What Quakers Say There is something sacred in all people All people are equal before God Religion is about the whole of life In silence we discover a deeper sense of God’s presence True religion leads to a respect for the Earth, and all life upon it Each person is unique, precious, a child of God
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WHO ARE THE QUAKERS? “Quakers” started as a nickname - their real name is the Religious Society of Friends - but they are quite happy to be called either Friends or Quakers. Quakerism started in England in the 1650s, the time of the Commonwealth, when George Fox gathered groups of 'seekers' or dissidents together. They felt that the Churches over the centuries had led people right away from the real aims of Christianity, and got bogged down with traditions and ritual and power politics. Quakers were trying to lead a renewal - to see how they could live life more simply and truthfully, following Jesus' example more closely. The Society appears very different from any other Christian group, without the usual priests, services, creeds and church buildings. The Religious Society of Friends is a small group (about 20,000 in Britain) with a special view of what religion means, and of Christianity in particular. Anybody can attend the local Quaker Meeting for Worship. WHAT DO QUAKERS BELIEVE? Friends talk of 'seeking for truth'. It is based on the experience that there is a real and direct relationship between each person and God. Ultimately, though, all individuals have to find their own way to religious truth, being aware of God in their own lives, learning from the wisdom of the past as expressed in a variety of religious writings, and comparing their experiences with others in the Meeting. Because they feel there is 'something of God' in every one, Quakers aim to find that 'something' in all their dealings - with nice people and not-so-nice, with old and young, with black and white, with poor and rich, with men and women, gay and straight. They take this to be the meaning of 'love God and love one another'. They try to live a fairly simple life: not to get too involved with money, or possessions, or status, not to lose sight of what is really important. The most obvious way Christianity should be worked out is by caring for one another, and for the world in which we live. From the start, Quakers have felt strong concerns to improve social conditions and the environment: slaves, prisoners, mental patients, refugees, old people, and war casualties. Quakers say that if you follow the teaching and life of Jesus, you must rule out war and violence as a way of solving problems. So Friends have always worked for peace, refusing to contribute to war and military action. |
HEXHAM QUAKERS George Fox and the early Quaker “Publishers of Truth” passed through Hexham many times in the 1650’s, and in the years that followed. But, as far as we can tell from Quaker records a Meeting was not established in the town until 1999! Quakers have lived in Hexham for many, many years, but worshipped at Allendale, Coanwood, Winnowshill in Derwentside or Newcastle upon Tyne where Meetings were established several centuries ago. Now Hexham has a thriving, Meeting which meets each Sunday throughout the year. Friends in Hexham come from many walks of life. As part of their personal spiritual journey they have found the ways and beliefs of Quakers “speaks to their condition”. They find in Quaker Meeting for Worship a direct connection with God and with truth. They find in Quaker social action or in the Quaker witness for peace a focus for their concerns about how we treat other human beings, how we look after our planet and how we must work to remove the causes of war. There is a busy, lively and expanding Children’s Meeting. All-age worship is enjoyed several times each year. |
