Quaker experience and express hope that more of our community will be drawn into this aspect of Mt. Toby life.
It is important to find ways to let the meeting community as a whole understand what goes on in meeting for business beyond just reading the minutes. Attention to business is an underpinning of Quaker practice. In participating in meeting for business we understand how decisions are made. We see the respect that people have for each other and how we are guided by the spirit.
The regular change of leadership allows different clerks to exercise various gifts over time in the life of the meeting. The Quaker belief in continuing revelation is as true in meeting for business as it is in worship. The form is old and beautiful but there are still opportunities for innovation and new perspectives. Ideally our committees also function with a sense of ministry so that issues they bring forward to the clerk and to meeting for business are well seasoned and ready for discernment.
Friends appreciate the dedication of so many of our members who attend meeting for business year after year, decade after decade, and have carried with such commitment this body of care, concern, and action. It is important for those of us who have come more recently to embrace that commitment with more passion. It is important for us to come not out of obligation but because we see the value of it in the life of our meeting. Our hope is that meeting for business will instill a spirit in us that we can carry out in our daily life and in all our dealings with others.
Mount Toby Monthly Meeting 2008
Advices first appeared in the form of epistles sent among Friends to encourage and strengthen one another in their faith. The earliest surviving collection of Advices was issued from Balby in England in 1656.
Queries originally related to specific items of information requested of local meetings from central bodies of Friends. In New England Yearly Meeting queries began in 1706 as “Inquiries” and were just that—inquiries into how faithfully Friends were adhering to “truth testimony.” By the 1740s, the Queries had expanded to include reports on the spiritual state of the meeting, the number of new convincements, and Friends’ faithfulness on matters such as refusing to bear arms and plainness of speech and apparel. Right community behavior was clearly set out in Yearly Meeting minutes, which were later collected as a Book of Discipline. The advices carried the weight of “correct” responses to the inquiries, and this correctness was often gauged by behavior. There were consequences for “incorrect” responses, including disownment of those continuing in unacceptable behavior.
New England meetings used the London queries until 1760, when the Yearly Meeting adopted its own queries. The Yearly Meeting directed that the answers sent through the quarterly meetings to Yearly Meeting should be “full and explicit, comprising the substance of every part of each query, in order that this meeting, being rightly informed of the state of the church in general, the needful advice and assistance may be duly administered.”
In current New England practice, the queries are used as tools for personal and corporate spiritual self-reflection. We turn to our advices as a guide to the well-ordered, Spirit-centered
life, cherishing the insights of generations of Friends who have come before us. We trust the Spirit to show us how the unchanging principles of truth they contain are to be understood and lived by us in our present situations.
In responding to the questionnaire we sent out in 2002, many asked for more succinct guidance on membership and marriage clearness, travel minutes, recognizing gifts and ministry, and related documents. We responded in 2011 by distributing an Appendices Working Paper. The text included here was revised in December 2013. The topics covered will be treated more comprehensively in chapters now in process; we offer the appendices both as useful guidance now and as a promise for the fuller treatment later.
We ask that you examine and try out the procedures outlined here and let us know what needs to be added or clarified. Please send comments and insights to fandp [at] neym [dot] org.
The forms in these appendices are templates that monthly meetings may use or modify. They present procedures and suggested practices for topics covered in the body of the book. Some of the chapters to which they refer have yet to be written. We are aware that some of the appendices contain material that more properly belongs in a related chapter. However, we found it important in some appendices to point to the reason behind a given procedure as a reminder of its spiritual foundation.
Thanks to the Faith and Practices of North Pacific and Pacific Yearly Meetings and several monthly meetings for sample forms from which these were copied or developed. These are not intended to be legal forms to fill out, but aids to spiritual discernment.
[These three appendices to be drafted by the NEYM Archives and Historical Records Committee]
Expeditious preparation of useful minutes can be aided in many ways. Some suggestions follow.
(See NEYM Faith and Practice 1985, p. 219 [31].)
In the context of this appendix, the term “preparative meeting” refers to a group preparing to become a monthly meeting. (See 1985, p. 218, for the two definitions of this term in NEYM.)
The letter requesting membership might include statements of:
Below are suggested topics to be addressed. Many of them will occur naturally in the course of conversation and are not meant as an examination, nor is it expected that there are “right” or “wrong” answers. The value of these topics lies in what they may reveal of experiences of the Spirit of both the applicant and the members of the clearness committee. Sufficient time should be allowed to ensure mutual understanding and trust. The discussion should take place unhurriedly in the spirit of a common search and seeking for clearness on the part of both the applicant and the clearness committee.
Sometimes the membership clearness committee may feel an individual is not ready for membership. It is important to recognize when this is the case and equally important to continue to provide pastoral care to nurture the individual’s progress on their spiritual journey. This may include suggestions for religious education opportunities, spiritual companionship, counseling, or other necessary assistance.
Note: Meetings vary in how they distribute responsibilities of the clerk and recorder. To avoid unnecessary delay or confusion, each meeting will prosper by clarification of these tasks.
Certificate of Transfer
[Meeting letterhead and date]
To ___________________________ Monthly Meeting of Friends
Dear Friends:
This is to certify that _______________ [a member/members] of this Meeting [has/have] requested a certificate transferring membership to your Meeting. Upon due inquiry, no obstruction appears to granting this request. We therefore commend [him/her/them] to your [Christian/spiritual] care. Please acknowledge receipt of this certificate and acceptance of the transfer by completing and returning to the clerk, the annexed statement.
Signed by direction and on behalf of ___________________________ Monthly Meeting of Friends, held at , State of ________________________________________________________ , the day of
_________ [month] 20XX.
________________________ , Clerk
Address ________________________
Acceptance of Transfer
To__________________________ Monthly Meeting of Friends
Dear Friends,
We have received the transfer certificate issued by you on the __________________ day of , 20XX and have accepted_______________________________________________________________ into
membership with us.
Signed by direction and on behalf of __________________________________ Monthly Meeting of Friends, held at _________________________________________________________________ , State of , the day of [month], 20XX.
______________________ , Clerk
There may be times when a Friend will spend a period of time attending a meeting at some geographical distance from their home meeting, with the intention of ultimately returning to the meeting where they are a member. If the member wants to become involved in the meeting which they are attending, the member may request that their home meeting send a Minute of Sojourn to the meeting with which they want to be involved for the period of their stay. This Minute of Sojourn commends the member to the meeting of their sojourn, asking that they be welcomed into the new community for the duration of their stay.
If the Sojourning Member becomes involved with the new meeting, it is traditional that the Meeting of Sojourn send a letter to the home meeting when the period of sojourn is finished, returning care of the member to the meeting from which they came.
Request for Transfer
To the______________________ Church, city, state.
Dear Friends,
________________________________ , [a member/members] in good standing in this Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, [has/have] expressed the desire to become [a member/members] of your Church. We have considered this request and there appears to be no obstruction to granting it. We therefore recommend [him/ her/ them) to your care. Their membership in this meeting of the Religious Society of Friends will end when we receive acknowledgment of your acceptance of this transfer.
Signed by direction and on behalf of ____________________________________ Monthly
Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, held at _______________________________ , State
of _______________ , the __________ day of _________________ , 20XX.
_____________________________ , Clerk
_____________________________ , Address
To ______________________________________ Monthly Meeting of Friends
We have received the letter issued by you on the __________________ day of _____________ , 20XX, and have accepted ___________________________________________________________ into membership with us.
Signed on behalf of ____________________________ Church, on ________________ [date]
[Signature]
The monthly meeting records the discontinuance of a membership in its records and sends a copy of the pertinent minute to the individual involved.
(See pp. 264-265 in NEYM Faith and Practice 1985 [32].)
[Meeting letterhead and date]
Dear Friends,
We send you warm greetings with our member [name].
[Name] spent many years in Ramallah, and has recently written a book about her experience there. We find the combination of her global perspective on life and her in-depth knowledge of Quakerism a wonderful asset to our meeting. We are confident you will enjoy her presence at the annual session of your yearly meeting.
We look forward to hearing from her about how the Spirit is moving among Friends in Ramallah.
In Peace,
_______ , Clerk,_________ Monthly Meeting
(See pp. 264-265 in NEYM Faith and Practice 1985 [33].)
A Friend feeling led to travel under a spiritual concern or in the ministry may find that it is helpful to carry a travel minute issued by the monthly meeting for business. The travel minute serves as an introduction of the traveling Friend to meetings that are visited to share the concern or ministry. It also provides any pertinent information about the meeting’s interest in and support of his/her concern. It may state a specific time for the Friend’s travels, or may be written to accompany the Friend for more than one trip.
[Meeting letterhead and date]
Dear Friends,
[Name], a long-time member of_______ Monthly Meeting of New England Yearly Meeting, is traveling under a concern for environmental justice. Our Meeting has participated in several of his workshop presentations and has worshipfully considered his leading to travel among Friends with the purpose to share his concern and to seek the Light among Friends. We believe him to be genuinely called to this work and that you will benefit, as we have, from his insights and from the experience of faithful prayer together.
Friend [Name] plans to travel in this ministry between [date] and [date]. We commend him to your care and hospitality.
Approved and minuted at Meeting for Business, [date].
[Signature], Clerk
(For travel outside the quarter:)
Endorsed byQuarterly Meeting, [date]
[Signature], clerk
(For travel outside NEYM:)
Endorsed by Permanent Board of New England Yearly Meeting, [date]
[Signature], clerk
[Meeting letterhead and date]
Dear Friends,
Monthly Meeting of Friends is united in recommending [Name] to your care during her travels among Friends in Cuba Yearly Meeting. We have tested her leading to travel in ministry and recognize her call to travel among Friends as the Spirit leads, to join them in fellowship, worship and prayer.
[Name] is an experienced and centered Friend who has been an active member of the Society of Friends for many years. She has faithfully served on and been clerk of various committees within our own Monthly Meeting as well as serving as a member of New England Yearly Meeting Ministry and Counsel where her particular work focused on spiritual nurture and eldering.
Through her call, she has traveled under a minute to Ohio Yearly Meeting Conservative to better understand the office of elder in a yearly meeting that recognizes such gifts. Her own gift of eldering has assisted Meeting during times of conflict and provided spiritual nurture to individuals.
We commit Friend [Name] to your prayerful care and nurture during her time among you.
Approved byMonthly Meeting, [date]
[Signature], clerk
(For travel outside the quarter:)
Endorsed byQuarterly Meeting, [date].
[Signature], clerk
(For travel outside NEYM:)
Endorsed by Permanent Board of New England Yearly Meeting, [date].
[Signature], clerk
Sample endorsement of travel minute from visited meeting
We have been blessed by the presence of [Name] among us. Her message was very moving and inspiring for us.
[Signature], Clerk
Monthly Meeting [date]
A minute of denominational endorsement is given to an individual seeking professional accreditation for a specific calling; for example, to a Friend who wishes to serve as a hospital chaplain or a pastoral counselor. It affirms the individual’s membership in the Religious Society of Friends and that the meeting will assume the necessary oversight for the process.
Since recognition of ministry in NEYM has historically occurred at the quarterly meeting level, not at the yearly meeting level, quarterly meeting endorsement is accepted as “denominational endorsement” by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.
[Meeting letterhead and date]
Minute of Endorsement for [Name].
[Name] is a member in good standing of Mt. Toby Monthly Meeting. We endorse his ministry as a pastoral counselor and have approved an oversight committee which will meet with him once a year and be available as otherwise needed. This committee will provide accountability for his ministry by seeking clarity with [Name] about the nature and form this ministry takes. It will also assure an ongoing connection with his faith community.
Signed at the direction of Monthly Meeting, [date].
[Signature], clerk
Further endorsed by Quarterly Meeting, [date]
[Signature], clerk
(In this case the monthly meeting is appointing an oversight committee for the Friend receiving endorsement in order to fulfill the requirements of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.)
(See pp. 246-247 in NEYM Faith and Practice 1985 [34])
This minute has traditionally been used for Friends who have sustained gifts in vocal ministry. It is an affirmation that the individual is not only locally helpful but also has the ability to interpret the Society of Friends to the wider community.
[Meeting letterhead and date]
At________ Quarterly Meeting held [date] at, Friends united
in recording [Name] of________ Monthly Meeting as a minister among Friends. She has shown abundant evidence of a sustained gift in vocal ministry both in her home Meeting as well as in her wide-ranging travels.
APPROVED.
[Signature], clerk
Occasionally a meeting will find among its members a Friend whose specific call would flourish more fully if it had the meeting’s prayerful endorsement, support and oversight. A minute of release recognizes that a Friend has a significant leading which the meeting feels called to support in specific ways. This process frees the Friend to pursue the leading and releases them from a variety of other responsibilities within the meeting and, possibly, in other area of their lives; for example, being excused from committee responsibilities within the meeting, or relief from the need to earn a full-time income.
A Friend feeling a clear call to act that requires more than s/he can sustain individually sends a request for release to ministry and counsel or the meeting. An appointed committee will address such questions as:
Ministry and Counsel or another appropriate committee proposes a minute of release to the monthly meeting. The minute of release includes:
If the minute of release is approved, the released Friend may carry the minute with them to use in any way which supports that call. It needs no further endorsement.
[Meeting letterhead and date]
[Name] is an active member of Monthly Meeting. She has shared with us her calling to work with, and on behalf of, those who are victims and survivors of child abuse. Her deep commitment has led her to work with others throughout the state and country to begin building a supportive network for the compelling needs of those victims of childhood trauma, and to work to establish children’s rights. This work addresses both the very personal needs for caring and healing and the larger need for social and political change.
Having tested [Name]’s concern, we are convinced this work is a real leading and we release her for this service.
This minute of release will be reviewed in three years. [Signature], clerk
The full minute of which the minute of release is a part needs to state the responsibilities of the meeting.
The Committee on Ministry and Counsel will provide several forms of support for her work.
Once an individual Friend has been found to have a gift for vocal ministry, that ministry needs to be supported. The form of the support should be determined by the needs of the Friend. Since the gift is given to the meeting through the Friend, it is the meeting’s responsibility to support the faithfulness and spiritual health of that Friend. What does that Friend need for preparation, refreshment and eldering? It may take the form of an oversight or support committee that meets regularly with the Friend with the recorded gift, or support may be offered as advice and encouragement from another elder. Discussion may consider the work and service of the individual; queries may be developed by the group, or found elsewhere.
Remember that gifts of the spirit often lie quiescent for a time, only to emerge again with full vigor. But in the case where the minister or the meeting finds that the gift of ministry appears to have been withdrawn, or Friends no longer feel comfortable being represented to the world by that individual, a proposal to rescind the action recording that Friend’s gift may be put forward. The proposal originates either in the Ministry and Counsel of the quarterly meeting or in the Ministry and Counsel of the monthly meeting where the Friend is a member. In every case final action should rest with the quarterly meeting. The individual concerned, and the monthly meeting to which he or she belongs should be notified before final action is taken.
(This is an outline of the process described on pages 251-257 of NEYM Faith and Practice 1985 [35].)
The covenant of marriage is both a joyful and a solemn obligation. Therefore, the couple considering marriage under the care of a Friends’ meeting should discuss honestly and frankly with each other the commitments and responsibilities assumed in marriage and in establishing a home. The questions that follow have no “right” answers, but are intended as aids to spiritual discernment.
Each question is here because someone found it useful. There may be questions that one of you shies away from or that makes one of you uncomfortable. If there is a worry or a discomfort that you have been pushing away, now is the time to look at it. It is the unrecognized issues that most often cause problems. Try to take enough time to allow yourselves to enjoy addressing these questions together.
To the Monthly Meeting.
Trusting in God’s guidance and the approval of Friends, we intend marriage with each other. We should like to be married under the care of Monthly Meeting.
[Signed] A.B.
[Signed] F.E.
(Below is a traditional vow. Any changes the couple wishes to make should be reviewed with the marriage clearness committee.)
In the presence of God and before these friends, I take thee, [Name], to be my [husband/wife/spouse/partner], promising, with Divine assistance, to be unto thee a loving and faithful [wife/ husband/spouse/partner] as long as we both shall live.
The certificate needs to include:
Sufficient identification should be used to unambiguously identify the couple and the meeting.
(Below is a traditional certificate. Any changes the couple wishes to make should be reviewed with the marriage clearness committee.)
Whereas A.B., of [city or town], County of [county], and State of [state], son of C.B., and E.D. of [city or town], and F.E., of [city or town], County of [county] and State of [state], daughter of H. and K.E. of [city or town], having declared their intentions of marriage with each other to [monthly meeting name] of the Religious Society of Friends held at [city or town], [state], according to the good order used among them, their proposed marriage was allowed by that Meeting.
NOW THESE ARE TO CERTIFY that for the accomplishment of their marriage, this [day in words] day of the [word for month number] month, in the year [year in words] they, the said A.B. and F.E., appeared in a duly appointed meeting held at [city or town], [state], under the oversight of [monthly meeting name] of the Religious Society of Friends. Taking one another by the hand, A.B. and F.E. did on this solemn occasion declare that they took each other as [wife/husband/spouse/partner], promising, with divine assistance, to be unto each other loving and faithful [wife/ husband/spouse/partner] as long as they both should live.
And in further confirmation thereof, they, the said A.B. and F.E., [taking the surname of G*] did then and there to these presents set their hands.
A.B.[G*] F.E.[G*]
AND WE, having been present at the solemnization of the said marriage, have as witnesses thereto, set our hands.
[Witness]
[Witness]
[Witness]
*Couples vary widely in the names that they take after they are wedded. In all cases their signatures on this certificate are the first place that their married names are used, these signatures being their final step in their wedding. It can be helpful to state the change(s) being made in the preceding paragraph.
This draft of Appendix 7 was originally published in the Interim Faith and Practice in 2014. It has not yet been fully coordinated with the new Dying, Death and Bereavement text. It will be revised and updated with your input.
Friends are strongly advised to make their final arrangements well in advance remembering that death does not always wait until we are old. Make sure those close to you know where to find the information. Meetings can help by having packets of the necessary forms available, periodically encouraging Friends to fill them out and, if desired, providing a lockbox at the meetinghouse in which to keep copies of completed forms.
Friends are encouraged to fill out the following forms:
Personal Data: Name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, Social Security number, location of will/trust/bequest, name, address, and telephone number of executor of will/trust.
Making Contacts: List key persons who would be willing to notify networks of other people, such as an immediate family member, a professional colleague, a close friend, etc.
Instructions for Final Arrangements
Funeral Director: Does your state require you to use a funeral director? If you need or choose to have a professional funeral director involved, indicate the name, address and phone number. Have you talked with this funeral director? Consider what your wishes are for disposal of your body or ashes: Would you prefer burial or cremation?
If you choose burial: What kind of coffin? There are many alternatives to choose from. You may wish to purchase your own ahead of time. Do you have a particular cemetery in mind? Many states have green cemeteries you may wish to investigate. Do you wish to be embalmed? This is not legally required.
If you choose cremation: Do you have a particular vessel you would like to use for containment of your ashes? Would you like you ashes scattered in a particular place? Is this a legal possibility? A funeral director can handle the cremation, or the family may make arrangements to transport the body personally.
Memorial Service or Funeral: Do you have a preferred location? Is there someone you would like to officiate? Is there music you would like? Do you want to have flowers? Who should be notified, near and far? Do you have any other specific instructions?
Charitable Donations: Provide names and addresses of organization(s) you wish to receive memorial donations in your name.
Obituary: You may wish to write this yourself, or choose someone else to do it. Who has information about your life?
Care of Minor Children: Note the names and phone numbers of those you have chosen to take responsibility for immediate and long-term care of minor children. Other instructions concerning their care.
Pets: Give the name and phone number of whoever will provide care for your pets. The more details written down ahead of time, the more easily survivors can act upon your wishes. Do not hesitate to add details to the ones suggested above.
Basic Information Which May Be Needed:
If a death occurs at home, or outside of a hospice or medical setting, be aware that there may be legal ramifications in the way that the death is reported to authorities. Each state has different regulations.
When a death occurs in the meeting community, Friends should assist the family in whatever ways may be needed, such as help with children, with food or housework, or with hospitality for visiting relatives. When prior planning has not been done, the meeting may be asked to assist a family in making decisions regarding disposition of their loved one’s body and, if there is no family, consider doing this service for the deceased Friend.
When choosing an alternative to the services of a professional funeral director (in states where this is legal) it is very helpful to have the support and assistance of one’s community.
Meetings may appoint a burial committee to assist Friends in simple burial practices. This committee would carefully research the legal requirements, which vary from state to state, and assist families in filing appropriate paperwork. Information needed can be obtained through Funeral Consumer’s Alliance. A home funeral guide for congregations and communities, Undertaken with Love, is available online as a free, downloadable PDF pamphlet.
A memorial meeting is a meeting for worship celebrating the movement of the Spirit and the Grace of God in the life of a deceased Friend. It is usually arranged by members of Ministry and Counsel and/or the meeting’s pastor, in consultation with the family and in accord with any wishes recorded by the Friend. Meetings or their pastors may be asked to provide this service for people who are not part of the meeting community, and need to be clear how to respond to this request. In some cases two memorial meetings may be appropriate to meet both the needs of the family and the needs of the meeting.
In an unprogrammed meeting, a designated Friend is appointed to briefly explain how the meeting will be conducted and to invite participation of the worshipers. This Friend may begin the meeting with some information about the deceased’s life. A memorial meeting in the programmed tradition will generally include readings, prayers, and music in addition to the time of waiting worship. Below are lists of considerations when planning a memorial meeting. Meetings are advised to consider what they can reasonably offer before making a commitment to a bereaved family.
The Memorial Meeting:
In addition to the person’s name, birth, and death dates, and the location and date of the memorial meeting, the program may include some facts about the person’s life and/or a photo, picture, or favorite text. In the unprogrammed tradition something like the following may be added:
A Memorial Service in the Manner of Friends
On the occasion of a death, Friends hold a meeting for worship. The Memorial Meeting is a time for sharing loss and also a time of thankfulness for the life of the person for whom the memorial meeting is held. Laughter and tears are both appropriate. We reflect on the value of that life as it relates to the lives of all of us. All present share equally in this meeting. We sit quietly; at times an individual may be moved to speak, to offer prayer or a message that has come out of the silence. All are welcome to do this. Those who keep silence, as well as those who give a vocal message, participate in worship when they yield their minds and hearts to the guidance of the Spirit. Friends find that the worship is deepened by allowing silence to follow the spoken words. The meeting closes when a designated Friend offers a hand to a neighbor. This will signal all present to shake hands and greet one another.
In the programmed tradition an order of service may follow including such elements as Greeting and Gathering Words, Readings, Music, Prayers, Scriptures, Overview of the deceased Friend’s Life, Waiting Worship, and Parting Words. The meeting’s pastor or other designated Friend will generally open and close the meeting and offer words of transition between each element of the service.
The following guidance (7F) Memorial Minutes was approved
by Permanent Board in January 2008
The process of writing a memorial minute starts in the monthly meeting Ministry and Counsel. The committee may choose other members of the meeting to do the writing, but Ministry and Counsel should read the minute before it is presented to meeting for business.
Work as led. Trust that the Spirit will guide the authors to know what to include or omit and how to present facts so that truth is served.
Allow time for Ministry and Counsel to season the work before presenting the memorial minute to monthly meeting for approval.
Expect changes. The monthly meeting is likely to ask for changes. Try to be grateful for their interest.
Approval of a memorial minute in monthly meeting will include a decision on where to forward it. All memorial minutes may be forwarded to the quarterly meeting for its inspiration. However, if the Friend was active in the Yearly Meeting, the minute will be forwarded to quarterly meeting with a recommendation to forward it to the Permanent Board.
Meetings maintaining their own burial grounds should establish rules and regulations governing interments, the marking of graves, and keeping of records. The meeting should appoint a committee of two or more Friends to have oversight of the burial grounds and to see to the enforcement of the rules. The committee should take care to make no commitment of a plot or reservation of space in the burial ground which, in the passage of time, may permit the plot to pass from meeting control or ownership.
In cases where the maintenance of a burial ground no longer in use has proved burdensome to the meeting, the possibility of turning it over to the care of others may be considered, with due regard to the use to which the ground would be put.
In establishing regulations as to grave markers, meetings should be careful to observe the principles of moderation and simplicity. Meetings without burial grounds may wish to create and maintain gardens of remembrance where members’ ashes may be scattered.
A clearness committee meets with a person who is unclear how to proceed in a keenly felt concern or dilemma, hoping that it can help them reach clarity. It assumes that each of us has an Inner Teacher who can guide us and that the answer sought can be found by the person seeking clearness. It also assumes that a group of caring friends can help draw out the Spirit’s guidance from and for that person. The committee members’ purpose is not to give advice or to “fix” the situation; their task is to listen, setting aside their own prejudices or judgments, to help clarify alternatives, to help communication if necessary, and to provide emotional support as an individual seeks to find truth and the right course of action. The clearness committee works best when everyone approaches it prayerfully, which does not exclude an element of playfulness.
At the beginning of the meeting, a clerk and a recorder are appointed. The clerk opens and closes the meeting and keeps a sense of right order in between, making sure that agreed-on guidelines are followed and that everyone who wishes to speak may do so. Any member of the committee may intervene if necessary to ensure that guidelines are followed. The recorder writes down the questions asked and perhaps some of the responses and gives this record to the person seeking clearness after the meeting.
Alternatively a support or oversight committee may be appointed to help the person remain clear and/or be accountable to their discernment. Members of the clearness committee are free to release themselves from further commitment, or to offer to serve on such committees.
(See p. 261 in NEYM Faith and Practice 1985 [36])
[NOTE: Any statutes added since the 1985 F&P were located by searching for “church” or “religious”.]
There are several areas of law which might be of importance to Friends:
Laws pertaining to the incorporation of New England Yearly Meeting;
Laws pertaining to the incorporation of monthly meetings;
Laws pertaining to churches, church government, religious societies in general, or in some states “non-business” corporations;
Laws pertaining to property tax exemption;
Laws pertaining to military exemption;
Laws pertaining to Friends’ manner of marriage;
Laws pertaining to oaths/affirmations;
Laws pertaining to records (minutes, letters, etc.).
Connecticut General Statutes Annotated:
http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/statutes.asp [37] Title 33 Chapter 598 Sections 243-264 (Corporations)
Title 12 Chapter 203 Section 81 (Property Tax Exemption) Title 46b Chapter 815e Section 22 (Marriage)
Title 1 Chapter 4 Section 23 (Oaths)
Maine Revised Statutes Annotated:
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes [38] Title 13 Chapter 93 Section 2986 (corporations)
Title 36 Chapter 105 Section 652 (property tax exemption) Title 19A Chapter 23 Section 658 (marriage)
Title 1 Section 72 (1A) (definition of affirmations and oaths)
Title 32 Chapter 19 Section 13856 (counseling professionals)
Title 22 Chapter 1071 Section 4011-A (required reporting of suspected abuse or neglect)
Massachusetts General Laws Annotated:
http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/Search [39]
Chapter 68 Sections 10 (Overseers or trustees of monthly meeting of Quakers as corporation), and 11 (Monthly meeting of Quakers; appointment of trustees; powers and duties)
Chapters 67 (Parishes and Religious Societies) & 68 (Donations and Conveyances for Pious and Charitable Uses) Chapter 59 Section 5 (property tax exemptions)
Chapter 207 Sections 38, 40, 42 (marriage)
Chapter 233 Section 17 (affirmation by Quakers in place of oath) Chapter 66 Section 16 (surrender of church records)
Chapter 199 Section 21 (protection of children)
Chapter 64H Section 6 (certain exemptions from sales tax) Chapter 114 (cemeteries and burials)
New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/indexes/default.html [40]
Chapter 306, Section 11 (financial committee of Quakers as corporate body) [41]
Chapters 306 (Religious Societies Generally) [42], 307 (Sale, Repairs, Etc., of Meetinghouses) [43], 308 (Dissolution) [44]
Chapter 72 Section 23 (tax exemptions) [45]
Chapter 457 (Marriage) Section 37 (Affirmation of Freedom of Religion in Marriage) [46], Chapter 457 Section 31-b (Solemnization of Marriage; Applicability) [47]
Constitution Part 2 Article 84 [49], Title 51 Chapter 500-A Section 18 [50] and Chapter 21 Section 24 (affirmations by Quakers) [51]
General Laws of Rhode Island:
http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/statutes/ [52]
Title7, Chapter7-6 (non-profit corporations)
Title 44, Chapter 44-3, Section 44-3-3 (property tax exemption)
Title 15, Chapter 15-3, Section 15-3-6 (marriage)
Title 43, Chapter 43-3, Section 43-3-11 (oaths and affirmations)
Title 23, Chapter 23-18 (cemeteries)
Vermont Statutes Annotated:
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutesmain.cfm [53]
Title 11, Chapter 13 (Religious Societies)
Title 32, Chapter 125, Sections 3802, 3832 (exemption from taxation)
Title 18, Chapter 105 (marriage); Chapter 106 (civil unions); Chapter 121 (cemeteries)
Title 12, Chapter 211, Section 5851 (affirmation/oaths)
A PECULIAR PEOPLE
and
MOVING FORWARD TO THE REMAINING CHAPTERS: THE INTEGRATION OF FAITH AND LIFE
In 2003 the Faith and Practice Revision Committee wrote and distributed “A Peculiar People” as “a window for the Yearly Meeting into the work we are doing.” We hoped it would describe the unity of faith and life we wanted to convey in the revision. Eleven years later, we have been asked to consider including it somehow in the book and we welcome your reflections on this idea. Send your thoughts to fandp [at] neym [dot] org.
In 2013 we articulated the seed of a new approach to the rest of the book in our document “Travels with Testimonies.” After further discernment this year, in June 2014 the Committee approved “Moving Forward to the Remaining Chapters: The Integration of Faith and Life” to articulate how we hope to proceed.
Centered through stillness,
In Spirit gathered
Do we dare reflect the Light?
Friends: A people called to listen, gathered to seek, sent forth to serve.
Friends World Committee for Consultation Triennial theme, 2000
Centered through stillness, A people called to listen ...
In Spirit gathered
Do we dare reflect the Light?
At our best, Friends live according to inner, rather than outward, promptings. The Inward Teacher is experienced as full of grace, eternal, not belonging to the self but entirely at the self’s center. This inner voice is the basis of our spiritual being and how we discern our values. No outside authority, be it church, government, employer, or family, speaks to us with the same authority or power.
Friends often speak of “the Inner Light,” which we understand to be Divine. We name this Seed in many ways. Whatever name we use, we are clear that each person can live in a direct relationship with the Divine. We experience a divine Spark that unites us with all of creation.
Our faith is not dependent on outward forms, but rather on the transformation of our hearts and minds in order to conform to Divine will. Our best witness is an outward expression of that inward transformation, which occurs through grace. Friends’ tradition is a way of knowing God that is deeply rooted in the life of the Spirit that we know and name in inclusive ways, such as the Christ, the Seed, the Light. It is a deeply rooted tree, drawing its sustenance from that Spirit and able to sway in the heavy winds of real life.
Friends’ understanding of baptism and communion is based on our faith that God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit can be alive and present with us at any moment. So when we experience a “covered” meeting, we have experienced communion—a deep connection with each other and with God. This is not a choice, as water baptism can be, but a matter of grace. Our practice of expectant waiting, in faith that we will come to know the Spirit, does make us peculiar in this fast-paced culture.
Quakers are “peculiar,” both within the Christian tradition and beyond it, in that we do not base our religion on a system of outward requirements (either of belief or behavior) or rewards (either in this world or the next). Quakerism invites much freedom for personal spiritual inquiry and guidance. This suggests a basic optimism about the goodness of life and belief in God’s availability to teach, to comfort, and to minister to each person directly. Central to this experience is a willingness to be transformed, not just once but over and over. That means a willingness to test ideas and processes. It also means living as pilgrims, always seeking new openings.
As pilgrims ourselves, our meetings are open to others who seek. We do not profess what we have not experienced, nor do we ask anyone else to profess what he or she has not experienced. But we need to name experiences of the Divine in others and in ourselves. We affirm that ours is a community that provides an opportunity to seek, and indeed rejoices when people affirm, “This I know from my own experience!”
Friends place authority in the living Spirit of God. To know if they are authentic, we test individual leadings of the Spirit through the discernment and prayer of our meetings. Authentic authority among Friends is holistic: it encompasses individual leadings, corporate discernment, historical witness, and Scripture. Scripture provides an important window into the workings of the Spirit, but it is not an authority by itself. Friends believe that the same Spirit that inspired the written word continues to reveal itself to us. We pay no special reverence to persons, institutions, or outward things; our emphasis is on the Spirit.
Centered through stillness,
In Spirit gathered —... gathered to seek.
Do we dare reflect the Light?
Our most visible peculiarity lies in the form of our worship: we sit together in silence, for some or all of our worship, trusting that the Spirit that has led others throughout history, whose works are written of in Scripture, can also fill us and guide us now. We hold within our communities some who find that the encouragement and guidance offered by a pastor is helpful to their own spiritual deepening and to their meeting community. The hope is that, whether programmed or unprogrammed, whatever occurs during worship contributes to and leads toward the deeper silence where we are all one and all one with God. Our experience as a community is rooted in our faith that by listening together we will hear the Divine, and together we can discern how we are led to act as a community and as individuals. This experience is the source of our unity that overcomes our differences.
Friends are not unique in the belief in the possibility of direct communication with God—all the great mystical traditions share that. Our more unusual gift is to understand not only that this capacity is latent in every human being, but that it is best nurtured, tested, and seasoned in group worship.
Friends’ worship can be tender and fragile, requiring great trust among the worshippers. In the best of circumstances, it allows the Spirit to enter our minds and hearts and conforms our minds and wills, calling us to remember whence we came and whither we shall return, touching our hearts with the balm of Presence.
Corporate discernment—that experience and process of waiting on the Divine, in unity, for unity—is a unique and precious aspect of life among Friends. Friends’ business practice is firmly grounded in finding Divine will. It encompasses the simple belief that by gathering together and worshiping as a community, we can be opened to God’s Truth, which we could not have found any other way. It also includes the experiential conviction that it is our attentiveness to the Presence in our midst, and our willingness to fall under the Spirit’s discipline by hearing and obeying a challenging message given through individuals, that leads us to right action. Our authority to act comes from the Spirit through the community as it listens together.
The discipline of corporate discernment ties us together as a community. The community supports and guides individuals in their journeys just as surely as the individuals inspire the community. The discipline of corporate discernment holds the community together, preventing it from fracturing into individuals, each following their own interpretation of the Inner Light. Our differences may provide opportunities for growth and understanding, thus invigorating the religious life of the community. We do not believe in either majority rule or in a leadership that must be followed: we recognize that the majority is not necessarily correct. We learn not to ride rough-shod over members with whom we disagree, but to take the time to listen to them and together to listen for God’s guidance. Our meetings for business are to discern God’s will and in the process to build up the community of faith. It is not our aim just to “get good things done.”
Centered through stillness,
In Spirit gathered,
Do we dare reflect the Light? ... sent forth to serve.
Our experience of the Spirit, both individually and corporately, has caused us to be moved toward what we think of as traditional Friends’ testimonies, such as peace, simplicity, equality, integrity. Each generation finds its own ways in which to live out these testimonies. These are not outer standards to strive toward: they are qualities toward which we are moved by the influence of the Spirit in our midst. Applying these inner truths to our everyday actions is what gives integrity to our lives. Being a Quaker is not something we just do on Sunday.
An individual’s—or a community’s—understanding of the implication of its religious values can grow, necessitating a change in action in order to live into the new light they have been given. Friends’ stand on slavery is an example.
New England Friends need to examine the degree to which we have let ourselves be co-opted by the culture, so often reflected in our lives by materialism and consumerism, busyness and political correctness. We see clearly that most of us are not living lives of marked simplicity, or arresting integrity, or astounding prayerfulness. Each generation faces its own challenges to truly live the Testimonies we profess.
Peculiarity of the Quaker kind cannot be resolved by intellect or feeling. It must be lived whole in the lives of particular individuals and their particular, practical societies. The final test of faithfulness is how Friends live: not the fact that they are a peculiar people, or even how that peculiarity is specified. We must express ourselves as particularly and clearly as possible. Then we must live according to that faithfulness.
We are at our best as a Peculiar People when we are actively engaging with the differences within our communities, within our tradition, and within ourselves. We hold within our tradition the knowledge that there is a Truth, but that Truth cannot be held without love—that in carrying Truth without love we have lost both. We hold within our tradition the knowledge that each of us is given a measure of Truth, but that none of us has the entire Truth—and that the call is to live up to the Light we have.
Whenever the committee re-reads the “Peculiar People” document, we realize how well it still describes our intentions and hopes, our sense of the rhythm of our work. As we have grappled with how to approach the rest of the book, we realize that our work so far has dealt with that which is foundational to our lives together—first, the gift of communal worship, in which we open ourselves to the divine Presence in our midst, in expectant waiting. We have also described that special form of collective dwelling in the Presence which is corporate discernment, out of which there come blessed times when we know the rising up of the Spirit and realize that we have come together into God’s unifying reality. In the Illustrative Experiences chapter we have gathered examples of the wide variety of Friends’ experiences with the divine and ways the Spirit has moved and been revealed in their lives. We have assembled a “how-to” section of appendices to offer practical guidance on Friends’ procedures. The faith out of which these procedures grow will be explored in chapters still to be written.
Our work now turns toward how our lives bear witness to the Spirit that guides us. In the remaining chapters we have the task before us of describing the integration of faith and life in our personal lives, our communal life as a religious society, and in the wider community. Over the past few years we have embraced both the faith that all testimonies come from the one Source, and the understanding that our whole lives, both personal and communal, are our testimony. We feel keenly what early Friends described as “Truth’s testimony,” the witness of the Inward Light — that which we feel and know throughout our whole being when we “stand still in that which shows and discovers.” This is the felt Presence that can move us to live “in the virtue of that Life and power ...” Whether we come to this Source first through inner exploration or through the outer living of its principles, it remains the heart of our witness and the source of our integrity.
Though asked repeatedly for a definitive list of Quaker testimonies, our sense remains both that we cannot make such a list, and that attempting to do so involves the danger of “the testimonies” being held up as a kind of Quaker doctrine or creed. Lists such as the one represented by the relatively modern acronym SPICE (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality) do indeed have their place in teaching situations. They describe some broad categories into which our faith often leads us, but they are also limiting, just as a creed is limiting. We want to hold up the central work of the Inward Guide as the driving force from which, ideally, all our actions arise, and to show what that looks like in our lives.
Our intention as we move forward with the book is to show the ways in which God is a living, active Spirit, guiding each one of us. This is our testimony. It manifests in our lives, in how we parent, in how we choose to interact with the earth community, in how we do business in the world, and in the choices we make as consumers and as citizens. We want to explore how our lives are infused with the testimony of the living God, whose nature includes truth, justice, compassion, and peace. To that end we want to include as much as possible of the lived experience of Friends. We ask that you share with us your experiences of how testimony, in all its variety, is expressed in your lives, both as individuals and as meetings.
We are also embracing the challenge of trying to describe the organizational structures of New England Friends, at the monthly, quarterly, and yearly meeting levels. In doing so we want to make it clear that we are a purpose-driven rather than a structure-driven organization—to describe not simply a framework, much as one might describe a skeleton which gives shape to a body, but to examine the life that is supported by that skeleton. We have been led to begin by asking:
What functions are needed for a healthy, faithful community?
What structures do we put in place locally and in the wider bodies of Friends to support these functions?
What are the kernels of wisdom in our current structures?
How can we write Faith and Practice in such a way that we don’t commit ourselves to forms that don’t have life and can’t evolve?
We want to describe not just the outer forms which have changed over time, and will continue to change, but the essential motion of the Spirit in which they are rooted. We have found that those underlying spiritual functions fall under the broad categories of spiritual nurture and stewardship. Spiritual nurture is a vital part of our communities and one of the major reasons to form meetings. There, as fellow learners, we may grow in knowledge of the Spirit, support and encourage one another, and be a witness in the wider world to the truths we know. Stewardship is about making good, responsible, faithful use of what we have been given, spiritually and materially. There are both similarities and differences in how both spiritual nurture and stewardship are expressed in monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings.
We are aware that as a Yearly Meeting we are at a time of transition in our structures and procedures. We on the Faith and Practice Revision Committee have found Life in our process of deep listening, mutual respect, and moving with “the unforced rhythms of grace” (Matt 11:29, The Message). We have sensed the driving force of Spirit when we are on the right track and we have felt the lulls and the stops when we are not yet clear. Working in this way, our vision has been fluid, evolving, and changing—and we have tried to let go of anxiety as we proceed without knowing the exact outcome. Continuing revelation is expected in healthy spiritual communities, bringing new life and constant change. We depend upon you to accompany us on this journey. Can we explore together both the solid and unchanging ground of our faith, as well as the motion among us of new insights and leadings that need new structures to free the Life? Can we embrace not fully understanding the new life which is being born, but try instead to be in right relationship, with God and with one another, while it is emerging—to be poised, nimble, and committed to responding faithfully?
Below is a short list of words compiled by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, which have special meaning in the context of Quakerism. This glossary is not a part of the NEYM Interim Faith and Practice.
Affirmation: A legal declaration provided for Friends and others who conscientiously refuse to take (or swear) judicial oaths.
Breaking Meeting: The act of bringing a meeting for worship to a close by shaking hands. Usually, an individual has been designated to initiate this process.
Centering/Centering Down: The initial stage of worship when Friends clear their minds and settle down to achieve a spiritual focus.
Clerk: The person responsible for the administration of a Friends body and sensitive to the guidance of the Spirit in the conduct of the business of that body. This includes preparation, leadership, and follow up of meetings for business.
Concern: A quickening sense of the need to do something about a situation or issue in response to what is felt to be a direct intimation of God’s will.
Convinced Friend: A person, after having an inward experience of connection with Quakerism and a Quaker spiritual perspective, decides that the Religious Society of Friends provides the most promising home for spiritual enlightenment and growth, and who becomes a member of a monthly meeting. Historically distinguished from a “birthright Friend,” i.e., a person born into a Quaker family.
Discernment: An individual and/or group process by which clarity of purpose or understanding is achieved, proceeding from a spiritual awareness or realization. Discernment is not a form of decision-making, per se, but rather a precursor to decision-making that rests upon a willingness to patiently listen for divine leading, in oneself and in others.
First Day School: Designation for the Sunday religious education program provided by a monthly meeting for children and adults.
Gathered Meeting: A meeting for worship or for business in which those present feel deeply united in the divine presence.
Hold in the Light: To desire that divine guidance and healing will be present to an individual who is in distress or faces a difficult situation; also, to give prayerful consideration to an idea.
Inner Light/Inward Light/The Light Within: Terms which represent for Friends the direct, unmediated experience of the Divine. Some other equivalent terms often found in Quaker writings are: the Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, the Divine Principle, the Seed, the Guide, the Christ Within, the Inward Teacher, that of God in every person.
Laying Down: A decision to discontinue a committee when its work is complete; occasionally, a decision to discontinue a Meeting or an organization when it is no longer viable.
Laying Over: To postpone the discussion of an issue or the presentation of a report from one meeting for business to another.
Leading: A sense of being called by God to undertake a specific course of action. A leading often arises from a concern.
Lift Up: To emphasize or make explicit a particular point or concern.
Meeting for Worship: A gathering of individuals in quiet waiting upon the enlightening and empowering presence of the Divine; the central focus of the corporate life of the Religious Society of Friends.
Meeting for Worship for Business: A meeting for worship during which the corporate business of the meeting is conducted—often referred to as meeting for business.
Monthly Meeting: 1) A congregation of Friends who meet regularly for worship and to conduct corporate business. 2) A monthly gathering of such a body for worship and business.
Overseers: Overseers and Committee of Overseers are terms that have fallen out of favor because they revive memories of slavery. People responsible for pastoral care are now considered to be members of a committee which performs that function—these groups are frequently called Care and Counsel or Oversight and Pastoral Care.
Passing Meeting: Acceptance by a monthly meeting of a written request, usually for membership or for marriage under its care.
Proceed as the Way Opens: To undertake a service or course of action without prior clarity about all the details but with confidence that divine guidance will make these apparent and assure an appropriate outcome.
Quaker: Originally, a derogatory term applied to Friends because their excitement of spirit when led to speak in a meeting for worship was sometimes expressed in a shaking or quaking motion. Now this term is simply an alternative designation for a member of the Religious Society of Friends.
Quaker Process: A catch-all expression often used to describe the various and collective techniques by which Quakers make decisions and go about their other business. Quaker process can include discernment, threshing, worship-sharing, sense of the Meeting, and other methodological terms described in this glossary. These constituent aspects have in common a commitment to obedience to the leading of the Spirit.
Quaker Values: A term used loosely to refer to Quaker social testimonies (see Testimony), and the spiritual commitments underlying those testimonies. Use of the term “Quaker values” is potentially problematic, because it implies that Quakers share a specific set of uniform or fixed positions on various values-based social and political issues. That is not the case. Rather, Quakers share a belief in the universality of the Divine and a commitment to particular spirit-led processes, which yield different leadings and commitments, depending on the time, place, and context.
Quarterly Meeting: A regional gathering of members of constituent monthly meetings, traditionally on four occasions each year. Some quarterly meetings also oversee the operations of institutions.
Queries: A set of questions, based on Friends practices and testimonies, which are considered by Meetings and individuals as a way of both guiding and examining individual and corporate lives and actions. As such, they are a means of self examination. Queries to be considered regularly are included in Faith & Practice; others may be formulated by a committee or Meeting that seeks to clarify for itself an issue it needs to address.
Recorder: The person appointed by a Meeting to maintain statistics on the members and attenders of that meeting.
Recording Clerk: The person appointed to take minutes at regular and called meetings for business of a Meeting or other Friends body.
Rightly Led: Characterized by alignment with and obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit, as discerned by the Meeting or the group empowered with authority in a particular matter.
Rightly Ordered: Congruent and consistent with the established protocols, norms, and decision-making practices of the Meeting or the group empowered with authority in a particular matter.
Sense of the Meeting: A discerned judgment or awareness by the clerk of a meeting for business—or the clerk of a particular committee, group, etc.—that the group has reached essential unity on some issue or concern. It is the clerk’s role to articulate that the group has reached a particular place of decision or shared understanding, and to test whether this sense of the meeting is in accord with the group’s faithful obedience to the leading of the Spirit.
Silence/Silent Worship: Expectant, living silence, not merely the absence of noise. The quietude of Friends meeting for worship—and other periods of observant worship—embodies the special quiet of listeners, the special perception of seekers, the special alertness of those who wait. The silence invites the sharing of messages which arise from a stirring of the Spirit.
Standing Aside: An action taken by an individual who has genuine reservations about a particular decision, but who also recognizes that the decision is clearly supported by the weight of the Meeting. The action of standing aside allows the Meeting to reach unity.
Testimony: A guiding principle of conduct that bears witness to the presence of God in the world and in our lives. Though there is no official list of such testimonies, Friends have traditionally identified peace and nonviolence, equality, simplicity, stewardship, community, and integrity as their practical principles.
Threshing Session: A gathering of Friends to consider in depth a controversial issue but in a way that is free from the necessity of reaching a decision.
Under the Care of: Describes an activity, program, or event for which a Meeting takes responsibility and to which it gives oversight. A marriage, a preparative meeting, and a school might all be said to be under the care of a monthly meeting.
Under the Weight of: Giving high priority to an issue arising from a deep feeling of concern. Said of an individual or Meeting that is struggling to reach an appropriate decision about such an item of business.
Unity: The spiritual oneness and harmony whose realization is a primary objective of a meeting for worship or a meeting for business.
Vocal Ministry: The sharing of a message or prayer during a meeting for worship.
Weighty Friend: An informal term for a Friend who is respected for spiritual depth, wisdom, and long service to the Religious Society of Friends.
Worship Sharing: A group practice in which participants share personal and spiritual experiences, thoughts, and feelings, often in response to a prearranged theme or questions, and in a manner that acknowledges the presence of God, and in which there is no criticism or direct response to what another says.
Yearly Meeting: Those Friends from a geographically extended area who gather in annual session to worship and conduct business together. This term is also used to denote the total membership of the constituent monthly meetings of a designated yearly meeting.
Header: see 1.01, below.
1.01. Fox, George. The Journal of George Fox, Nickalls, John L. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1952, p. 11.
1.02. Fell, Margaret. “The Testimony of Margaret Fox concerning her late husband,” preface to George Fox, Journal. London: Thomas Northcott, 1694, pp. i-ii.
1.03. Bownas, Samuel. Account of the Life and Travels. London: Luke Hinde, 1761, p. 3-4.
1.04. Penington, Isaac, as quoted in “A Testimony Concerning I. Penington by Tho. Ellwood,” The Works of ... Isaac Penington. London: Benjamin Clark, 1681, leaf e4.
1.05. Chapin-Bishop, Cat. “There is a Spirit Which I Feel,” 2008. http://quakerpagan.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html [55].
1.06. Duvenek, Josephine. Life on Two Levels: An Autobiography, Los Altos, NM: William Kaufmann, 1978.
1.07. Thornberg, Stan. “Heroic Faith: The Life of Pure Obedience.” Keynote address, 2001 New England Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions, Smithfield, Rhode Island, 2001.
1.08. Smith, Hannah Whitall. The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: My Spiritual Autobiography, Chapter 23. New York and Chicago: Fleming H. Revell, 1903, pp. 204-215. [Editor’s note: This extract is condensed from eleven pages of text.]
1.09. Watson, Elizabeth. This I Know Experimentally. Rufus Jones Lecture, Friends General Conference, Philadelphia, PA, 1977.
1.10. Kreidler, William. “Coming Out, Coming Through, Coming Home.” Keynote address, 1993 New England Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions, Amherst, MA, 1993.
1.11. Rowntree, John Wilhelm. Essays and Addresses. London: Headley Brothers, 1906, pp. 402-403.
1.12. Collier, Howard E. Experiment with a Life. Wallingford, PA: Pendle Hill Publications, 1953.
1.13. Braithwaite, William Charles. The Second Period of Quakerism. London: MacMillan and Co. 1919, pp. 552-553.
1.14. Pym, H. N., ed. Memories of Old Friends. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, vol. 1, 1882, p. xxii.
1.15. Vogel-Borne, Jonathan. “Doing Scales,” FGConnections, Autumn 2000.
1.16. Drayton, Brian. Treasure in Earthen Vessels: Letters on Christian Unity. Mosher Book and Tract Committee, New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, 1997, p. 61.
1.17. Athearn, Marion. Personal communication, 2012.
1.18. Daniella, Hayo “God Can Speak to Each of Us,” Whispers of Faith: Young Friends share their experiences of Quakerism, W. Geoffrey Black et al., eds. Philadelphia: Quaker Press of FGC, 2005, pp. 32-34.
1.19. Burnell, Jocelyn S. “The Kingdom in Our Midst,” Introduction to London Yearly Meeting Sessions, 1976, quoted in Faith and Practice of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 2002, p. 93.
1.20. Caulfield, Caitlin. “I Felt God,” in Whispers of Faith: Young Friends Share Their Experiences of Quakerism, W. Geoffrey Black, et al., eds. Philadelphia: Quaker Press of FGC, 2005, pp. 81-83.
1.21. Jones, Rufus. Finding the Trail of Life. New York: MacMillan and Co. 1926, pp. 21-22.
Header: see 1.23, below.
1.22. Barclay, Robert. Apology for the True Christian Divinity, Prop 11, Sect 7, 1678, p. 33.
1.23. Howgill, Francis. “Testimony Concerning the Life, Death,Tryals, Travels and Labours of Edward Burrough,” in Henry Tuke, Biographical Notices of Members of the Society of Friends. York: W. Alexander, vol. II, 1815, pp. 150-151.
1.24. Stephen, Caroline E. Quaker Strongholds. 2nd ed. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. 1890, pp. 4-5.
1.25. Ostram, Warren. In God We Live. Wallingford, PA: Pendle Hill, Pamphlet 268, 1986, pp. 13-14.
1.26. Kriebel, William Burtt. “Memorial Minute for William Burtt Kriebel,” Minutes of the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, 2002, p. 11.
1.27. Edmondson, Maggie. A Road Less Traveled: Living Pastoral Ministry Among Friends in New England. Boston: Beacon Hill Friends House, 2007, pp. 2, 11.
Header: Woolman, John. The Journal and Major Essays of John Woolman. Phillips P. Moulton, ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1971, p. 31.
1.28. Ferris, David. As quoted in Resistance and Obedience to God: Memoirs of David Ferris (1707-1779), Martha Paxson Grundy, ed. Philadelphia: Friends General Conference, 2001, pp. 51-53.
1.29. Grubb, Sarah Lynes. An address to her children written at Stoke Newington 28th of 12th Month 1832, A Selection from the Letters of the late Sarah Grubb (formerly Sarah Lynes) Sudbury. Printed and Published by J. Wright. London: Simkin, Marshall and Co. and C. Gilpin, 1848, pp. 2-4, 9.
1.30. Hoag, Joseph. A Journal of the Life and Gospel Labors of ... Joseph Hoag. Sherwoods, N.Y.: David Heston, 1860, pp. 348-350. [Editor’s note: In the journal, this seems to be an insert that is attributed to Hoag, but is not written by him as a part of his narrative. It seems to be a part of a narration by a Friend from Friendsville, Pennsylvania, of a conversation that Hoag had during a visit there. The passage which includes this extract begins on page 333 of Hoag’s journal, with the explanation of its source. The journal does explicitly credit this to Hoag, but it is as recalled by a third party.]
1.31. Davies, Susan. Unpublished journal, 2007.
1.32. Reilly, Susan. Personal communication, 2009.
Header: see 1.33, below.
1.33. Fox, George. The Journal of George Fox, John L. Nickalls, ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1952, p. 19.
1.34. Foulds, Elfrida Vipont. The Candle of the Lord. Wallingford, PA: Pendle Hill, Pamphlet 248, 1983, p. 21.
1.35. Cronk, Sandra. A Lasting Gift: The Journal and Selected Writings of Sandra L. Cronk, Martha Paxson Grundy, ed. Philadelphia: Quaker Press of FGC, 2009, p. 72.
1.36. Toomey, Marybeth. Personal communication, 2010.
1.37. Nayler, James. “To the Life of God in All,” in A Collection of Sundry Books, Epistles and Papers. Printed and sold by the assigns of J. Sowle, in White Hart-Court, in Gracious-Street, and at the Bible in George-Yard, Lombard Street, 1716, p. xlii-xliii.
1.38. Grellet, Stephen. Excerpted from Extract #58 Christian Faith and Practice in the Experience of the Society of Friends. London Yearly Meeting, 1960.
1.39. Fox, Tom. “Candles in the Shadows, Waiting in the Light,” 2004 http://waitinginthelight.blogspot.com/2004/10/fight-or-flight.html [56].
1.40. Barclay, Robert. Apology for the True Christian Divinity, Prop 11, Sect 17. London: J. Phillips, 1780, p. 383.
1.41. Wilson, Lloyd Lee. “Holy Surrender.” Keynote address, New England Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions, 2006, Smithfield, Rhode Island.
1.42. Williams, Greg. “An Open Letter to New England Yearly Meeting,” Memorandum, 8/12/1983, NEYM Records, Rhode Island Historical Society.
1.43. Williams, Carl. Friends United Meeting Weekly Devotional and Prayer Request. Richmond, IN: Friends United Meeting, August 7-13, 2009.
1.44. Murphy, Carol. Milestone 70. Wallingford, PA: Pendle Hill, Pamphlet 251, 1989, pp. 32-33.
1.45. Sanchez-Eppler, Benigno. Preparing Sanctuary. Bible Half-Hour, New England Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions, 2007, Smithfield, Rhode Island. NEYM transcript, p. 17.
1.46. Kelly, Richard M. Thomas Kelly, a Biography. New York: Harper & Row, 1966, pp. 102-103.
1.47. Hughes, William R. Indomitable Friend. London: G. Allen & Unwin, 1956, p. 205.
1.48. Hughes, William R. Indomitable Friend. London: G. Allen & Unwin, 1956, pp. 218-219.
Header: Yearly Meeting of Pennsylvania and the Jerseys. “Epistles of the Yearly Meeting of Pennsylvania and the Jerseys, 1694 and 1695,” as quoted in Faith and Practice of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 2002.
1.49. Fardelmann, Charlotte Lyman. Nudged by the Spirit: Stories of People Responding to the Still, Small Voice of God. Wallingford, PA: Pendle Hill Publications, 2001, p. 177.
1.50. Nayler, James. “The examination of James Nayler ... at Appleby, January 1652/1653,” A Collection of Sundry Books, Epistles and Papers. Printed and sold by the assigns of J. Sowle, in White Hart-Court, in Gracious-Street, and at the Bible in George-Yard, Lombard Street, 1716, pp. 12-13.
1.51. Pringle, Cyrus. The Record of a Quaker Conscience: Cyrus Pringle’s Diary, Jones, Rufus, ed. New York: Macmillan Company, 1918, pp. 44 and 66.
1.52. Rotch, William. William Rotch: Memorandum Written in the Eightieth Year of His Age. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1916, pp. 3-5.
1.53. Dotson, Stephen Willis. “Steady, Aim, Breathe, Fire,” in Spirit Rising: Young Quaker Voices, Angelina Conti, et al., eds. Philadelphia, PA: Quaker Press of FGC, 2010, p. 143.
1.54. Hoge, Phyllis. Faith and Practice of Intermountain Yearly Meeting, 2009, pp. 148-149.
1.55. Sanford, Wendy. “Towards Deeper Communion Across Our Theological Divides,” Friends Journal. January 2006, p. 13.
1.56. Cox, Louis. “Odyssey of a Quaker Earthpeace Activist,” EarthLight: Spiritual Wisdom for an Ecological Age. Oakland, Calif.: Alonzo Printers, 2007, pp. 37-39.
1.57. Woolman, John. The Journal and Major Essays of John Woolman. Phillips P. Moulton, ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1971, pp. 50-51.
1.58. Jackson, Thomas. Personal communication, 2009.
1.59. Ellwood, Thomas. The History of Thomas Ellwood Written by Himself. London: Assigns of J. Sowle, 2nd Edition, 1714, pp. 63-66.
“In worship we have our neighbors...”: Thomas Kelly. The Eternal Promise, Richmond, Indiana: Friends United Press, 1991, pp. 44-45.
“[Worship] is a preparation.”: New England Yearly Meeting. Faith and Practice: A Book of Christian Discipline, 1930, p. 8.
“Although Queries may often be answered.”: North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative). Faith and Practice: Book of Discipline, 1983, p. 33.
2.01. Barclay, Robert. “An Apology for the True Christian Divinity,” Prop. 11, Argument 17, in Truth Triumphant Through the Spiritual Warfare, ChristianLaboursand Writings. London: Thomas Northcott, 1692, p. 260.
2.02. Howgill, Francis. “Testimony Concerning the Life, Death, Tryals, Travels andLaboursof Edward Burrough,” in Edward Burroughs, The Memorable works of a Son of Thunder and Consolation, signature e4, 1672.
2.03. Boulding, Kenneth E. Sonnets from the Interior Life and Other Autobiographical Verse. Boulder, Colorado: Colorado Associated University Press, 1975, p. 112.
2.04. Stephen, Caroline. Quaker Strongholds. London: Kegan, Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., Ltd, 1890, pp. 11-13.
2.05. Woolman, John. “A Journal of the Life, GospelLabours, and Christian Experiences of That Faithful Minister of Jesus Christ, John Woolman,” as found in The Works of John Woolman. Philadelphia: Joseph Crukshank, 1774, pp. 12-13.
2.06. Whittier, John Greenleaf. Complete Poetical Works of John Greenleaf Whittier. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Company, The Riverside Press, Cambridge, 1904, p. 532.
2.07. Steere, Douglas V. Quaker Meeting for Worship. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, http://www.pym.org/publications/pamphlets/quaker-meeting-for-worship/ [57].
2.08. Yamanouchi, Tayeko. “Ways of Worship,” Friends World News. 1979-1980, no. 113, p. 13.
2.09. Stephen, Caroline Emelia. Quaker Strongholds. Chula Vista: Wind and Rock Press, 1995, pp. 34-35.
2.10. Fernandez G., Loida E. “Variations on a Theme of Fox,” Keynote address at New England Yearly Meeting, August 6, 1994. Philadelphia: Wider Quaker Fellowship / La Asociación de Amigos de los Amigos.
2.11. Parker, Alexander. “Letter to Friends,” first month 1660, as transcribed in Abram Rawlinson Barclay, ed., Letters, &c., of Early Friends; Illustrative of the History of the Society. The Friends’ Library, vol. 11, Philadelphia: Joseph Rakestraw, 1847, p. 436.
2.12. Lacout, Pierre. God Is Silence, translated from the French by John Kay. London: Quaker Home Service, 1993, pp. 20, 41.
2.13. Barclay, Robert. “Apology,” Prop 11, Sect 10, as found in Truth Triumphant: Collected Works of Robert Barclay. London: Thomas Northcott, 1692. pp. 450-1.
2.14. Penington, Isaac. “Further Testimony to Truth, Revived out of the Ruins of Apostacy,” in Works of the Long-mournful and Sorely-distressed Isaac Penington. London: Benjamin Clark, 1681, part II, p. 256.
2.15. Freedom Friends Church (Salem, OR). Faith and Practice. 2009, p. 66.
2.16. Jones, Rufus M. An Interpretation of Quakerism. London Yearly Meeting Home Service Committee (Wayside series, no.1) 1936, pp. 2, 3.
2.17. Steere, Douglas V. On Listening to Another. New York: Harper, 1955, pp. 31, 33-6.
2.18. Kelly, Thomas. The Reality of the Spiritual World and The Gathered Meeting. London: Quaker Home Service, 1996, p. 58.
2.19. Berks & Oxon Quarterly Meeting Ministry & Extension Committee. Extract 2.44 in Britain Yearly Meeting, Quaker Faith and Practice, 1994. Taken directly from the manuscript minute book for 20 iii 1948.
2.20. New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Faith and Practice: the Book of Discipline. 2001, p. 24. [See https://www.nyym.org/faith-and-practice-faith-seeking-spirit-in-corporate-worship [58]]
Advices, No. 1: Edward Burrough. “A testimony concerning the beginning of the work of the Lord” 1662, in Abram Rawlinson Barclay, ed., Letters, etc., of Early Friends. 1841, p. 305.
“Although Queries may often be answered...”: North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative). Faith and Practice: Book of Discipline,1983, p. 33.
3.01. Westport Monthly Meeting newsletter. “An Introduction to ‘Quaker Process’,” October 2006.
3.02. Fox, George. Kingston upon Thames, the 5th of the 3d month, 1690. The Works of George Fox. Vol. 8, Epistles II, New Foundation Publication, A Reprint of the 1831 Edition, M.T.C. Gould, Philadelphia.
3.03. Grace, Eden. “An Introduction to Quaker Business Practice.” Essay written for the World Council of Churches, 2000, http://www.edengrace.org/quakerbusiness.html [59]
3.04. Crisp, Stephen. Works.1694, p. 352.
3.05. Woolman, John. The Journal and Major Essays of John Woolman, Phillips P. Moulton, ed. New York: Oxford University Press 1971.
3.06. London Yearly Meeting. Extract #351, Christian Faith and Practice. 1960.
3.07. Mt. Toby Monthly Meeting, Leverett, Massachusetts, 2008. Minute 2 of Mt Toby Monthly Meeting, Meeting for Business, 10/12/08.
3.08. Taber, Bill. “The Friends Discernment Process: One View of Gospel Order,” in Friends Consultation on Discernment. Richmond, Indiana: Quaker Hill Conference Center, 1985, p. 37.
3.09. Hoffman, Jan. “Spiritual Community: Bringing Love Into Practice.” A talk to South Central Yearly Meeting, Easter weekend 1988.
3.10. Selleck, George A. Principles of the Quaker Business Meeting. Richmond, Indiana: Friends United Press, 1986.
3.11. “Report of Interest Group 2 on Topic #7: Meeting for Worship for the Purpose of Business, December 7-10, 1989,” in Friends Consultation on Worship. Richmond, Indiana: Quaker Hill Conference Center, 1989.
3.12. New England Yearly Meeting Permanent Board. “Minute 04-19, Electronic Decision-Making, Permanent Board, February 28, 2004.”
3.13. New England Yearly Meeting of Friends. Minute 68 of New England Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions,1992.
3.14. Birkel, Michael. “Some Advice from John Woolman on Meeting for Business,” Friends Journal, January 1995.
“... so far as [our gracious Creator’s] love...”: John Woolman. “A Plea for the Poor,” in The Journal and Major Essays of John Woolman. Phillips P. Moulton, ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1971, p. 241.
“Ask yourself: Am I down in the flaming center of God? ...”: Kelly, Thomas R. The eternal promise : a sequel to A testament of devotion. Richmond, Ind. : Friends United Press, 1988, ©1966. p. 48.
11.01. Wilson, Lloyd Lee. Wrestling with Our Faith Tradition: Collected Public Witness, 1995-2004. Philadelphia: Quaker Press of Friends General Conference, 2005, pp. 43-45.
11.02. Fell, Margaret. “The testimony of Margaret Fox concerning her late husband,” in George Fox, Journal. London: Thomas Northcott, 1694, p. ii.
11.03. Edmondson, Margaret (Maggie). Personal communication, 2008.
11.04. Daniels, C. Wess. “Some (Borrowed) Quaker Queries on Simplicity,” Gathering in Light: Remixing Tradition in Today’s World. September 25, 2006. http://gatheringinlight.com/2006/09/25/some-borrowed-quaker-queries-on-simplicity/ [60]
11.05. Pickard, Daniel. An Expostulation on Behalf of the Truth against departures in doctrine, practice and discipline in which the revised queries, rules, and advices, of London Yearly Meeting of Friends, are examined and compared with former editions. Westgate St. Gloucester: John Bellows, Steam Press, 1864.
11.06. The British Friend, 9th month 1854.
11.07. Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative). Advices and Queries of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) with Selected Responses from Annual Sessions 1998-2006. http://iymc.org/documents/ [61], p. 7. [other As&Qs from Iowa YM(C): https://www.iymc.org/community/fp2/advices-and-queries-2/ [62]]
11.08. Consultation and Renewal Working Group. “Responses to the Consultation and Renewal Working Group (C’nR) Queries and Thoughts on Canadian Yearly Meeting Gleaned from the C’nR Consultations with Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups,” in the Report from the C’nR to Canadian Yearly Meeting 2006, pp. 3-4 in #587 at http://www.quaker.ca/cgi-bin/library/searchindexsearch.pl [63]
11.09. North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative). Minutes of North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative) 2007, p. 38.
11.10. Mt. Toby Monthly Meeting. Minute 2 of Meeting for Business, Mt Toby Monthly Meeting, 9/14/2008.
An aspect of grace is that the Spirit communicates with us in words, images, and feelings that engage us. It is our task as individuals and as meetings to discover how to live faithfully a path we have been given.
These words from Page 4 of the New England Yearly Meeting Interim Faith and Practice 2014encourage a process of discovery. This Study Guide offers some suggestions about how we as meeting communities might use this book to stimulate engagement in that process. It contains three sections.
Section 1: The chapters given preliminary approval by the Yearly Meeting
Section 2: The Appendices Working Paper
Section 3: “A Peculiar People” and “Moving Forward to the Remaining Chapters: The Integration of Faith and Life”
These three sections illustrate the interim nature of the book, which is very much in process. The preface and chapters in Section 1 have been given preliminary approval, which means they are substantially acceptable, and only minor changes to them are expected when the completed book is given final approval. Section 2 is a working paper and Section 3 describes the task in the chapters being drafted, which is to describe the integration of faith and life in our communal life as a religious society, in our personal lives, and in the wider community. We are eager to have Friends send input on these two sections.
It is our hope that Friends will become familiar with the Interim Faith and Practice 2014 and allow this publication to deepen their faith as well as guide “practice.” Many meetings have reflected on working papers for the approved chapters, offering helpful feedback. These comments were crucial in revising the texts we presented to Sessions that were then given preliminary approval. Now that those chapters have been published, we want to encourage Friends to read them in a devotional way.
Our intent in developing this study guide is to provide such encouragement. We hope that when you pick up this book it will bring you into the company of the Spirit, as George Fox hoped to bring Friends “into touch with the Living Spirit of Christ and to leave them there.” (British Friend vol. 6, pg. 288, 1897).
Meetings may want to host a series of gatherings, possibly after worship, where Friends sit in a circle and read aloud—reading to simply listen—allowing the text to speak for itself, while taking time for quiet reflection between readings. This kind of listening/ reading might offer an opportunity for prayer, articulation of faith, or ministry.
We also encourage Friends to familiarize themselves with the Appendices and use them. Meetings may ask particular committees to read sections that refer to practices related to their responsibilities, such as membership, marriage, or recognition of gifts and leadings. This may encourage those committees to clarify their own practices to the meetings.
Each extract in this Faith and Practice retains the original language used by the individual or faith community, language which may sound unfamiliar. Can you hear through the language to the writer’s experience of the Spirit?
There are extracts that end most chapters, offered in the same spirit. It may sometimes be useful to read them separately from the main text.
Our tradition has always drawn people to trust in the Light and find their way to an inward experience of the Spirit, and at the same time we have found encouragement, inspiration and challenge in the witness of others. We therefore invite you to read and reflect on these “illustrative experiences,” personal records of encounters with the Divine. These are not offered as statements of (or evidence for) particular beliefs, but more as invitations to join in the journey of the people called Quakers. Some are from long ago, and others are more recent and even contemporary, but similar threads keep reappearing across history and in our own lives. We hope these different voices will encourage you to find your own path into the community of Friends. The chapter is divided into five sections that reflect different aspects of the journey.
Which of these extracts speak most deeply to you and your condition? Can you express why?
Which extracts seem challenging or inaccessible to you? Sit with them. Trust that over time they may open avenues of truth for you.
This chapter is an introduction to the variety of practices of worship among Friends in New England and includes a series of reflections on what we are committing to when we come to meeting. Find what speaks to you, and hold what does not speak to you in waiting worship.
The “Advices and Queries” which follow the introductory essay focus especially on areas where Friends have needed encouragement and/or guidance.
Our way of conducting business, which has arisen out of shared spiritual experience, is perhaps the most counter-cultural aspect of Quaker life. It takes time to get used to and to trust it, and it requires discipline of which we often need to be reminded. Let what we are trying to do be guided by the suggested procedures, the Advices for Clerks and the Advices and Queries meant for all.
The Meeting for Business
This section is a hands-on expression of how to move the business of the meeting forward in a spiritually disciplined way.
Advices on Corporate Discernment
Advices for Clerks and for Recording Clerks
Queries on Corporate Discernment
Extracts on Corporate Discernment
When you feel the atmosphere around early Friends and the power of their faith, do you recognize the call to live in the same virtue and power?
The advices and queries in Chapter 2 (Worship) and Chapter 3 (Corporate Discernment in Meetings for Business) are specific to the spiritual life and work described there. In this chapter general advices and queries are not focused by topic; they are intended to nurture faithfulness as a foundation for every thought and action. They challenge us to turn to the Inward Teacher to seek the particular ways we might be led to serve the one common interest of which Woolman speaks, both as individuals and as meetings, “turn[ing] all the treasures we possess into the channel of universal love.”
Pray with advices and queries; hold them in your hearts. Feel which speak to you, challenge you, show you the way.
The Appendices Working Paper is a response to the request from Friends in New England for more succinct guidance on membership and marriage clearness, travel minutes, recognizing gifts and ministry, and related processes. Fuller descriptions of the practices outlined here, including their history and spiritual underpinnings, will be treated in chapters on which we are now working. As you study the procedures outlined, we would appreciate your comments, particularly on the following:
If so, we would be interested in your sending us a description. Sending input to fandp [at] neym [dot] orgwill help us revise the appendices to make them even more useful to everyone.
“A PECULIAR PEOPLE” and “MOVING FORWARD TO THE REMAINING CHAPTERS: THE INTEGRATION OF FAITH AND LIFE”
The Faith and Practice Revision Committee presented “A Peculiar People” to Sessions in 2003 as “a window for the Yearly Meeting into the work we are doing.” We hoped it would describe the unity of faith and life we wanted to convey in the revision. We have been asked to consider including it somehow in the book and we welcome reflections on this from individuals or groups.
Our intention as we move forward with the book is to show the ways in which God is a living, active Spirit, guiding us individually and corporately. This is our testimony. It is manifest in our lives, in how we parent, in how we choose to interact with the earth community, in how we do business in the world, and in the choices, we make as consumers and as citizens. In these chapters we want to show how our lives can be infused with the testimony of the living God, whose nature includes truth, justice, compassion, and peace. The task before us is to show the spiritual motion that is the source of all “testimony.”
We seek to convey the experience of lives lived in faithfulness to the Source in the particular contexts of our communal life as a religious society, as individuals, and in the wider community. To that end we hope to include texts that convey the lived experience of Friends—and we want stories—stories of contemporary
New England Friends, and of present or past witnesses that have moved you. We ask that you send us your experiences of how testimony, in all its variety, is expressed in your lives, both as individuals and as meetings and, particularly, of new openings for witness arising in the Yearly Meeting.
Please send them to fandp [at] neym [dot] org (subject: Interim%20F%26P%20Suggestion) .
Copies of this Study Guide can be downloaded from the NEYM website http://neym.org/fp-revision/interim-faith-and-practice [64]. Print copies of the NEYM Interim Faith and Practice 2014 may be ordered through the website or from the NEYM office, 901 Pleasant Street, Worcester, MA 01602 or email office [at] neym [dot] org (subject: NEYM%20Interim%20Faith%20and%20Practice%202014%20order) . E-book, large print, and PDF versions are/will be available at that website and address as well.
Approved by the NEYM Faith and Practice Revision Committee, January 31, 2015
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Canterbury, New Hampshire 03224-2043 USA
Links:
[1] https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/sites/all/files/images/NEYM_Logo_candleonly_color-80x95.png
[2] https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/sites/all/files/images/NEYM_Logo_medium_wordsonly.jpg
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[5] http://neym.org/fp-revision
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[33] https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/1985NEYM-Faith%2526Practice#A.2.C.
[34] https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/1985NEYM-Faith%2526Practice#IV.3.e.
[35] https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/1985NEYM-Faith%2526Practice#IV.5.
[36] https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/1985NEYM-Faith%2526Practice#A.1.
[37] http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/statutes.asp
[38] http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes
[39] http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/Search
[40] http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/indexes/default.html
[41] http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/XXIX/306/306-11.htm
[42] http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/XXIX/306/306-mrg.htm
[43] http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/XXIX/307/307-mrg.htm
[44] http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/XXIX/308/308-mrg.htm
[45] http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/V/72/72-23.htm
[46] http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/XLIII/457/457-37.htm
[47] http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/xliii/457/457-31-b.htm
[48] http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/NHTOC/NHTOC-XXVI-289.htm
[49] https://www.nh.gov/glance/oaths.htm
[50] http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/li/500-a/500-a-18.htm
[51] http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/I/21/21-24.htm
[52] http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/statutes/
[53] http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutesmain.cfm
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