To our visitors...
We invite you to Merion Friends Meeting and hope that you will feel free to join us in our Meeting for Worship.
The Religious Society of Friends came into being during the religious turmoil of 17th-century England. Its founder, George Fox, after long and lonely seeking for religious truth, discovered what is still at the heart of Quakerism: "There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition."
Although we as Friends (or Quakers) consider ourselves part of the wider Christian Church, we have no written creed or fixed statement of belief. Our faith is that God's loving guidance is as directly available to us today as it was to the Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles of Biblical times. Both as individuals and as Meetings we try to be open to the leadings of the Holy Spirit, to follow the paths of God according to the measure of Light given to each.
Friends in the Philadelphia area follow the traditional "unprogrammed" form of worship: we settle into silence, with no pastor, no music, no order of service. We gather, and wait together, seeking to feel the presence within of the Living Christ -- "the true Light that enlightens everyone." Anyone in the meeting may be inspired to share aloud a message, a prayer, a heartfelt concern. Sometimes no one will be led to speak -- but even a wholly silent meeting may leave us deeply moved and closely gathered.
Out of our beliefs and experiences come "concerns," and from our concerns testimonies: for reform of prisons and the criminal justice system; for minority and women's rights; for quality education for all children; for fair business practices and a just economy; for simplicity in life and conduct; above all for peace -- in the community, in the nation, in the world -- based not on political and military power, but in love and acceptance of our common heritage as God's children. For us, true religion expresses itself not in theology or creed, but in faith and practice, rooted in the shared experience of the Meeting for Worship.
The close of the Meeting for Worship is signaled when we turn to one another and shake hands, both to thank each other for joining in worship and to remind ourselves that the community we have felt there continues throughout the week.
We hope that you will feel drawn into the love and power of God when you visit. If you have comments or questions about Friends, about our beliefs and testimonies, and about the Meeting or the Meetinghouse, any one of us will gladly talk with you at the close of meeting for Worship.
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