Tag: meeting for worship

Reflections for 9th Month, 2024

Quakers aren’t the only group with a history at Pendle Hill.

Perhaps the most famous, and certainly the most interesting, geographical location associated with Quakers is Pendle Hill, rising to an elevation of 1,827 feet just east of Lancashire, England.

In 1652, George Fox felt that God led him to climb Pendle Hill. There he had a vision of many souls being saved. 

He wrote:

“As we travelled, we came near a very great hill, called Pendle Hill, and I was moved of the Lord to go up to the top of it; which I did with difficulty, it was so very steep and high. When I was come to the top, I saw the sea bordering upon Lancashire. From the top of this hill the Lord let me see in what places he had a great people to be gathered.”

This vision inspired Fox, and he went to the town of Sedbergh and ended up preaching to more than 1,000 people. 

Although it hadn’t been named yet, the Religious Society of Friends had begun.

Pendle Hill is still a significant place for Quakers. Many groups hold pilgrimages there every year. The U.S. based Quaker Council on Education will be climbing it as part of their trip to England in June, 2025.

The Pendle Hill Area Quaker Meeting is an active meeting in the area. 

And the Pendle Hill conference and retreat center in Pennsylvania is named after Fox’s place of inspiration.

But Quakers aren’t the only group who have history with Pendle Hill.

In 1612, nine women and two men were put on trial as part of the Pendle witch trials. Ten of them were found guilty and hung.  

Almost fifty years later, in 1661, Richard Towneley and Henry Power conducted experiments with a barometer that proved what is now called Boyle’s Law, which relates pressure, volume, and temperature with regard to gasses.

And there’s a Bronze Age (3300 to 1200 BC) burial site near the top of the hill.

But perhaps the most creative story regarding the hill has to do with the Devil. There’s a local legend that says he was gathering rocks in an apron. (I was not aware that the Devil wore an apron.)

When he went to throw one of the rocks at a nearby castle, the apron string broke and the rocks he had gathered fell out to form Pendle Hill.

Maybe a pilgrimage is in order.

Reflections for 8th Month, 2024

Mary Fisher was a dedicated Quaker activist in the late 1600s.

In our Reflections last month we told the story of Ann Austin and Mary Fisher, who became the first Friends in the British North American colonies, the colonies that would be the beginnings of the United States of America.

It turns out the imprisonment Fisher endured with Austin in Boston was one of the least dramatic and harrowing aspects of her Quaker ministry.

Fisher was born in Yorkshire, England in 1623. She was working as a maid for the Tomlinson family and in 1651 heard George Fox speak to the family. She loved what Fox had to say and became a Quaker, joining the Quaker Valiant Sixty, a group of Quaker activists in the late 1600s.

Fisher was a dedicated activist.

Starting in 1652, she was imprisoned multiple times: for publicly rebuking a church vicar; for the pamphlet she wrote with four other Quakers titled “False Prophets and False Teachers Described”, which encouraged people to leave the church and turn to the Inner Light; and again in 1654 and 1655 for additional offenses against the church.

In 1653, as part of their opposition to organized religion, she and Elizabeth Williams criticized student theologians at Sidney Sussex College. For this they became the first Quakers to be publicly flogged for their ministry.

As we read last month, Fisher and Austin made their trip to the New World in 1656, and they both returned to England in 1657.

But her most amazing missionary trip took place the next year. Here’s how it is described in Wikipedia:

“In 1658 Fisher traveled in a group of six Quakers to the Mediterranean and to visit the Ottoman Empire to expound her Quaker faith to the Sultan Mehmed IV. When their ship reached Smyrna, she asked the English Consul there how to contact the Sultan. He told her this would be unwise, and tricked the party into boarding a ship bound for Venice.

“Realizing this when at sea, Fisher asked the captain to land her on the Morean coast of Greece. She then traveled alone on foot across Macedonia and Thrace until she reached the Sultan, who was encamped with his army at Adrianople. There she persuaded Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, the Grand Vizier, to arrange an audience for her with the Sultan, describing herself as an ambassador of ‘The Most High God’.

“According to her account, the Sultan received her ministry ‘testifying to the Universal Light’ attentively. She then declined his offer of an armed escort and made her way alone to Constantinople and then back to England.”

That’s dedication.

Fisher died in 1698 and her remains were buried at the Quaker burial ground in Charleston, South Carolina, where she had lived with her second husband John Crosse. When those burial grounds were removed in 1967, most of Fisher’s remains were then moved to Court House Square in Charleston.

Reflections for 7th Month, 2024

In Seventh Month of 1656 Ann Austin and Mary Fisher became the first Friends in the British North American colonies.

Today, there are an estimated 80,000 Friends in North America, with most being in the United States.

In 1656 the number of U.S. Friends was zero.

But in Seventh Month of that year, on the 11th to be precise, the Friends population rose to two as Ann Austin and Mary Fisher, two English Quakers, sailed from Barbados and landed in Boston, Massachusetts to become the first Friends in the British North American colonies.

Boston was a very Puritan city at that time, and Austin and Fisher’s arrival was met harshly.

Quakers in the 1600s were against church authority. They fought for equality between men and women and against slavery. These ideas were very radical for the time and did not go over well with the Puritan leaders.

The two Friends were arrested immediately after arriving in Boston.

Their prison cell was boarded up to isolate them, and possibly to try to starve them to death. A Boston innkeeper, Nicholas Upsall, was able to bribe the prison warden with five shillings a week so that he could deliver food to Austin and Fisher.

They ended up spending five weeks in jail. During this time, the women were able to share their new Quaker faith with Upsall and he became a Friend, becoming the first North American Puritan convert to Quakerism.

Austin and Fisher were deported back to Barbados and they returned to England in 1657.

Ann Austin continued her ministry until her death in 1665. Mary Fisher also continued to spread the word, and is one of the Valiant Sixty (a group of early Quaker activists and preachers). The accounts of her mission trip to the Ottoman Empire are truly remarkable, and will make a great subject for a future Reflections post.

Reflections for 6th Month, 2024

Margaret Fell was one of the founders of the Religious Society of Friends, and is sometimes called the “mother of Quakerism.”

Fell was born in 1614 in Lancashire. In 1632 she married Thomas Fell, a barrister, and Margaret became the lady of Swarthmoor Hall. This was a position of influence in English society and proved to be beneficial to the Quaker movement.

In 1652, George Fox visited Swarthmoor Hall. After listening to him, she and many of her household became converts to Fox’s new religion.

Swarthmoor Hall became a hub for Quaker activity. Fell was very active herself, handling correspondence, writing Quaker epistles, and managing funds for mission work.

Her position in English society was an advantage for Friends, who were often persecuted at that time for their beliefs. Swarthmoor Hall was a safe meeting place. And Fell was often asked to intercede on behalf of Friends who were arrested.

Fell herself was arrested in 1664 for failing to take an oath. She remained in prison until 1668. During this time she wrote many epistles, including “Women’s Speaking Justified”, which presented a scripture-based argument for women to be included in ministry, a highly controversial subject at that time. (This epistle can be read today at many websites.)

After her release, Fell married George Fox in 1669. He traveled extensively, but she spent most of her time at Swarthmoor. Fox died in 1691, but Fell continued to take an active part in the affairs of the Society.

Fell died in Fourth Month, 1702, and was buried in an unmarked grave in the Friends’ burial ground at Sunbrick.

Reflections for 3rd Month, 2024

At a recent Episcopal church service I attended, one of the Bible passages that was read during the service was from 1 Samuel (chapter 3, verses 1-10) where God was literally calling Samuel, verbally.

In his sermon a few minutes later the priest asked if we all thought God was still a real and active presence in our lives – just as he was in Samuel’s when he was calling him.

Do we hear the voice of God today? Do we see his wondrous works?

The priest answered his own question by saying that God does still speak to us and God still actively works in our lives but we are too busy to hear him and see what he does.

That sermon was in the middle of a service that included ten prayers, four readings, five individual ceremonies, and ten songs. We stood up when the service started, then we knelt, sat, stood, sat, stood, sat, stood, knelt, stood, knelt, stood, knelt, and then stood again as it ended.

We had to follow a 23 page service bulletin so that we could stand, sit, kneel, sing, and talk at the proper time. We repeated four phrases a total of 26 times – and that does not include the word “Amen”.

During a service that is specifically designed for people to strengthen their relationship with God, there was literally no time for us to listen to see if he was speaking to us, or for us to contemplate his works.

A lot of good things come out of traditional church services of all denominations. They can bring strength and comfort to the people who attend them.

But you do stay very busy while attending them.

The aspect of Quaker meetings for worship that most caught my attention was the simple idea of sitting in silence and listening to God.

We welcome you to meet with us every First Day to come and listen.

Reflections for 6th Month, 2023

QuakerSpeak estimates that there are about 400,000 (*) Friends around the world.

Africa has the most Friends of any region, with about 200,000. Kenya is the country with the most Quakers. The Friends General Council website notes that African meetings tend to be programmed, using prepared services and pastors.

The Americas, including North, Central, and South America have about 140,000 Quakers. There are about 80,000 in the United States and Canada. The United States population is second to Kenya for individual countries. According to one source, Friends in the US participate in about 1800 individual meetings.

There are an estimated 25,000 Friends in Europe and the Middle-East. The UK, where the Religious Society of Friends began in the 1600s, is sixth on the population list by country. Unprogrammed (silent) meetings are most common in Europe and in former colonies of Britain.

The Asia and West Pacific countries make up the rest of the world’s Quaker population, also with a total of approximately 25,000 Friends.

(*) The numbers for each area can vary slightly depending on the source.

Reflections for 1st Month, 2023

Thinking of famous Quakers, historical names tend to be the first ones that come to mind.

George Fox founded the Religious Society of Friends in the mid 1600s. Margaret Fell, John Woolman, William Penn, and Elias Hicks are familiar names to Friends that all lived prior to the 1900s.

While you’ll probably recognize the names of these more contemporary people, you may not know that they all are, or grew up as Quakers.

United States Presidents Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon, actors Judi Dench and James Dean, and musicians Bonnie Raitt, Joan Biaz, and Dave Matthews all had Quakerism play an important part of their lives.

Baez has said that the Friends peace testimony has been a strong influence on her music. About her Quaker upbringing, Dench said “I think it informs everything I do. I couldn’t be without it.”

And if you need one more famous Quaker, how about Cassius Coolidge, the man who created the iconic Dogs Playing Poker painting?

Reflections for 12th Month, 2022

This is the seventh in a series of Reflections posts about Quaker testimonies.

Elizabeth Freyman’s Walking Cheerfully is a delightful website (walkingcheerfully.com) that is designed and written to be shared with children, providing inspiration for First Day School programs.

Walking Cheerfully describes the Stewardship testimony as “the responsibility we have for the gifts we have been given.”

It goes on to say:

“What if the gift I am thinking of isn’t even mine, it is something I am sharing with others? I think the thing I love most about the testimony of Stewardship is that it leaves space for the possibility that we are not the owners of the gift that we are caring for, we might just be taking a turn with it.”

The Fort Meyers Quakers in Florida describe the testimony this way:

“To Friends, good stewardship means taking care of what has been given, not just for ourselves, but for the people around us and for future generations as well.”

As we try to be good stewards of the gifts we’ve been given, we can reflect on some of the queries the Fort Meyers Quakers ask:

  • Do we respect life and nature? As human beings, how do we act as caretakers of the Earth?
  • Do we think about what happens to the Earth and its creatures as a result of our own behavior? How can we help make the world a welcoming place for all the different animals and plants we share it with?
  • How can I be a better steward of our environment in my consumption and recycling habits? How can I help others care for the environment?

The Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s Faith and Practice sums up the testimony very well:

“All that we have, in ourselves and our possessions, are gifts from God, entrusted to us for our responsible use. From the beginning, it was through the wonders of nature that people saw God. How we treat the earth and its creatures is a basic part of our relationship with God.”

Reflections for 8th Month, 2022

This is the third in a series of Reflections posts about Quaker testimonies.

The Quaker Peace testimony has its roots in the 1600s when representatives of the Religious Society of Friends stated that they “utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings.” Ever since, Quakers have collectively opposed wars in many different ways.

But Quakers also look at the Peace testimony on a personal level. They realize that it’s difficult for groups to find peace if the people that make up those groups can’t find peace for themselves.

Here are a few excerpts from the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s general queries regarding the peace testimony as it applies to us as individuals:

– How do we help each other face conflicts with patience, forbearance and openness to healing?

– To what extent does our meeting ignore differences in order to avoid possible conflicts?

– Do I treat personal conflict as an opportunity for growth?

– How do I face my differences with others and reaffirm in action and attitude my love for those with whom I am in conflict?

It can seem daunting to try to achieve peace on an international level. But we can and should continue to work towards our own personal peace, and help others do the same.

Reflections for 7th Month, 2022

This is the second in a series of Reflections posts about Quaker testimonies.

In his book “A Quaker Book of Wisdom”, Robert Lawrence Smith wrote “If I were asked to define Quaker simplicity in a nutshell, I would say that it has little to do with how many things you own and everything to do with not letting your possessions own you.”

Smith also wrote, “Living simply is also not about finding a quiet corner where you can contemplate your life and feel good about yourself. Far from it. It’s about giving yourself the freedom to pursue that indestructible impulse to do good in the world, to go toward the best.”

Simplicity can also support other Quaker testimonies. A simpler life requires fewer resources, supporting the testimony of stewardship. Needing fewer resources makes those resources available to others, supporting equality. And with few distractions, our time and attention are available to help build community.

Even outside of the Quaker community, many people have been drawn to the practice of minimalism. Although some proponents of minimalism say it’s about limiting the number of possessions you own, others view it more like the Quaker approach to simplicity.

Minimalist Joshua Becker said, “Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value, and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.” Colin Wright tells us to “Get rid of the things in your life that don’t add value so you can focus on the things that do.”

A simpler life, with fewer possessions, fewer demands, and fewer distractions, brings into focus that “indestructible impulse” Smith wrote about, and can help us identify and pursue what it will take to make our lives and our society as good as they can be.