Finding a Quaker Meeting

When my husband, daughter, and I moved to the Harrisonburg, Virginia, area, we knew that there were two Quaker meetings. When we got to Harrisonburg, however, our copy of Friends Journal with its directory of meetings was buried deeply in one of many boxes of books.

So we tried the phone book. We tried “F” for “Friends”; “Q” for “Quaker”; even “R” for “Religious Society.” Nothing. There was no listing in the yellow pages under “Churches.” No ad in the newspaper in the church section. One day, we got into conversation with a young Episcopal priest. When we mentioned to him that we were Quaker, he racked his brain and finally dredged up the name of a man that he was pretty sure was active in the local Quaker meeting.

The man’s name was in the phone book. When I called the number, a woman answered. When I mentioned Quakers, she assured me that I was calling the right number, told me when they worshiped, and gave me directions. We attended worship the next Sunday, and stayed for Business Meeting. One of the items discussed was how difficult it had been for us to find the meeting—and we were experienced Friends who knew what we were looking for!

A Friend told her the story of trying to find a worship group in Lake Erie Yearly Meeting a number of years ago. She had the address and the time, but when she drove there the address was a private home and she couldn’t see any indication of a gathering. Unsure of her information, she went away again; she returned several times before gathering the courage to ring the doorbell. Since then, the hosts have posted a sign on their door Sunday morning welcoming Friends for worship.

Can people who are looking for Quakers find your meeting? It may take some effort on your part, especially if your meeting doesn’t have a building. Having a listing in the local phone book, running regular ads in local newspapers, and having a web site are all good ways to make your meeting findable.

Mathilda Navias has attended meetings in Massachusetts, upstate New York, Indiana, Colorado, Virginia, and northwest Ohio, so she has a lot of experience in trying to find meetings. She currently attends Broadmead Meeting in Lake Erie Yearly Meeting, and is writing a Practical Handbook of Quaker Process.