to North Branch Quaker Meeting a Religious Society of FRIENDS
We welcome you in the hope that you will find strength and peace in sharing worship.
“The Religious Society of Friends holds as the basis of its faith, the belief that God endows every human being with a measure of His own Divine Spirit. He leaves no one without witness, but gives the light of His truth and presence to people of all classes and races.” (Book of Discipline, 1927). If you are unfamiliar with Quaker worship, the following explanation may help:
Our meeting house and all of our arrangements are intended to express our faith in simplicity, democracy and reverence. The center of the life of the Religious Society of Friends is in its meeting for Worship. For this we come together without a clergyman or order of service, or music, or offering. Worshipers may sit where they wish.
In this aggregation of individual worshippers, a common mind may seem to appear which can express itself in some vocal ministry. We feel that worship does not consist of ritual or form. It is rather the conscious effort to know God, to understand His purposes, to bring ourselves into harmony with Him, and to translate this experience into practical expression in daily life.
We meet at the appointed time and sit in reverent silence. This waiting in holy expectancy is not an end in itself, but an opportunity to be used. If we would feel its power, we must put into it an eagerness to know God better, to feel His presence, to surrender our wills and to bring ourselves into a sense of oneness with Him.
The Meeting may last about an hour and its close is indicated by the shaking of hands of those on facing chairs. It is customary to linger for a time when Meeting is over and greet one another. To this important part of our religious fellowship we also welcome you.
Used with Permission of Gwynedd Friends Meeting © 1965
North Branch Quaker Meeting 