Tower and Town, February 2022

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Clergy Letter: Why Am I A Quaker?

‘Quaker’ is the name given to a member of the Religious Society of Friends which was founded by George Fox in the late 17th century. Quakers split off from the established Protestant Church of England. It was a time of political and economic turbulence of the Civil Wars, George Fox worked out his belief system “The Lord taught me to be faithful in all things, to act faithfully in two ways viz. inwardly to God, and outwardly to man; and to keep to yea and nay in all things”.

This describes the essence of Quakerism. Firstly the connection between God and the individual human is direct. It is not mediated by any priest. Quakers live their beliefs: the love of God is mirrored in the love for ‘That of God in every man’, that is, for every human being, whoever they are. This leads into respect, honest dealings, kindliness and friendship and on the big scale, pacifism.

 I have good memories of Quaker junior school. It had a garden where we each had a small plot to grow flowers, the headmistress had a dog and a cat, Birch and Art and we learned their names in English, Irish and French. The lily pond held frogs which mated in Spring, we all watched. Uniform was voluntary and the school was co-educational. I can still remember the regular lunchtime inquiry, “Anybody want more soup?” The atmosphere was one of caring, everyone for each other, and there was a general feeling of happiness.

As many churches do, Quakers say ‘everyone welcome’. The difference is, Quakers accept people with a wide range of beliefs, or even none. Each person is encouraged to explore their own concept of God. Quakers have a solid structure and beliefs are written down in the book Quaker faith and practice. This book has been developing since 1738. Quakerism evolves by contemplation, listening and discussion . It says that “Truth cannot be confined within a creed”. Governance is by Yearly Meeting which reaches down to Area Meetings and finally, Local Meetings. There is a great breadth of Quaker activities locally, nationally and internationally.

Meeting for worship is the equivalent of a church service. It is a gathering of friends who sit in silence, seeking the presence of the spirit of God. It is a time of meditation, reflection and listening. Each person is supported by the gathered friends. Sometimes someone may feel moved to speak, this will be followed by silence as everyone thinks about what has been said. This ‘Spoken ministry’ is ‘Prompted by the Spirit’ it is not a debate or an impetuous exclamation. It may be followed by another communication, or the silence may prevail. The precise pattern will vary in different Meetings. Notices, and news of friends follow the silent hour and in relaxed times friends have a chat and a cup of tea or coffee to round off the meeting.

Marion McCullagh