About Us

We currently have about twelve to 15 people of all ages worshipping together.  We sit in a circle with a table of art and craft supplies and toys available for children who are welcome to stay through the service.

9:00am

When you attend our 9:00 a.m. worship service you will find much that you recognize – hymn singing, prayers, readings, pastoral messages for the young and for adults.  There is also a period of 15-20 minutes of what we call open worship.  During this time we try to let go of distractions within us and center in the divine Spirit we know is present.  If anyone feels moved to ministry by that Spirit they are encouraged to rise and speak.  Otherwise the time passes silently.  Some people take to this time of shared, quiet communion like ducks to water.  Others find it takes some practice to become comfortable with it.  It is the experience of Friends that silent communion with each other and with God opens us to the Spirit’s guidance.

Early morning Sundays during the summer months at the meetinghouse

This is an opportunity for an hour of what we call “unprogrammed worship”.  In other words, there is no set program of hymns, prayers, readings etc. and no pastoral leadership.  Friends meet to wait silently upon the Spirit and speak only if moved.

Fellowship time

We linger after worship each week for a time of fellowship and refreshments.

We have a few committees taking care of property, finances, and overseeing the wellbeing of the meeting community.

We have a healing group which meets on a week night at least once a month at a member’s home.

Over the past few years we have held Local Foods suppers at various times of year.  We also host film series and discussions on environmental, social justice and peace issues.  For several years we have supported the Kakamega Kenya AIDS Orphan Care Center which was started by and continues to be run by Quakers in Kenya with support from New England Quakers who have formed a support group “Friends of Kakamega”.  We give regular donations to the local food pantry and hot meals kitchen and several of our members have been involved in hands-on work in each place. We have taken the Gleaning project of one of our members under our care and look forward to working more with him this year.  We are also active in local interfaith activities through the Winthrop Area Ministerial Association and the Capital Area Multifaith Association.

In 2011 we hosted our first Interfaith Alternative Holiday Fair in which many local churches and non-profit organizations offered items for sale to support worthwhile causes at home and abroad.  They also offered opportunities to donate to causes in honor of a loved one as a way of both remembering them during the holidays and making a difference to someone in need.  We hope to make this a yearly event. 

On a quarterly basis we have a chance to spend the day with other Quakers from Maine and yearly there is a New England gathering for a week.

Winthrop Center Friends Church welcomes LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning) people into full fellowship in our religious community.

We have been sharing our building, since November 2011 with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.  We each hold services in our own traditions with occasional joint worship.  We maintain our own missions but also work together on common concerns.