And when all my hopes in them and in all men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could tell what to do, then, Oh then, I heard a voice which said, ‘There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition,’ and when I heard it my heart did leap for joy. Then the Lord did let me see why there was none upon the earth that could speak to my condition, namely, that I might give him all the glory; for all are concluded under sin, and shut up in unbelief as I had been, that Jesus Christ might have the pre-eminence, who enlightens, and gives grace, and faith, and power. Thus, when God doth work who shall [hinder] it? And this I knew experimentally.
George Fox, 1647, via The New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM) [Book of Faith and Practice](https://neym.org/faith-and-practice/illustrative-experiences) (emphases mine, as they speak to me now)
It’s kinda boring and navel-gazey to spend a lot of time on exactly “what is this thing I’m interested in and why”, so I’m going to mostly try to avoid that, but at the same time at some point I’ll want to touch on things like the importance of experimental/experiential faith, so let’s get some basics out there.
I’m a [Member] (https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/2018-07-08_CMM_Minutes) of the Concord Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of the Friends of Truth (Quakers). By virtue of this membership I’m also a member of Dover Quarter (which isn’t particularly active), New England Yearly Meeting (which is more so, and whose annual sessions I plan to attend). NEYM is affiliated with (and a founding organization of, I think) both Friends United Meeting (FUM) and Friends General Conference (FGC). As are most Monthly Meetings in NEYM, Concord Meeting is a liberal unprogrammed Meeting, which is to say that we gather in silence for our worship (although we sing hymns before worship starts), unless someone is led to stand and speak an un-prepared message, and also while some people are Christian and use the language of Christ and the Bible, many aren’t and don’t.
There’s both a lot in the above paragraph, and also almost nothing relevant to people who aren’t already generally familiar with Quakers. Another thing I might say is that most Sundays I take my kids to worship and they have “First-Day School” which sometimes is stories from the Bible and often is stories about good people, plus a lot of exercises in centering and listening to yourself in the stillness, and some snacks and juice, and while they’re doing that, I sit with about 10-15 other people in silence for an hour, except that sometimes one of us gets up to speak. Since the pandemic, we’ve had participation via Zoom, which I appreciate.
Another thing I might say is that I’ve felt the presence of God. I’ve experienced the certainty of that presence. I’ve heard a divine message from other Quakers. I’ve given verbal ministry in my Meeting and experienced the truth that this was a divine message. Having experienced that divine presence, how could I do other than continue to attend and try to live into that Love.
None of those explanations are complete or sufficient, but they all capture something. As does George Fox (generally acknowledged as the founder of Quakerism)’s most famous quote about where the origin of Quakerism came from, quoted above.
(Fox would probably not have liked me or wanted to welcome me into his Society - he cared a lot more about the Bible and Christianity than I do. I’m OK with this, mostly.)