Welcome and Resources

  
If you have never been to a Quaker meeting, you may find it rather unique.  We are part of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).  During the Covid-19 pandemic, we are meeting on Sundays at 10:00 AM on the Zoom meeting platform.  On the first and third week of each month, we gather in blended meetings that accommodate both virtual (Zoom) and in-person attendance at our meeting house.  Our worship services are generally pretty quiet, unless someone feels moved to briefly speak.  After an hour, we introduce ourselves and do an informal check in.  This is followed by a second hour with a variable program.  It generally follows this pattern:
 
1st Sunday of the month:  Virtual potluck – a kind of “show and tell”, where people share what they’ve been working on, be it arts, crafts, photography, poetry, or sometimes just friendly conversation.
2nd Sunday of the month:  Business meeting – actually, we have a longer name for this, “Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business”.  This expresses our desire to come to decisions from a position of unity as opposed to voting.  Our business meetings are open and visitors are welcome.
3rd and 5th Sundays of the month:  These second hour programs are topical and vary from month to month.  Again, they are open sessions; visitors are welcome.
4th Sunday of the month:  Peace and Social Justice Committee meeting:  another open meeting, this is a committee meeting that addresses social justice issues such as racism, economic equity, and the environment. 
 
Speaking of welcome, Tacoma Friends Meeting is welcoming and inclusive of diverse people. 
In short, friend, you are welcome at Tacoma Friends Meeting.
 
 
Resources for Information on Friends (Quakers) –
 
Please Note – some of the items below are links to online websites where you can find a wealth of information
 
Quick Takes On . . .  
Resources for Learning More
  • Quaker Speak – a long-running series of short videos on things Quaker
  • Quakerism 101 – an informal course on the history, theology, and practice of Quakerism; enrollment not necessary
 
Some recommended books
  • Pink Dandelion, The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2008)
  • Phillip Gulley, Living the Quaker Way (Convergent, 2013)
  • Howard Brinton and Margaret Hope Bacon, Friends for 350 Years: The History and Beliefs of Friends (Pendle Hill, 1965, 2002)
  • Geoffrey Hubbard, Quaker by Convincement (Penguin, 1974)
 
Quaker Meeting Websites  
Quakers in Action (or some such heading)