An introduction to the Quaker faith
for seekers

What Do Quakers Believe?

When the Quaker movement first began in the 17th century, members called one another “Friends” or “Friends of the Truth,” and they called their group the Religious Society of Friends.

How did they come to be known as Quakers? Legend says they were given the nickname by cynical onlookers, because they seemed to quake or shake with spiritual enthusiasm.  And it is true that Quakers both past and present have sometimes puzzled people who are not familiar with them.

In our “Seeking the Spirit” program, we hope to introduce you to Quakerism and put some of the puzzle pieces together.

Modern Quakers interpret our traditions and practice our beliefs in diverse ways. Our welcoming outlook has allowed a wide range of religious perspectives, but it has also led some people to think that we have no defined beliefs. This is not the case.

While no single description of Friends’ beliefs would be acceptable to all the Quakers in the world today, I think it is safe to say that Friends share several essential principles.

1. We believe that it is possible for all people to have direct, personal communion with the Divine. One of the earliest founders of Quakerism, George Fox, said, "Christ has come to teach his people himself." He saw the Spirit of God as an active presence in people’s lives, guiding and directing them to lives of faith.

1. Our common experience of Spirit within and among us has led us to realize that there is that of God, something of the Divine, in everyone. This realization is referred to by Friends as "the Christ Within" or "the Inner Light."

1. We recognize that the revelation of God’s mystery and will is ongoing and continual.

1. We are committed to living our lives in ways that bear witness to these inward experiences.

Since any formalized statement of faith could never fully represent all revelation and might limit our perceptions of truth, we do not advance an official creed or code of beliefs.  Instead, Quakers meet in silent worship to listen to God's voice, that still, small voice, more clearly.

There are two basic styles of worship common among Quakers in the United States, programmed and unprogrammed.

Friends in the unprogrammed Quaker tradition, like this meeting, base our worship on expectant waiting. We have no prearranged prayers, readings, or sermons because we wait for the direction of the Inner Teacher. In our seeking, we join together in a meeting for worship, and our devotion becomes a communal experience.

For most of our sessions we sit in silent communion that is broken only when someone feels moved to give a message. As Psalm 46 says, "Be still and know that I am God."

The programmed Quaker tradition is more common in the Midwest. These Friends combine their silent prayerfulness with planned messages, hymns, music and services led by a pastor, similar to many Protestant denominations.

Whichever style we choose for worship, Friends reach for an inward knowledge of the Spirit. The core of our faith is based on a living relationship with God, the Divine, the Inner Light, the Presence in our midst.

What makes someone a Quaker is the deep search for divine guidance and the effort to live in harmony with that life and power. The mystic Thomas Kelly had an eloquent way of explaining this quest:

“Deep within us all is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a Speaking Voice to which we may continuously return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our time-torn lives, warming us with intimations of an astounding destiny, calling us home unto Itself. Yielding to these persuasions, gladly committing ourselves in body and soul, utterly and completely, to the Light Within, is the beginning of true life.”

Most Quakers feel a personal responsibility for understanding and living their faith every day. Rather than relying on priests or ministers, each believer is encouraged to pursue the personal disciplines associated with his or her own spiritual growth. Some Friends find their guidance in the Bible and other sacred literature. Some feel the presence of the Spirit through nature, the arts, or other inspiration.

Because we recognize the inner presence of the Light in everyone, we appreciate that anyone, at any time, may express the leadings of the Spirit. Revelation is continuous.

So we meet in plain, undecorated rooms because we have found that such places offer fewer distractions from hearing the still small voice. There are no minister’s pulpits in our meeting rooms because we all minister to each other. Our benches or chairs face each other because we are all equal before God.

During worship, a message may come to us. Friends have found that these words may be for our own personal reflection, or we may feel a leading to stand and speak to the whole meeting. After someone speaks, we return to the silence to examine ourselves in the Light of that message. Often, we find that a message given by another speaks to our own condition.

We value the spoken testimony that comes from the heart and is prompted by the Spirit, and we also value the silent seeking that we share.

Early Friends understood that both men and women experience the presence of God. Quakers are believed to be the first religious group to recognize the equality of women and men in the Spirit. Therefore, since our beginning in the mid-seventeenth century, Quaker men and women have shared equally in the ministry and work of Friends. Quaker schools have always educated both girls and boys.

This same understanding of equality in the presence of the Divine has led Friends to work for the elimination of prejudice and discrimination against minority groups and the poor. Quakers worked to end slavery in the 18th century, played an active role in the Civil Rights Movement in the recent past, and continue the struggle today.

As a Peace Church, Friends oppose war, torture, and the use of violence in global conflict. With God's guidance, we seek nonviolent solutions to personal and global disputes and differences. Quakers seek to reconcile factions and minister to the suffering of both sides in conflicts.

Some of us are also led to work to reduce suffering in the world through disaster relief, the pursuit of economic and social justice, and reducing our impact on the planet by sharing and conserving the earth’s resources.

Friends’ appreciation of these shared values has become our testimony, or witness of our faith, to the world. Our testimonies on peace, equality, simplicity, integrity, and community are the outward expressions of our attempts to live our faith, to respond to divine guidance and will.

Quaker diversity is not easy. The differing opinions and beliefs of individual Quakers may be challenging to some Friends and to some Friends’ meetings.

Friends have our roots in Christianity and the teachings of Jesus. Some contemporary Quakers consider themselves Christians, while others do not. Those Friends who are Christians may have different understandings of Christianity than other religious groups do. Other Friends see themselves as universalists. They refuse to put a name or label on the leadings of the Light, to be receptive to whatever revelation opens to them. Some say they don’t know what they believe, but they are here to seek the truth.

All of these types of Friends may worship in one meeting, in this meeting. For Friends, staying together despite our differences is an important aspect of community. Ultimately, we realize that the more leadings of the Spirit we consider, the closer we may come to the truth.

George Fox was born in 1624.  By the time he began his spiritual quest in the 1640s, England was in the midst of its Civil Wars.  The factions were the Cavaliers, fighting for King Charles I and the ‘divine right of kings’. Against them were the Parliamentarians (the so-called ‘Roundheads’) which supported a government where the king governed with the consent of Parliament, not God.

Under King Charles I the official religion was the Church of England, Anglican – and a form of High Anglican that was almost indistinguishable from Catholicism in terms of ceremonies, cathedrals and priestly hierarchy.  (There is a difference on a theological level, but that isn’t something really visible.)  The Parliamentarians supported Puritanism and tolerance for Protestant religions in general.

Into this comes George Fox in 1648.  He said you didn’t need priests, ceremonies and Bibles to have a direct connection with God.  And he took this message through Northern England where he lived, speaking to groups of people and also going into church services and saying that the church stood in the way of interacting with God.
 
As you can imagine, this message was not well received in the churches.  Quakers were harassed, thrown in prison and even executed.

Still, Fox continued preaching his message of the “Inner Light.”  Interestingly, Lancashire and Yorkshire are in the very north of England, on a parallel to central Newfoundland.  Winter days were long and dark (and they still are.)  “The Light” would have been a powerful image in the 1640s north. Homes were dimly lighted by thekitchen fire or tallow candles.

Crowds traveled to hear him speak despite the dangers and the difficulties – walking and horses were your transportation choices in counties which had a limited number of roads. These growing crowds of followers attest to the power of George Fox’s message.

And dangers there were.

The First Civil War ended in 1649 shortly after Fox began traveling. The Parliamentarians and Oliver Cromwell were now in power, and they had a different official religion that felt threatened.

But Fox and his followers carried on.  He was arrested repeatedly and imprisoned 8 times.  Five times he was imprisoned by the Parliamentarian forces.  In 1661 the Second Civil War ended when King Charles II was restored to the throne.  Fox was imprisoned 3 more times after that.

In the mid-1660s, England was reeling from the death and destruction of both the Plague and the 1666 Great Fire of London -- but it seems there was always enough energy to arrest and execute Quakers.  George Fox’s last prison term was in 1673 – 25 years after he began teaching “that of God in everyone.”

It’s a strong message these days.  Considering the hardships of the 1600s and the real dangers of prison and worse, we can only marvel at the power of Fox’s message in those early years.

Even by 17th Century standards, George Fox was an unusual young man. He spent much of his time pestering clergymen with questions about faith and then arguing with their answers.  As a teenager, he was already well on his way to a life of crime, his only crime being that he dared to challenge the state-sponsored church.  For this crime, he was to spend much of his adult life in prison.  At age 19, he had what people today might call a “born-again” experience, but any comparison to fundamentalist Christians ends there.

Fox wrote, “And when all my hopes…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.”  --page 11, Journal of George Fox, John Nickalls, editor

When all seemed lost, George Fox heard a divine voice which saved him from despair.  Another man might have said, “Wow!  I must be special!  God or Jesus, or Somebody Else Really Important, spoke to ME.”  However, this was not Fox’s reaction.  He assumed, without question, that if he could hear this redeeming voice, then anyone and everyone could do the same.  All people could be lifted from despair.  In essence, he said, “You, too, can hear a voice that will change your life forever.”   And, it should be noted he was not concerned with salvation from an eternity of hellfire and damnation. He wished to save us from that which separates us from God in this life.  Sin is anything that distracts us from a direct, personal and meaningful relationship with the Divine.
   
Fox did not question that the voice he heard was that of Christ.  Today, many Quakers would certainly question this assumption.  However, it is still instructive for each of us to understand that Fox’s vision of Jesus was distinct and radical.  To Fox, one’s relationship with Christ can supersede the established church, making that church both redundant and irrelevant.  Fox said,   “…Christ was come who ended the temple, and the priests, and the tithes and Christ said,  ‘Learn of me.’”  And Fox was sent  “…so that they might all come to know Christ their teacher, their counselor, their shepherd to feed them, and their bishop to oversee them, and their prophet to open to them, and to know their bodies to be temples for (God and Christ) to dwell in….” Journal, page 109

To Fox, Christ is here and now, and his message is sufficient.  To worship him, we simply need to gather and to listen.  Scripture is helpful and represents “words of God,”  not to be confused with The Word which is Christ himself.  Christ is not confined to  Scripture.  Nor does he live in buildings or rituals.  He dwells in us.  This concept is the basis of Fox’s secondary belief which relates to his view of the human condition.  Everyone possesses an inner ear, a potential to know and to obey Christ and to become a temple for him to dwell in.  Thus, Fox tells us to respond to “that of God” in everyone so that all may be drawn into the Light of Truth.

Every aspect of Quaker faith and practice can be traced to Fox’s original experience and message.  Christ has come to teach his people himself.  If we are prepared to listen, there will be a voice which speaks to our condition.  Whether we identify the voice as that of Christ or another source, our hearts may leap for joy.

First and foremost, Friends believe that there is that of God, or the Divine, or Truth, in each and every person.  Of almost equal significance is the expectation that the Divine can lead and guide us in our daily lives.  Most all of our testimonies, faith and practice stem from these core experiences.

Because Friends rely on continuing revelation, they don’t simply adopt the creeds of past generations. Instead, Quakers testify to the truths discerned through their own individual and collective experience of God's leading. So a testimony is not a belief; it is committed action arising out of Friends’ religious experience. These "testimonies" grew and changed over the centuries as Friends wrestled with their own leadings into truth, the changing culture around them, and fresh insights into scripture. Tonight, we focus on five core areas that continue to be central to Friends: Equality, Peace, Simplicity, Integrity and Community.  

1. Equality: Because there is that of God within each of us, we are all equal (thus the testimony of equality). 

Ursula Franklin wrote that “everyone is equal in the sight of God . . . everybody has the capacity to be the vessel of God’s word. There is nothing that age, experience, and status can do to prejudge where and how the Light will appear. This awareness – the religious equality of each and every one – is central to Friends.”

Where Quakers are mentioned in social histories of the United States, it is often in association with reform movements based on equality: abolition of slavery, women's rights, Indian affairs, prison reform, civil rights. It's not just "do-goodism." This work arises out of a deep response to that of God in others.

It is also informed by the biblical injunction, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The Golden Rule was the main reason cited by Germantown, PA Friends in 1688 when they published the first white North American protest against slavery.

John Woolman, a Quaker who lived from 1720-1772, spent much of his life arguing that slavery was wrong and that people should be paid for their work. Schools were set up by Friends to educate slave children so that they also might have the opportunity to develop their gifts.

The insistence on human equality as a spiritual gift continues to lead Friends into controversial territory, often in support of those marginalized by society. Quakers worked to save Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe. They were among the first publicly to call for de-criminalizing homosexuality.

Bayard Rustin, a Quaker, was responsible for organizing Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1963 March on Washington. He counseled King on the techniques of nonviolent resistance, and was a later advocate of gay and lesbian causes.

Since the 18th century, Quakers like Elizabeth Fry have played a role in prison reform. Today, the Alternatives to Violence Project, a Quaker initiative, teaches people in prisons and community settings to use nonviolent approaches for solving conflict in their lives.

The testimony of equality does not mean sameness: Each person is an individual and should have the opportunity to pursue her or his own gifts. Cultural and other differences among us weave a rich, diverse tapestry.

2. Peace: Because there is that of God in each of us, it is not acceptable to kill another (thus the peace testimony). 

Since the beginning, Friends have held that we should not participate in the wars of humans, or preparations for them. George Fox, the 17th century Quaker  leader, explained it this way:  “I [have] lived in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars.”

Quakers have historically refused to be soldiers, refused to pay taxes for war, refused to work making weapons, and in every other way sought to separate ourselves from war-making. At various times, Friends have suffered imprisonment, loss of income, and even death for their faithfulness to this testimony.

However, the peace testimony is not just about negatives. It requires us to live as peacemakers - with our families, with our neighbors, and with other people in the world. Over the centuries, Friends have been involved in a variety of efforts such as relief for war victims, promoting diplomacy among hostile nations, mediation, and training people in how to respond nonviolently in conflict situations.

That said, some Friends have served in the military, and in every US war effort from the Revolutionary war to Iraq and Afghanistan. Some felt that the leading to participate (in WW II, for instance) was stronger than the leading not to.

The positive contributions of Friends in the area of peace have often been recognized by the larger society. In 1947, the Nobel Peace Prize was given to the American Friends Service Committee and the British Friends Service Council (now known as Quaker Peace and Service). These Quaker organizations provide humanitarian relief in disaster and war zones, regardless of national allegiance.

Quaker Peace teams have worked to prevent bloodshed and mediate conflict in conflict zones like Iraq; Afghanistan; Kenya; Colombia, Rwanda; Burundi; and Indonesia. Friends have maintained the Quaker United Nations Office since 1948, serving as a recognized Quaker presence at the UN.

Here at Manasquan Friends Meeting, we maintain a public candlelight peace vigil on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. This event, and other efforts, states our commitment to peace and our opposition to war.

3. Simplicity: Because the guidance of the inner Light is central to our faith and practice, we limit the complexity of our lives in order to be able to hear its leadings (thus the testimony of simplicity). 

Early Friends believed that it was important to avoid fancy dress, speech and material possessions. They believed these things would distract them from waiting on guidance from Spirit. Fancy styles also showed distinctions of wealth, and set people apart from others. Also, material possessions also tend to cause a person to focus on the self, rather than on others, contradicting Jesus’ teaching to “love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Similarly, Early Friends kept to plainness of speech, believing that it avoided class distinctions, and was grounded in honesty and truth. Friends avoided using titles to flatter or show deference. They also objected to the use of names of some days and months in the English language because they referred to Roman or Norse gods, such as Mars (March), and Roman emperors (Julius – July). So Sunday was referred to as “First Day” – for the first day of the week. This tradition is still kept up by some.

Today, the vast majority of Quakers are all but indistinguishable from non-Quakers in terms of clothing style and dress, though many follow the testimony of simplicity. In modern terms, simplicity might mean a conscious effort to have fewer possessions, waste fewer resources, and have some consideration for one’s environmental footprint. Wherever possible, Friends make an effort to avoid the materialism rampant in society today.

4. Integrity: The Quaker testimony of Integrity asks us to aspire to personal wholeness, honesty and truthful living. Because we are seeking to lead our lives being guided by the inner aspect of the Divine, there is no separation between our secular or religious lives, in our dealings with each other or in our prayer life, in our speech, in small matters and in large (thus the testimony of integrity).

The essence of the testimony of integrity is placing God at the center of one’s life – choosing to follow the leading of the Spirit despite challenges and urges to do otherwise.

Integrity calls us to be truthful, honest, and fair. We must take responsibility for our actions and decisions. This truthfulness means that Quakers do not swear oaths, even in courtrooms, because the act of swearing to tell the truth in this context implies that it is all right not to tell the truth elsewhere. Instead, some Friends simply affirm – as Jesus told the Apostles, “let your yea be yea, and your nay be nay.”

Integrity means dealing honestly with others, whether in personal relationships or in business. It means not only telling the truth, but avoiding technicalities that might be misleading. Early Quakers developed a reputation as trustworthy traders because they traditionally set a fixed price for goods, rather than set a high price first and haggle over it.

5. Community: Finally, it is our experience that worshipping together enhances our access to the Spirit within.  That is why we gather to worship as a community, and not at home alone or just with our families.  It is our experience that something important happens in shared contemplation and prayer. This something radically improves our capacity to hear and discern the will of God in our lives.

As George Fox said: Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone; whereby in them you may be a blessing, and make the witness of God in them to bless you.

The testimonies of equality, peace, simplicity, integrity and community represent the effort of Quakers to put their faith into action.

Resources:
Faith and Practice: The Book of Discipline of the New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. (2001 edition)

http://www.quakerranter.org/2005/01/the_quaker_peace_testimony_liv/

Guilford College: http://www.guilford.edu/about_guilford/services_and_administration/friends_center/testimony.html

Equality:
http://bym-rsf.org/quakers/pubs/FaithNPractice/equality09.shtml#topic Baltimore Yearly Meeting

Peace testimony: http://www.quakerinfo.com/quak_pce.shtml “Friends (Quakers) and Peace”
by Bill Samuel; Originally published May 1, 1999

Simplicity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testimony_of_Simplicity

Dr. Richard Sartwell and Dr. Carole Spencer. The Testimony of Quaker Simplicity
http://www.scribd.com/doc/23899627/Testimony-of-Simplicity

Thomas Hamm. The Quakers in America.

The subject of tonight's Seeking the Spirit gathering is Quaker decision making.  You may have heard that Quakers will not take action on a matter unless there is 100% unanimous agreement, and that just one member can "stand in the way" and prevent a matter from moving forward.  While that may sometime seem to be the result, we need to approach it from the ground up to gain a better understanding.  The Quaker decision making process arises from the central tenet of Quakerism, that "there is that of God in each person," and that each person should turn to the small still voice of God within for guidance and wisdom.

In meeting for worship we come together, quiet ourselves, and sit in silent expectant prayerful meditation, waiting for divine guidance or inspiration.  Any person may perceive divine inspiration, and each equally bears the responsibility to share ministry that arises from that experience.  To Quakers, that small, still voice, which speaks so powerfully, is the authority more than anything else.

When Quakers meet to handle the business of the Meeting, and to decide other matters of importance, they follow that same principle.  They seek spiritual guidance in considering the matter at hand; they listen carefully to each person's heartfelt expression of the Spirit's leading; and they strive to arrive at a decision with which all Friends can unite, or at least a decision which does not conflict with the sincerely and strongly held feelings of any one Friend. 

Before we go into more detail on how the decision making process works, it might help to have a broader context for the process, so let’s take a look at the Quaker form of organization.  The basic unit of Quakerism is the monthly meeting, which would correspond to an individual Quaker "Church" like our meeting, the Manasquan Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.  It's called a monthly meeting because once a month the entire membership meets to conduct business, and this is called Meeting for Business.  This is the deciding body of the monthly meeting, and it involves all members.  The Meeting selects a clerk to preside at the business meeting, but the clerk has no official authority.  We will talk more on the clerk's role later.  In addition, standing committees do much of the work of the Meeting on areas within their scope, like the Buildings and Grounds Committee, Ministry and Counsel, Finance, etc.  Special committees are created for specific purposes, like an oversight committee created to oversee a wedding, or a clearness committee to handle a particular problem or concern of a Friend.   Each committee selects a clerk and follows the same process of seeking unity when making decisions.

Moving up from the monthly meeting we have the larger Quaker bodies, including the quarterly meeting and the yearly meeting.  Manasquan Monthly Meeting falls under New York Yearly Meeting.  Other yearly meetings in the Northeast include Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New England yearly meetings.   One of the things the yearly meetings do is draw up a Book of Discipline, sometimes called the “Faith and Practice,” to guide Quakers in their region.  Regarding the task of the quarterly meetings, the Faith and Practice of New York Yearly Meeting simply states that “two or more monthly meetings in the same area usually form a quarterly meeting in order to worship and counsel together and conduct business of common interest and concern.”  New York Yearly Meeting, Faith and Practice, 1998, pg. 91.

When quarterly or yearly meetings gather, the entire membership of all included monthly meetings are encouraged to attend.  The gathering includes seminars, committee meetings, social activities, and a general business meeting at which all Friends can participate.  The same form of decision making is followed here as in the monthly business meeting.

At this point I would like to note that in preparing this talk, I drew heavily on an important book by Michael J. Sheeran: Beyond Majority Rule: Voteless Decisions in the Religious Society of Friends, 1983. This extensive study of Quaker history and practice grew out of Sheeran’s doctoral dissertation on this topic for Princeton University. 

Sheeran notes that the organizational structure of quarterly and yearly meetings was set up by George Fox around 1668, after he got out of a 3 year prison stay.  “[T]heir procedure was to be according to the same decision rules as the local meetings and their decisions were always advisory.  But their very regularity and efficiency soon raised them to a predominant position."  Sheeran, p 21.  In addition, “authority was prudently attributed by Friends to the (regional) gatherings which were blessed with the presence of the largest number of ministers and elders.   Quarterly and especially yearly meeting decisions thus afforded far more respect than those of the local meeting.”  Sheeran, p. 33.

Now, back to the Quaker decision-making process:  One might ask: "How can an organization function if it expects to find unity in deciding every matter that arises before it?"  We will start with a statement which is familiar to Friends, probably because they had to be reminded of it from time to time:  Meeting for business is actually meeting for worship with a concern for business.  And Friends take this to heart. 

“[E]arly Friends understood the decision making dimensions of Quaker life as one moment in the entire religious experience of the community.  Today one is reminded forcefully of this fact by the five minutes or so of silent worship which begin and end every Quaker meeting for business.”  Sheeran, pg. 4.   The following extensive quotes from the Faith and Practice of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and London Yearly Meeting were used by Sheeran to explain the process:

“Meetings for the transaction of business are conducted in the same expectant waiting for the guidance of the Spirit as in the meeting for worship.  Periods of worship, especially at the beginning and end, lift hearts and minds out of self-centered desires into an openness to seek the common good under the leadership of the Spirit of Christ.  All matters are considered thoughtfully, with due respect to every point of view presented.  When a course of action receives the general, though not necessarily unanimous, approval of the group, the presiding clerk formulates the sense of the meeting and it is recorded in the minutes.  No vote is taken; there is no decision made by a majority who override opposition.  Action is taken only when the group can proceed in substantial unity.”  Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, Faith and Practice, 1972, pp. 17-18. 

A similar sentiment is expressed in London Yearly Meeting’s Christian Faith and Practice:

“We ought ever to be ready to give unhurried, weighty and truly sympathetic consideration to proposals brought forward from whatever part of the Meeting, believing that what is said rises from the depths of a Friend’s experience, and is sincerely offered for the guidance of the Meeting, and the forwarding of the work of the Church.

*   *  *
It is in the unity of common fellowship, we believe, that we shall most surely learn the will of God.  We cherish, therefore, the tradition which excludes voting from our meetings, and trust that clerks and Friends generally will observe the spirit of it, not permitting themselves to be influenced in their judgment either by mere numbers or by persistence.  The clerks should be content to wait upon God with the Meeting, as long as may be necessary for the emergence of a decision which clearly commends itself to the heart and mind of the Meeting as the right one.”  Sheeran, p. 47, citing London Yearly Meeting, Christian Faith and Practice, 1960, par. 353. 

            It is when everyone present at a meeting are seeking the will of the Spirit as reflected in the meeting as a whole that unity can be found even in the most difficult circumstances.  During discussions Friends are expected to speak their mind only once on a given topic, to express themselves gently, and not to engage in debate.   During difficult discussions, the clerk or another Friend will call for a period of silence, during which a deepening often occurs.   Through this deepening a new and spiritually inspired way may open for a course of action which may not have been anticipated by anyone.  These are among the most spiritually rewarding and unifying experiences in the Quaker faith.

At times a Friend who finds him or herself opposing a course of action may be content to state that they "disagree but do not wish to stand in the way," and the matter moves forward.   But if Friends strongly and in good faith disagree, generally no action will be taken.  As a result, the default position is that the status quo will be maintained until Friends can unite on a new course of action. 

It is the role of the clerk to guide the meeting through this process.  When the clerk senses that there has been sufficient discussion, the clerk will propose a minute that incorporates the sense of the meeting.  Friends will then indicate whether or not the minute is approved.  So while the clerk seeks to find the sense of the meeting, one might say that it is the Spirit that brings Friends to unity.

It might seem amazing that Friends process works as well as it does.  But maybe it’s not so surprising that when people put their own agendas aside, they can more easily move forward together.  As an illustration, you might imagine two people at an impasse butting heads; but if the two turn and face the same direction they can move forward together.  Nevertheless, over the years, the Quaker community has faced serious issues over which it could not find unity.  Schisms have divided and split Friends over such issues as programmed vs. unprogrammed forms of worship, Christ-centeredness vs. universalist beliefs, and other things.  But despite this, Friends continue to find the decision making process of finding unity to be a deeply rewarding and spiritually guided process. 

Convincement

Early Friends spoke of their coming to Quakerism as being convinced of the Truth. Convincement is a Quaker term for what is more widely in Christian tradition called a conversion.   Basically a convinced Friend is someone who came to Quakerism as an adult who did not grow up in a Quaker Tradition.

The process to Membership

It is suggested to also attend business meeting and committee meeting before you apply to get a better understanding of the meetinghouse as a whole.
You can attend as long as like or as long as it takes to become convinced.
I joined within 6 months of attending but some people attend for a few years. People who attend a meeting and  do not join are called Attenders. They can be as active as a member.
There is no rush and there is no pressure to join.
Once you make decision to join summit a letter of application to the clerk or a member.  The letter should state your reasons for why you want to join. Mine was 2 paragraphs long.

The Clearness Committee

The clerk brings the letter to meeting for business and shares it. Meeting for business will appoint or people will volunteer to join the Clearness Committee.  The Clearness committee will set up a time to meet with the applicant either at the applicant’s home or at the meetinghouse.  They may also give a copy of the New York Yearly Meeting Faith & Practices to read.

During the meeting with the clearness committee, they explain the responsibility of membership and ask reason for wanting to join, or why do you like Quakerism. It is open discussion and this also a good time to ask any questions about Quakerism. No one asked me what I believed.
 
The Clearness Committee will then report back to the next meeting for Business their recommendation on membership.   If they recommend membership the meeting for business will decide if they agree to membership or not.    If it is decided a person is not ready they will postpone membership.

This process of membership can take some time, for me it took a couple of months.

Once you are approved for membership at Manasquan your name is put on record and soon after on a 1st day (Sunday) after rise of meeting we have cake.

Meeting with 'Friends' rewarding experience
Thursday, March 10, 2011
I first visited a Quaker Meeting House as a college student.

The late Dr. William Schmidt took his St. Peter's College "American Religions" class over to the closest one to Hudson County at Gramercy Park in Manhattan. In its simplicity, it was quite different from any worship I have ever experienced.



The setting was stark and simple. No pictures, statues, or religious art anything like the churches - especially Holy Rosary in Jersey City with its panoply of colors - I knew.

There are no clergy so we sat for a long period of time in silence until someone was inspired to stand up and say something.
I didn't get it back then, but I since understand why they don't do what most Christian churches do. George Fox, their 17th century British founder, made a case "for the direct connection to God and believed the church stood in the way."

I learned this and much more at the Manasquan Meeting House of Friends, which is hosting a six part outreach titled, "Seeking the Spirit." Some 30 people gathered on a cold winter night including long-time members to reflect on Fox's persecuted life.
I was impressed with the care in which each participant was invited to first share how each was once moved by "someone who took a stand against something or someone powerful."

The gathered shared an array of stories, some very moving. While most of the crowd was middle-aged or older, there were two teen members who jolted the group with their exuberance.

All used first names and I sat near one of the younger members of this 50-member congregation, Shannon Kincaid, 32, who started to attend about one year ago. A former Catholic, she said, "She saw the church going backwards." So she stopped going and recalled her Georgian Court University religious studies treatment of Quakers so she decided to visit this meeting house.

"I like the silent worship and feel refreshed after," she added. Fox believed that "it is possible for all people to have direct, personal communion with the divine."

The Manasquan meeting is one of 32 in New Jersey, mostly in the southern part of the state with the other closest to Hudson County in Upper Montclair. They are also strong in social justice and led the movement to outlaw the death penalty in this state.

This Manasquan group stages a candle light vigil every Tuesday evening to end the war in Afghanistan. They stand - cold or warm - outside their hall, which is located on the busy Route 35 circle, surrounded by commercial establishments and a great place to give witness.

Quakers, formally the Society of Friends, got this nickname from the spirited way they would reply after their period of silent meditation. Their meeting places have benches arranged usually to face each other from the four walls. This setting is all beige and tan except for the light green seat cushions with four oil candles mounted on the walls. They have no crucifixes to indicate it is a Christian gathering.
But their witness to the truth and inclusion is powerful. Emily, who did not want to give her last name and the mother of one of the teens, recalled her childhood summer retreats at Cape May and some poetry verses that inspired her.

"He drew a circle, which shut me out. But love and I had wit to win. We drew a circle that took him in." That captures the heart of Christianity.