Who are we?
Quakers, as members of the Religious Society of Friends are known, recognise that there's something sacred and precious in every person. Different Quakers use different words to describe this - God, the light, the Christ within, goodness - but we believe we can find it in ourselves and in the world around.
How do we worship?
The Quaker movement grew out of Christianity and today we also find meaning and value in other faiths and traditions. At the centre of our life together is Meeting for Worship. This takes place mostly in a silence that allows us to still our minds. Here we listen and wait to experience God for ourselves without the help of priest, sacred text, or special liturgy. Anyone is free to speak, pray or read aloud if they feel strongly led to do so. In this quietness, we can become aware of a deep and powerful spirit of love and truth, beyond our ordinary day-to-day experiences.
Living out our convictions
This encounter with the divine or deeper self leads us back out into the world. We are practical mystics, believing that religion is about how you live in the world, cherishing the divine in the people you meet, and in the planet we all share. We call our values testimonies as they witness to this ‘answering to that of God in all life’ as Quakers traditionally call it. Peace, truthfulness, equality, simplicity, and concern for the environment are examples for us of the consequences of a cherishing of the divine in all creation.