Historically, for the first eighty-five years of Quaker history, there was no such thing as formal membership. In those days no one ever applied for membership, was accepted into membership, or resigned. George Fox, Margaret Fell, William Penn and their...
If Friends are true to their heritage and first love, we will be a radical (meaning: to get to the root of the matter) Christian body. Radical in adherence to principles of Truth. Radical in the desire to answer the...
I'd like to tell you about an experience I had in the Allen's Neck Meetingroom. The painting on the east wall shows the presence of an ethereal Christ hovering over a Friends' silent Worship. You could not paint my experience...
According to the Quaker method, decisions are reached not by voting nor gathering the majority opinion, but by gathering the"sense of the meeting." It was the experience of the early Friends that faithful following of the Light of Christ Within...
Was it 20 years of eating Quaker oatmeal? Was it the jaw-dropping assortment of pies at the clam bake? Or was it the Grace, when Peter said : "Drenched in the Spirit?" The penny dropped, and I went to the...
Love binds people together in friendship, And makes them care and do for others. Peace results because everyone feels The wants and needs of others and works together For a better world. Sharon Wypych 11/27/80...
That small picture of a Quaker Meeting in our Meetingroom, on the East wall - take a good look at it! A gathering of Quakers seeking God in the Light while in communion with one another. Men on one side...
Go to East Beach at Sunrise; Close to God Stand in a summer garden; Close to God Sit in the quiet at Meeting; Close to God Wake at night with your arm around your love; Close to God Be at...
The U.S. can and should choose a different path to human security. We in the U.S. have all the creativity, ingenuity, technology, and know-how today that are needed to end our dependence on oil and other fossl fuels. What we...
Rise up in me, oh, Lord, rise up in me and rise me up that I may stand with you, hand in hand, and go forth and do good works. Heather Heath Reed...
In the early 1930's I attended Allen's Neck Meeting Sunday School. My buddy was Franklin Allen. We were friends mostly because we both loved to build things. My father and grandfather saw to it that I had all the wood-working...
My wife, Diane, suggested that I write about the word, "Resolve". I was intrigued. This is a word of great strength. It is a voice of the determination of the strongest backbone: it can also be a word of great...
"Triangling" is a circumstance in which one person speaks to another about a third person in a negative way. It often creates closeness with one person at the sacrifice of the third person. To avoid this, try not to agree...
AMERICAN JEZEBEL: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson; the Woman who Defied the Puritans This biography by Eve LaPlante, a direct descendant of Hutchinson, was published in 2004. It is based on the historical records of the Great and General...
I was early convinced in my mind that true religion consisted in an inward life, wherein the heart does love and reverence the creator, and learns to exercise true justice;and justice not only toward all men, but also toward the...
In an effort to bring racial equality and stop violence during the 1960s, the National Council of Negro Women invited interracial, interfaith teams of northern women to participate in a project called "Wednesdays in Mississippi." Every Wednesday, teams of northern...
Last May, at my suggestion, the Peace and Social Concerns Committee invited a group of young people from Dorchester to visit this area, including worshipping with us on Sunday Morning. They are from the Codman Square Health Center located in...
There have been many transition periods in the history of the Christian Church. This is probably one of the most momentous of all the transition epochs through which the Church has passed. When the Church emerges from this period of...
I have been led to write this and ask it of all who will listen. This is a leading that has burned in me for a while and begs to be acted on more each day. I am led to...
George Fox cannot be understood apart from a recognition that the driving force of his life at this time was for complete integrity. With a passion that defied logic he demanded for himself and for others a life of holy...
Our actions help create the future...Every use of the sword multiplies future uses of the sword. Those that build their lives behind a sword-based defensive wall will stimulate in their neigh-bors and enemies symmetrical responses, as they equip themselves to...
Quakers have been practicing peace as a spiritual discipline since the 1650’s. Their well-worn path to peace begins in prayer and worship, leads to recognizing God in all people, includes practicing nonviolence, and endeavors to make love the guiding force...
In the movie, "Pulp Fiction" Uma Thurman questions John Travolta: "In a conversation are you listening or are you waiting for a chance to speak?" I am trying to do more of the former and less of the latter. Stan...
Allen’s Neck Meeting is in the process of searching for a pastor. In the meantime members of our fellowship are leading worship and giving the message. This has proven to be a wonderful way to learn of our Friends’ own...
This is Ann Mason’s definition of the Allen’s Neck Clambake. Clambake = People of all ages working together for a common goal. Not only to prepare an exceptional meal, cooked in an unusual way, but to get reacquainted with friends...
It is not too hard to visualize the story of Frederick on this crisp fall day, surrounded by brilliant reds and oranges of the autumn trees. Driving in this area before, I have noticed the stone walls here in Dartmouth...
Continue reading "Frederick, the Poet-Mouse" »
Some fifty years ago Rufus Jones said, “There is, it must be said in all frankness, no distinctly Quaker conception of God.” Although this may overstate the case, the fact is that Quakers are not given to speculation about God....
Hello Everybody, Now that we’ve had a welcome tea I am feeling officially settled. I am looking forward to the end of my classes at Andover Newton in December as I have been feeling a little over committed and have...
The season of Christmas Light is upon us. The abundance of colored, flashing and glittering lights serve as a good reminder to check on the light within us. The Yuletide frenzy of carrying out familiar and comforting traditions can obscure...