Quakerism 101
To begin, let me say that this page is under development. I will be adding information, links and references as I go. Please check back from time to time and see what's new. Dale Graves, site manager.
The essence of Quakerism is the belief that every person can communicate directly with God without any intermediary. Each of us can pray directly to God and each of us can experience the moving of God's Spirit within us. Although this concept is expressed by many Protestant denominations, Quakers tend to take it to its "extreme."
West Newton Friends Meeting is a pastoral, semi-programmed meeting. In some ways we have the same form of worship as other Protestant churches. We sing hymns, have vocal prayer, sometimes have a "childrens message," and have a sermon.
But we also set aside a time of "quiet waiting." During this time Friends sit quietly expecting that God's Spirit will visit us. When that happens, one or more attenders may feel led to share a message with the rest of the congregtion. Sometimes that sharing takes the form of a song or a prayer. Friends at West Newton place a high value on this time of shared worship.
When we meet monthly to take care of the business of the meeting we have an old phrase that says that we are "meeting for worship with an attention to business." Although we usually just say that we are "meeting for business" the underlying theme is still there. The meeting for business is an extension of worship and all decisions will be made under the guidance of God's Spirit.
In meeting for business, all words and actions are to be guided by the leading of God's Spirit. After Friends have discussed a topic, the clerk will attempt to "gather the sense of the meeting." When the clerk senses the direction, he or she will ask the meeting for approval. If there is still some disagreement, the discussion will continue until God's Spirit will move in a particular direction. Quakers do not believe that "majority wins," but that God had a direction for us and it us up to us to discern, together, that direction.
Please return to this page from time to time for more information about the Quaker faith and its practice. There will be discussion of the Quaker testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, and equality. I will also be adding some references to some good books you may be interested in reading.
I would also like to express my appreciation to the many other Quaker web sites I visited to get ideas for this site. If you would like to visit those other sites there is a very good listing and some other information at Quaker.org.