Tag: meeting for worship

Recently the Daily Quaker Message website shared an inspiring thought from the editors of The Quaker Quill, the student newspaper of the Friends School of Baltimore. It said:

“While there is that of God in every person, there is not that of God in every idea. Practices that dehumanize people do not have a place in our Quaker community. They have no light.

We can still stand against them. And in that, there’s hope. Many of us may also need time to process our grief and anger. We need to check in with ourselves, and ask: ‘When will I be ready to see the light in others? What level of confrontation with different views is healthy for my well-being and relationships?’

Those questions are challenging. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t attempt them—even if we don’t always feel like we have the right answers.”

The Daily Quaker concluded with this advice:

“See that of God in every person, but stand against ideas that have no light.”

Writer and editor Julie Odland wrote a great article titled “Being a Quaker is Right for Me” that was published last month in the Frederick News-Post.

Odland’s father was a Lutheran pastor, and she grew up in the Christian church. Although she liked those communities, she said she had “serious doubts about the creed.”

It was through grammar (she is a writer after all) that she became interested in Quakerism. Friends’ use of the terms thee, thou, and thy to express equality caught her attention.

She started attending meetings for worship regularly in 2002 in Pennsylvania. After she moved to Maryland in 2009, she became a member at the Frederick Friends Meeting.

Odland has a wonderful view of Quakerism.

She writes “the modern Religious Society of Friends embraces a wide range of spiritual beliefs. Membership does not require adherence to any particular doctrine… What unites us is a shared commitment to Quaker values and practices, rather than a fixed creed.”

She says that the unprogrammed meeting for worship “feels like the most sincere way to experience God. Each person is responsible to be present, listen and serve. The unstructured worship experience is rich and pure.”

In her article, she also writes about the SPICES testimonies and Friends’ reputation for activism.

You can find Odland’s full article here on the Frederick News-Post website.

Many religious groups have wrestled with the question of alcohol consumption. Quakers are no exception.

Certainly Friends do not support excessive drinking or drunkenness. 

And as the Temperance Movement gained adherents in the late 1800s, eventually leading to Prohibition in the US in 1920, many Quakers were against any alcohol consumption.  

Charles Elmer Hires was one of those Quakers.

Hires was introduced to a drink called “root tea” on his honeymoon. A friend suggested that “root beer” might be a more appealing name.

Initially, Hires, who was a pharmacist, sold a dry mixture from his store for his customers to make their own root beer.

But then Hires presented his drink at the 1876 U.S. Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. He called it “the temperance drink” and “the greatest health-giving beverage in the world.”

Sales took off and Hires opened a factory in Philadelphia. The rest is history.

Although Hires root beer is no longer sold, its place in history is secure.

Root beer by itself is a delicious drink – and a root beer float is one of the world’s tastiest treats.

Thanks Charles!

The William Penn Charter School was founded in Philadelphia in 1689 by William Penn. It is the oldest Quaker school in the world and the fifth oldest school of any kind in America. The school is still in operation today.

Penn set up his school to provide an education based on Quaker values. That legacy of basing the education on Friends’ values continues today in all Quaker schools.

Friends Academy in New York highlights these traits of Quaker education on their website:

“Students at Quaker schools explore curiosities, share ideas, and build upon their peers’ ideas.
Through thoughtful reflection, inquiry and a mutual respect for others’ views and experiences students gain a deeper understanding of each other and the course material.

“The curriculum at Quaker schools is largely inquiry-based.
Students are encouraged to wonder, investigate, ask questions, work collaboratively and seek out new ideas.

“Quaker schools help students connect the dots between what they learn and why it matters.
When students walk out the school doors each day, real-world learning helps them solve real-world problems and become an asset to their community as they move through each stage of life.

“Diversity in education is crucial to a Quaker school experience.
Students at Quaker schools are exposed to different ideas and ways of thinking, while also building respect for other people’s voices and opinions.”

In Georgia, the Friends School of Atlanta carries on those traditions of Quaker education.

FSA has been operating for 34 years. Located in Decatur, it was founded in 1991 by members of the Atlanta Friends Meeting. Currently it has 135 students in classes ranging from Pre K through the 8th grade.

The FSA website says:

“The school manifests Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship. Quaker values, based on the worth of each person, are reaffirmed in the school by listening and negotiating in the spirit of unity.

“As students incorporate the value of human respect into their lives, we believe they will take their wisdom and turn it toward social issues that extend beyond the immediate community to the world at large.”

Currently in the U.S. there are 76 Quaker schools in 21 states with approximately 20,000 students and 5,000 teachers.

In their October 16 episode, the Thee Quaker podcast told the story of Jason Palmer, a Quaker who ran against – and defeated – Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic primaries.

OK, Palmer only won one primary, the American Samoa primary on Super Tuesday. With a vote count of 51 to 40, Palmer got the six delegates that were up for grabs in the United States territory.

Palmer’s history, decision to run, platform, and future plans are an interesting story and the podcast episode does a great job of telling it.

He did not grow up as a Quaker. Palmer says “my father was a golfer and my mother was a Methodist.” But neither golfing or being a Methodist struck a chord with him.

A close childhood friend, David Kaiser, was a Quaker. Kaiser took Palmer to Quaker events and many unprogrammed meetings for worship. Quakerism spoke to Palmer and he joined the Religious Society of Friends.

While working to pay his way through college at the University of Virginia, Palmer became an entrepreneur. He continued that in his professional life after college. For years, his only foray into politics was to make campaign contributions.

But something changed when he watched the 2024 campaign. With input from some friends, he decided to run for President, because, as he said in the video announcing his candidacy, “America needs an upgrade”.

Palmer based his campaign on three main points: conscious capitalism, a way to turn capitalism into a driver for equity in society; the “new collar economy” where people can make a good living by getting certified in digital skills without a college degree; and modernizing government.

While there is no conflict with Quakerism in those three platform planks, Thee Quaker host Georgia Sparling asked Palmer if being Commander in Chief of the largest military in the world and an arms supplier to many countries would present a problem with his beliefs as a Friend.

Palmer supports the peace testimony and said he would work for peace in Palestine and Ukraine.

But he said, “you have to be realistic that when attacked you need a strong defense. But it should be always about defense, never about offensive warfare.”

The win in American Samoa was Palmer’s only primary victory and he ended his campaign for President soon after Super Tuesday.

He took the momentum that built up during the campaign to start a new organization called Together! which is working to try to get young “purple” candidates elected to Congress as well as getting a million young people registered to vote.

Palmer has not decided if he will run again in 2028. He said he’s going to wait two years and then make a decision. If he were to get elected, he would be following in the footsteps of Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon, two Quakers who were elected President.

You can listen to the Thee Quaker podcast on most podcast apps and on their website at quakerpodcast.com. Jason Palmer’s campaign website is still up at palmerforpresident.us, That site also has links to the Together! website.

Author Anita Bushell has written a beautiful article recently published in Friends Journal about spiritual optimism. In it, Bushell calls for her fellow Quakers not only to remain optimistic and faithful, but also to take action.

At a time when many people are concerned about the direction the United States is headed in, Bushell reflects on her family’s history in eastern Europe, living through violence, starvation, and the regimes of Stalin and Hitler. She recalls her early childhood growing up in the 1960s with all the upheaval that decade brought to the country.

What Bushell and her family had been through helped her appreciate that each new day presents an opportunity to overcome adversity and difficulties.  

“Every morning,” she writes, “I am reminded that another day has been gifted me.”

Taking advantage of that opportunity requires us to demonstrate the strength and courage of her ancestors, but it also requires more.

It requires action. Action that has an impact.

She notes that there is an almost endless list of actions we can take to make things better, and points out three examples — fighting climate change, supporting children in vulnerable communities, and increasing voter understanding and participation. This last one is what Bushell has chosen to focus on.

Bushell feels that these actions “reflect our inner light, guiding us towards a future filled with spiritual optimism.”

She concludes with this encouragement:

“Let us dwell then not in our dark moments, but in the reflection of candles lit with relentless optimism.”

Click here to read the full article, titled “A Moment of Darkness, a Decision Made in Light”, on Friends Journal. 

You can learn more about Anita at her website anitabushell.com.

Quaker Elizabeth Fry, born in 1780 in Norwich, England, is known as the “Angel of Prisons”.

Born into a prominent Quaker family, the Gurneys, she married Joseph Fry in 1800 and had eleven children.

When Fry visited Newgate Prison in 1813, the conditions she saw there horrified her. She started trying to help the very next day, bringing food and clothing for the prisoners.

She was so invested in her work, she even spent the night in some prisons and invited others to stay with her so that they could experience the conditions for themselves.

Fry funded a school in the prison for children who were imprisoned with their mothers. She also implemented a system where rules were proposed and then voted on by the prisoners.

She was instrumental in getting the 1823 Gaols Act in place which attempted to implement protections for female inmates.

Although the Gaols Act did not result in widespread improvements in prison conditions right away, it did have the immediate and significant result of having female inmates held separately from men.

In addition to her prison ministry, Fry also worked to help the homeless, and campaigned for abolition of slavery in European colonies.

After she died in 1845, Elizabeth Fry refuges were established in her honor. The refuges provided temporary shelter for women recently released from prison.

Quakers are still very active in prison reform today. The Friends Committee on National Legislation and Friends General Conference both have active programs. The FGC website says their goal is “Reforming the Modern Prison System With Quaker Values in Mind.”

Quakers generally believe that worship can – and should – take place anywhere and everywhere.

It isn’t unusual for meetings for worship to take place outdoors or in people’s homes.

But partly due to the growth of the Religous Society of Friends, and partly due to the discrimination Quakers often encountered in the early years, they started to create buildings specifically for holding meetings for worship.

From the beginning, Quaker meeting houses were simple and more closely resembled residential houses than churches or cathedrals. The architecture and construction of many meeting houses try to emphasize the Quaker testimonies of simplicity and community.

This quote from George Fox shows that he felt the buidings were not the priority:

“The Lord showed me, so that I did see clearly, that he did not dwell in these temples which men had commanded and set up, but in people’s hearts… his people were his temple, and he dwelt in them.”

The first meeting house specifically for Quaker worship was built in 1670 in Herftord, England. The Hertford Meeting House was actually visited by Fox, and amazingly is still in use today.

American Quakers weren’t too far behind. The Third Haven Meeting House was built in Maryland in 1682 and is the oldest Friends meeting house in America.

Today there are Quaker meeting houses worldwide – including in Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America, in addition to Europe and North America.