The test for membership should not be doctrinal agreement, nor adherence to certain testimonies, but evidence of sincere seeking and striving for Truth, together with an understanding of the lines along which Friends are seeking that Truth.

–Friends World Conference, 1952

And oh, how sweet and pleasant it is to the truly spiritual eye to see several sorts of believers, several forms of Christians in the school of Christ, every one learning their own lesson, performing their own peculiar service, and knowing, owning, and loving one another in their several places and different performances to their Master, to whom they are to give an account, and not to quarrel with one another about their different practices.

-Isaac Penington, 1659

Basis of Membership

For Friends in this Meeting, waiting in expectant silence for the sense of the Divine Presence has proved the most satisfactory way to worship. From this may come revelations of the love and guiding will of God, revelations inwardly experienced that may be shared in words with others present and may lead to expression in attitude and deed.

It has been found desirable, for mutual help and encouragement and for testing of insights, to organize into Monthly Meetings those who desire to join together in this way of worship.

Friends do not accept a creed as a test of membership because, to them, no creedal statements can be adequate in describing an infinite God.

Twin Cities Friends Meeting is a member of Northern Yearly Meeting which belongs to Friends General Conference. Friends General Conference is associated with Friends World Committee for Consultation. These associations of Friends offer various opportunities and responsibilities to those members of our meeting who are able to participate in their activities.

Becoming a Member

Membership involves a commitment by the individual to the Meeting and by the Meeting to the member. Usually attenders are accepted into membership after at least a year of active participation in the Meeting and they are comfortable with Friends, the meeting, and Friends’ practices and processes.

Clearness Committees and Ministry and Counsel Committee should not be reluctant to suggest that membership be postponed if there are aspects of the attender’s life which seem inconsistent with membership in Twin Cities Friends Meeting. The prospective members should be kindly but truthfully told the reasons for deferral and offered suggestions for resolving the reservations about her/his membership.

Expectation of Members in Twin Cities Friends Meeting

Committee work

The work of the Meeting is carried out by members and attenders voluntarily joining and working on committees. There are about fifteen standing committees, each of which oversees a part of the functioning of our Meeting community. Serving on a committee is both a way of supporting the work of the Meeting and a way of getting to know other members and attenders better. While sometimes it may seem that a particular committees work is trivial, all have an important part in the Meeting. For most committees a one-year commitment is asked; some, such as Ministry and Counsel Committee, have longer terms.

Meeting for Business

Attendance at Meetings for Worship and Meetings for Business is of vital importance. In these meetings our knowledge of the will of the Spirit is deepened and our strength to follow that will comes, both individually and collectively. The Meeting for Business is also where we make decisions that affect the course of the Meeting. Here we consider concerns which we feel are most important and the way the financial and human resources of the Meeting are used.

Financial Contribution

Financial contributions to the Meeting are another important responsibility of membership. While it may not be possible for all members to contribute large sums of money, each member is asked to consider carefully to what extent he/she is able to donate to the work of the Meeting.

Conduct as a Friend

Members are expected to conduct themselves in ways becoming of a Friend. This means striving to live simply, temperately, with high personal integrity, seeking to work for peace and social justice both in personal life and in the wider community of our nation and our world, and seeking to discern the leadings of the Spirit in our lives. To remind ourselves of these ideals, we publish a Query each month, both in the monthly newsletter and the weekly announcement sheet. Each of these Queries poses questions for us to consider for ourselves to help us clarify our relationship with the Spirit, each other, our community, and the world at large.

Membership Process

The following are the procedures for membership in Twin Cities Friends Meeting.

1. The prospective member should write a letter to the Ministry and Counsel Committee of TCFM, stating why the applicant feels drawn into membership and indicating his/her sympathy with the principles, testimonies and practices of Friends. The letter should indicate whether the person is currently a member of any other religious body. The letter may also include the names of members of TCFM that the applicant would like to have on his/her clearness committee.
2. The letter requesting membership is read at the next Meeting for Business and additional members of TCFM may offer to serve on the membership clearness committee at this point. Ministry and Counsel will select the committee.
3. Members with reservations about a membership request should approach Ministry and Counsel Committee to express their reservations. The raises reservations early in the clearness process where they can be brought up in the clearness committees rather than at the end of the process at meeting for business.
4. Ministry and Counsel will appoint a member of its committee as a coordinator to oversee the membership process, to provide liaison with the prospective members, and to answer any questions the applicant may have about the Meeting or Friends in general.
5. The coordinator will talk with the applicant about whether he/she wants to meet initially with just the coordinator or begin with a full clearness committee.
6. The coordinator will give the applicant a TCFM Membership Packet. The prospective members will be encouraged to read the Membership Packet, a book about Friends’ history and one on Friends’ Faith and Practices. If the applicant has not been a frequent attenders at Meetings for Business, the applicant will also be asked by the coordinator to attend several Meeting for Business before the recommendation for membership is made.
7. When the applicant feels ready, a clearness committee will be held. This is a clarifying process to discern the individual’s readiness, not simply a process of approving or disapproving a membership. It is a two-way discussion with the applicant and the committee. The process can sometimes take several meetings. It is customary for the applicant to leave before the other members so they can discuss the next step. The applicant and the clearness committee asked to wait for a week after the clearness committee meeting before reaching a decision about the appropriate next step.
8. When the clearness committee and the applicant reach clearness, the committee (through the coordinator) reports this to the Ministry and Counsel Committee. Ministry and Counsel makes a report and recommendation to Meeting for Business for action. If approved, a welcoming committee is then appointed by the Meeting for Business.
9. Following membership approval by Meeting for Business, the Recorder enters the new member’s name in the official meeting records.
10. After the individual is accepted into membership, the coordinator will continue to maintain periodic contact with the new member for a period of six months to a year, to support the transition to membership.

Queries for Prospective Members

The breadth and depth of these queries may create an overwhelming feeling for anyone reading them and intending to address them all at once. They should be considered more as a guideline for thought and self-examination and for on-going growth in the direction of Friends’ values. While these queries reflect traditional Friends’ values, Friends need to keep in mind that they are not a "doctrine", but rather are openended, with no true "right" answer for everyone. Thus they do not constitute an examination in order to somehow "quality" for membership in the Religious Society of Friends. Becoming a Quaker is a process, not usually a single event.

1. Meeting for Worship
   
   What is my experience in Meeting for Worship? Do I attend Meeting for Worship with heart and mind prepared for worship? How does Meeting for Worship affect my life, my relationship to others, and the world? Is silent Meeting for Worship the most appropriate way for me to join with others in opening myself to spiritual experience?
2. Ministry
   
   How do I seek to recognize and develop my spiritual gifts? In what ways do I prepare myself so that I am ready to minister to others when the need arises? Am I sensitive to the needs and insights of others? Do I come to Meeting for Worship clear of any pre- determination to speak or not to speak?
3. Meeting for Business
   
   Do I approach Meeting for Business as a spiritual practice? Do I note my own reactions and seek to understand them before speaking? Do I try to rest in a spirit of love and understanding, seeking a right course of action through a patient search for unity with the Spirit? Do I recognize that this search may require me to accept with good grace a decision of the Meeting with which I am not entirely in agreement?
4. Care for One Another
   
   How do I contribute to the spirit of community among Meeting members? Am I mindful of my responsibility to face differences honestly? Do I treat with respect and considerateness those who differ from me? Am I careful for the reputation of others?
5. Religious Education
   
   Do I nurture my inner life by regularly reading and studying spiritual literature? Am I familiar with the teachings that form the foundation of Quaker traditions (such as the Bible and the records of the lives and experiences of early Friends)? Is my home a place where children will learn, and absorb by example, what it means to live a Quaker life?
6. Education
   
   Do I work for the implementation of Friends’ values in our educational system? How do I show concern for the improvement of public education in my community? Am I aware of what Friends’ schools are doing?
7. Outreach
   
   What am I doing to make others aware of Friends’ principles? Does my manner of life as a Friend attract others to our Religious Society? Do I greet and engage newcomers to the meeting?
8. Social Order
   
   How am I helping to develop a social, economic and political system which will so function as to sustain and enrich life for all? To what extent do I feel personal responsibility for aiding those outside the Meeting who are in need of help? In all my relations with others, do I treat them as brothers and sisters and equals?
9. Human Rights
   
   Do I endeavor to cleanse myself of racial prejudice, and firmly but lovingly oppose it in my home, among my friends and acquaintances, and in business? Am I open to personal friendships with individual members of races other than my own? Do I seek to understand members of a diversity of groups, such as people with disabilities, gay men, lesbian women, elderly people, young people, people from other countries, and others, and am I open to friendships with them? Do I actively support equal opportunities for all persons in business, educational and social organizations with which I come in contact?
10. The Environment
    
    What am I doing to conserve natural resources for the welfare of future generations? Do I practice and encourage thoughtful family planning? What am I doing to assure adequate food, shelter, education, and love for all people?
11. Peace and Nonviolence
    
    In what ways do I work for the establishment of peaceful means of settling differences: internationally, nationally, locally, and personally? Do I seek to "live in the virtue of that life and power that takes away the occasion for all wars?" Do I strive to free myself from inward as well as outward violence-in my family, in my occupation, and in all my relations with others? Do I work to maintain our testimony against military training, preparation for war, and participation in war as inconsistent with the Spirit of Divine love?
12. Interfaith Cooperation
    
    Do I seek to understand and appreciate other religious faiths and do I cooperate with them as way opens? Do I seek to recognize and respect the inner light in those with whom I have basic differences?
13. Friends Life in the Home
    
    Is my family life consistent with my beliefs? Is my home a place where friends are welcomed and where all members of the family, young and old, receive affection and understanding? Do I encourage my children to share in the activities of the home, the school, the Meeting and the community? Do I choose recreations which will strengthen the physical, mental, and spiritual life of myself and my family, and do I avoid those that may be a hindrance to me and to others? As a parent, do I set an example of good taste and discrimination in reading and in the use of such means of communication as radio and television?
14. Simplicity
    
    Do I try to maintain simplicity and moderation in my speech, my manner of living, and daily work? How do I balance my commitments to my daily work with my responsibilities to the Meeting? Am I careful to keep promises, prompt in the payment of debts, and just and honorable in all my dealings?
15. Self-discipline
    
    Am I temperate in eating and drinking? Am I alert to the dangers involved in the use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs? In all my relations with those who have problems with alcohol or tobacco, or drugs, am I careful to be guided by compassion for the individual rather than by a rigidly moralistic attitude? Do I take responsibility for my sexual behavior? In my sexual relationships to I put into practice simplicity, truthfulness, and genuine care for the well being of myself and others?

Associate Membership

When a child is born to or adopted by a couple or by a single parent who are members of Twin Cities Friends Meeting, the parents are asked whether they would like to request that their child be recorded as an associate member of the Meeting. Parents who would like their children to be associate members of the Meeting are asked to request this of the Committee on Ministry and Counsel.

An adult who joins the Meeting will be asked whether he/she wishes to request associate membership for any minor children. If only one parent joins TCFM that person is asked, where appropriate, to confer with the child’s other parent, in the hope that both parents will agree concerning the associate membership of any child in TCFM.

An adult, such as a grandparent, who joins the Meeting may request associate membership for a child of whom he/she is not legal guardian but nonetheless plays a significant role in the child’s life and spiritual growth. Support for the request from the child’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) should be demonstrated. Such a request will be taken up by the prospective adult member’s clearness committee. When such a request comes from someone who is already a member, M&C will create a clearness committee to review the request with the member

When an associate member reaches the age of 18, if no formal application for membership has been made, the Committee on Ministry and Counsel will inquire whether he/she wants to go through the process of clarifying and defining his/her relationship to the Meeting. Thus, associate members of 18 or over will be asked whether they wish individual member status or to continue as associate members. An associate member who wants to become a full member will go through the regular membership process. If the individual wishes to continue as an associate member, the committee on Ministry and Counsel will periodically inquire as to whether he/she wishes to continue this status.

New Member Welcoming

In welcoming them to TCFM, new members will be offered the following:

• A copy of Faith & Practice (or other appropriate publication/subscription — example a one-year subscription to Friends Journal).
• A celebratory event.
• Suggestion that the new Friend consider sharing his/her spiritual journey.
• Photo in the Friends newsletter with biographical sketch.

(None of these would be mandatory, but our desire is that each new Friend is offered this menu of choices.)

Ending Membership

Membership in Twin Cities Friends Meeting can end in the following ways:

1. When the Meeting approves a request for transfer to another religious body or another Monthly Meeting.
2. At the discretion of the Meeting when in spite of attempts by the Meeting to make contact, no communication has been had with a nonresident or inactive members for a period of years.
3. When in the judgment of the Meeting further affiliation of a member is hurtful to the spiritual life of the Meeting. Such disciplinary disownment is a most grave step and shall be taken only after prolonged prayer and loving attempts to remedy the situation.
4. On receipt and acceptance by the meeting for business of a letter of resignation by a member.
5. Upon the death of a member.

Transfer of Membership

Transferring membership from one meeting to another within the Religious Society of Friends usually happens a year or so after the member has begun attending a new meeting. Ties with the old meeting are presumed to have been important. Also fate often returns us, within a year, to places we thought we were leaving for years to come. Further, Friends’ Meetings are so different, one from another, that it is unwise to assume that a new meeting will feel like home, based on first impressions.

The formal transfer of a membership is fairly simple, as it assumes the spiritual and emotional work of relocation has already occurred. The member writes his or her old meeting, requesting a transfer of membership to the new meeting. The old meeting has the responsibility of examining this request and considering whether the member has unfinished business within the meeting that needs to be taken care of before the meeting can properly declare that it sees "no impediments to the transfer of this membership." Impediments are major issues, like an abandoned spouse or child, or a large unpaid debt. If the old meeting finds no impediment to transfer, it sends a letter or certificate of transfer to the new meeting. The new meeting accepts the transfer pretty much without question, relying on the member’s first-hand account of her or himself, and trusting the old meeting to have done its work properly. On occasion, Twin Cities Friends Meeting has received letters of transfer for persons who are not known to the clerk or members of Ministry and Counsel. Lacking first-hand knowledge of the prospective members, we have held back the letter from being read at Meeting for Business until we could develop a relationship with the person, or discover that the letter of transfer has been sent to the wrong meeting.

Transfer members are welcomed into Monthly Meeting in the same manner as other new members.

The nature of their purpose and quest as Friends binds members of a Meeting and of the whole Society into an intimate fellowship whose unity is not threatened by the diversity of leadings and experiences which may come to individual Friends. To share in the experience of the Presence in corporate worship, to strive, conscious that other Friends are also striving, to let the Divine Will guide one’s life, to live in a sense of the unfailing Love reaching out to the stumbling followers of Christ is to participate in a spiritual adventure in which Friends come to know one another and to respect one another at a level where superficial differences of age, sex, of wealth or position, of education or vocation, of race or nation are all irrelevant. Within the sort of fellowship, as in a family, griefs and joys, fears and hopes, failures and accomplishments are naturally shared, even as individuality and independence are scrupulously respected.

–New England Yearly Meeting, 1966

DEARLY BELOVED FRIENDS, these things we do not lay upon you as a rule or form to walk by, but that all with the measurre of light which is pure and holy may be guided, and so in the light walking and abiding these may be fulfilled in the Spirit, —not from the letter, for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.

-postscript to an epistle from the Meeting of Elders at Balby, 1656

Document history:

• Working draft developed by Bob Schmitt and Richard Fuller
• 2.7.92 discussed and some wording changes approved at meeting for business
• 1.26.93 Additional editing and revisions from M&C review by Jim Flory
• 4.10.93 Approved by Ministry and Counsel
• 9.14.2006 Modifications (re: Associate Membership & Welcomings) approved by Ministry and Counsel, based on MWB approved changes

Membership, part 2

The Meeting for Worship has been referred to as “the pearl of Quakerdom”. The Committee on Ministry and Counsel hopes to enrich our Meetings for Worship by reviewing with Friends some of the qualities of a good Meeting.

There are two aspects of our Meetings for Worship

The first is the silence of group worship, in which we gather in the Presence of the Spirit to hear, inwardly, the ministry of God to us individually and as a group. A Meeting in which this Presence is sensed strongly is called a “covered or gathered. Meeting. In such a Meeting, we are led to listen most of the time in silence to the ministry of the Inward Light, since this silence may say more to us than any spoken ministry.

The second aspect of Meeting is the spoken ministry, in which the Spirit of God moves one or more particular individuals to speak a message of ministry to the whole Meeting. Many Friends have described the true leading to speak as a strong impulse which makes them so uncomfortable that they are unable to keep their seats but feel that they must speak. John Woolman described it as “that rise which prepares the creature to stand like a trumpet, through which the Lord speaks to his flock”. It is rare that the Spirit moves any individual, even a very experienced friend, to speak every week. Almost never is one truly led to minister twice during one Meeting for Worship. All Friends are urged to “Learn to wait for the guidance of the Spirit to show them when and how their message should be uttered.”

If you feel a leading to speak in Meeting

Ministry and Counsel suggests that you hold that leading up to the Light with these considerations in mind:

• Does the Spirit require that I stand and deliver my message, or can I comfortably sit quietly and not speak?
• Is my message a religious or spiritual one: a message of worship?
• Is the message I want to share intended to be given in ministry to others, or is it a leading meant for me alone?
• Is what I have to say part of our shared worship or is it just speaking of my own feelings?
• Is what I say short and to the point?
• Am I speaking my message before the Meeting has had ample time to reflect on the last message, keeping in mind that considerable silence between messages deepens the ministry of the Meeting?

These guidelines are not intended to inhibit those who feel truly led to speak, but to caution all of us against using the Meeting for Worship as a place where we can unload purely individual thoughts or frustrations. Friends should keep in mind that some insights and concerns are best shared outside the Meeting for Worship. Ministry and Counsel hopes these suggestions will make our meetings more truly worship-filled for all of us.

Annotated Bibliography of Books on Quakerism

The Journal of John Woolman

John Woolman lived and traveled in the American Colonies in the decades prior to their independence from England. His journal is a detailed account of the travels and ministry of one of the best known Quaker figures, written in of matter-of-fact style that endears Woolman to the reader. His plainness of speech thinly masks the passion with which he approached life and Spirit. John Woolman had the gift of being able to erase his ego in his search for Cod’ direction, and he was so open to divine love that he was able to speak with utter compassion to people about even such volatile issues as Friends’ keeping of slaves. The Journal is an interesting view not only of John Woolman, but of the language, practices, and interrelationships of Quakers of his day.

Penn

by Elizabeth Janet Gray ( Elizabeth Gray Vining) This book is a gripping, clearly written tracing of the journey of William Penn– from his birth in 1644 as the son of a famous admiral, through his convincement as a Quaker, his sacrifices as a champion of the oppressed, his establishment of Pennsylvania, to his final days in England –against the background of stormy seventeenth century religious and political conflict. In England, Penn’s resistance established once and for all the right of trial by jury. In America, his treaty of peace and friendship with the Indians remained unbroken until after his death. His colony’s constitution, with its guarantees of civil liberties, served as a model for the Constitution of the United States.

Quakerism– A Faith to Live

by Elfrida Ylpont ( 1965) This book consists of sixteen short biographical sketches of prominent Quakers starting with George Fox and ending with Amy Lewis who died in 1951. It deals mostly with the British Friends; Lucretia Mott and Rufus Jones are the only Americans described. The first half of the book records early Quakers who were personally influenced by George Fox, many of them incredibly strong people who became martyrs for their beliefs. The books is easy reading.

The Story of Quakerism Through Three Centuries

by Elfrida Vlpont ( 1977 edition) This rather detailed chronicle of the development of Quakerism begins with the seeking of George Fax and finishes with the condition of the Society of Friends in the 1970’s. Although dense with information, it is not difficult to read, and has enough personal details about the many people mentioned to make them seem real and worth learning about. This book deals not only with Quaker beginnings, but with all aspects of the modern Quaker movement, including the development of Quaker schools, the service organizations cod the winning of the Nobel Peace Prize. It deals with the diversity of modern Quakers and the concerns for renewal of the Quaker message in the world today.

The Quiet Rebels

by Margaret Bacon This is an extremely readable account of the development of Quakerism and the piece of Quakerism in the cultural life of America today. The first part deals with the British beginnings, tracing the growth of the movement to the American colonies in a way that ties together the historical names and events that may be already somewhat familiar to the casual student of Quakerism. The final sections on “Quakers in the World” and “ American Quakers Today” provide a perspective that is valuable. Even my daughter enjoyed Margaret Bacon’s style and highly recommends this book.

Beyond Majority Rule

by Michael Sheeran This book is a study, by a Roman Catholic priest, of the way Meeting for Business functions in the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends. Sheeran starts by reviewing some of the history of the Meeting for Business and the way Friends do business. He comments on the development from an extremely individualized, almost anarchic system to one which tries to balance central authority with the autonomy of individual Monthly Meetings.

Most of the book is devoted to a description of Meeting for Business process and procedures. Sheeran discusses what normally happens in consensus decision-making, including some of the pitfalls, and how Meetings handle it when consensus is difficult to reach. His discussion of the roles of the Clerk, the Recording Clerk, and all participants in the Meeting for Business IS well thought-through and quite insightful.

While not everything Sheeran says seems to apply to Twin Cities Meeting, his introduction to Quaker consensus-building and decision-making in the Light makes worthwhile reading both for those unfamiliar with the process and for long-time participants in Meeting for Worship with attention to Business.

Quaker Journals: varieties of Religious experience Among Friends

by Howard Brinton ( 1972) In this collective approach, similar to that of William James’ Varieties of Religious Experience, Brinton provides the first comprehensive approach to Quaker journals, which he believes to be the most characteristic form of Quaker writing. He explores the spiritual autobiographies of 350 Friends, taken from his personal library.

Brinton maintains a fine balance between quotes and commentary as he collects for the reader these experiences of ordinary persons: farmers, housewives, merchants, shoemakers, doctors, and others, educated and uneducated. Almost all of them were travelling ministers. He provides a clear picture of 1 7th and 1 8th century writings, which follow similar, consistent patterns. He points out various stages of spiritual progress which each journalist believes s/he has passed through.

These writings contain little material about the writers’ families and undertakings not directly related to their inner lives. Some 1 9th and 20th century writers are also included, as well as an extensive bibliography.

Friends for 300 Years

by Howard Brinton More than a history of the Religious Society of Friends, this book seeks to analyze the religious character and development of the Quaker movement over the centuries. The book tries to examine man’s religious nature and the nature of mysticism as it applies to the developing Quaker religious practices. Brinton presents Quaker thought and practices in the context of the individual’s spiritual search and the individual’s relationship to the Meeting community and to the world Brinton was member of an old Quaker family, taught at Earlham, Guilford and Haverford colleges, and was, with his wife, a co- director of Pendle Hill.

Quakerism: A Study Guide on the Religious Society of Friends

by Leonard Kenworthy This 215 peace book lives up to its title admirably, and can serve as a study guide both for individuals and groups. The book is divided into three parts. The first section deals with the history of Quakerism, with a chapter devoted to each of four centuries, the 1 7th, 18th, 19th and 20th. In the middle section, subtitled “Some distinctive features of Quakerism”, Kenworthy gives lucid descriptions of the Meeting for Worship, the Meeting for Business, the Queries, Advices and State of the Society Reports, Quaker Testimonies and Concerns, and the unique role of women. This section will be especially helpful to those new to Friends Meetings. The final section entitled “Some Other Aspects of Quakerism” has a more detailed coverage of Friends organizations, a helpful treatment of Pastoral Friends Meetings and how they developed their present status, discussion of Friends around the world, a particularly useful enumeration of 10 plus characteristics of vital Meetings, and a final chapter on “Quakerism….Today and Tomorrow.”

Published in 1981, it is an up-to-date compendium of information about the history of Friends as well as thought provoking insights regarding modern Friends and their organizations. Throughout the book there are sketches of prominent Quakers. At the end of each chapter there are study questions and bibliographic references. Although some of the study questions seem a bit stilted, the references are extensive and very helpful.

Friends’ Beliefs

Early Friends were well versed in the Bible and were trying to return to a primitive uncorrupted Christianity. They interpreted the scriptures under the guidance of the Inner Light rather than relying on ecclesiastical authority. Since they believed that the source of the scriptures and their Inner Light was identical; right understanding would dissolve apparent contradictions between the two. Jesus, for them, was both a historical figure and a spiritual presence in their lives.

It is a shared experience of transcendence in worship that unites modern Friends more than a common belief system. Out of this experience grows an approach to life and a shared commitment. This is confusing to many who ask what Friends believe and find a wide variety of answers. Within our Meeting you will find people who express their understanding of this spiritual experience in Christian terms, the language of the mystics, terms borrowed from Eastern religions, the concepts of religious humanism, or a combination of these or other frameworks.

However, most members agree that there is within each person a spark of the transcendent; a center which is a source of guidance and insight. Various Friends speak of this as the Inner Light, the Light of Christ, that of God in each person, Divine leading, the true Self, or the Holly Spirit. It is our experience that in individual and corporate silent worship grows a clearer and stronger awareness of this Presence. We believe that the insight which comes to us needs to be tested against other sources of truth – such as scriptures, the traditional testimonies of Friends, the collective leading of the worshiping community, and even secular sources of truth. Understanding ourselves as seekers who have found some measure of truth helps to keep us from both doctrinal arrogance on the one hand and a total relativism that may prevent commitment and action on the other.

From this core belief one can begin to understand Friends’ traditional beliefs: the belief in continuing revelation, the belief that each person must be treated with respect, the belief in equality, and the belief that it is best to avoid creedal statements. Friends believe that it is important to live, speak, and worship simply and truthfully even if this brings us into conflict with the surrounding society. Yet even when in conflict Friends have tried to call forth and respond to “that of God “ in their opponents. In trying to attend to the Inner Light, Friends have come to believe that they should avoid participation in war and instead work for peace by trying to remove the root causes of war and domestic conflict.

Structure and Organization

Many of us share with the founders of the Society of Friends a wariness of religious bureaucracy. The vitality and spontaneous life of the spirit often seems restricted by the tendency of bureaucratic structures to reduce flexibility and narrow our vision. Over the years Friends have tried to develop spiritually centered ways of coordinating and carrying out our activities. These approaches try to put in practice the testimonies of continuing revelation, simplicity, equality, honesty, and non-coercive concern for each person. Yet there always remains a tension between conserving the wisdom of past practice and remaining open to new Light.

Meeting for Worship

Our Meeting for Worship is unprogrammed. There are no set creeds, hymns, prayers, and no leader or priest. The Meeting is based on silence, and in expectant, silence we invite “that of God” in ourselves, or “the Light within” to touch us and guide us. As individuals and as a fellowship we “center down” into our deepest selves. We believe that God speaks and lives in this deepest, best part of our selves, and when individuals touch the place of light within them, they also enter into communion with each other.

We invite the Spirit to enter our daily lives, and bring us closer into conformity with the Light. If this silence seems strange to you at first, relax and try to put down your ordinary, daily load of thoughts and worries and be quiet, knowing you are in the presence of God. Don’t strain, but try to be quiet in mind and body, and attentive to the Still Small Voice of the Spirit.

From this expectant silence someone may rise to speak of a moral concern or spiritual insight. We believe that the finest messages are inspired by the sources of Light within us, but we also realize that an individual’s own experiences, needs, feelings, and even inadequacies may help shape the message.

The privilege of speaking is available to all who attend the Meeting – young or old – when they feel a strong spiritual leading to do so. No message represents an official Quaker position. If the message does not “speak to your condition”, try to reach the spirit behind the message. Friends cherish the diversity we can embrace in our fellowship. The meeting is in part a school for spiritual growth and sometimes mistakes are a part of the process of learning.

Attenders are encouraged to arrive for Meeting for Worship a little early and to settle into the silence as soon as we enter the meeting room. After about one hour, Meeting for Worship “breaks” or closes, with the shaking of hands. Visitors are invited to introduce themselves and the Clerk may make a few announcements.

Members who can answer questions about Twin Cities Friends Meeting and Friends beliefs and practices are also identified at this time.

History of Twin Cities Friends Meeting

The true history of a worshiping community lies in the lives of the people whom it touches. It is in the discovery and nurture of our spirituality; the facing of personal and group challenges in a loving and supportive environment; in the marking of the important occasions of birth, marriage, death; and in significant life transitions in which we seek to know God’s will for our lives. The following brief outline of the history of Twin Cities Friends Meeting is only a skeleton of a living, dynamic association of spiritually seeking people from World War II to the present.

Out of the needs of those making a witness of conscience during the Second World War and the sense of isolation that pacifists experienced, a worship group was begun in 194445. It was re-established as University Friends Meeting in 1949 and met in the Nolte Center for Continuation Studies. The name change to “Church Street Meeting” and a move to the University YMCA reflected a decreasing identification with the University. During this time we undertook the task of caring for the children of the growing number of families seeking a Friends community (1952-60). Joining Illinois Yearly Meeting in 1956 gave us the much desired status of an independent monthly meeting. Although still small, the meeting was vital and growing, both inwardly and outwardly. We used more and more space at the YMCA . In 1960 we renamed ourselves the “Twin Cities Friends Meeting” and became more active with other new Friends groups in the new Half-Yearly Meeting. In the years from 1958 to 1964 we were actively committed to the development of the local American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) programs and committees. This led to the opening of our first AFSC office in 1965, giving Friends more visibility in the wider community and drawing more seekers to us during the turbulent sixties and seventies.

We can point to the mid-sixties as the close of the founding period. The central issue was no longer the survival of the Meeting. With the acquisition of a permanent meetinghouse in 1969, an increase in members, and greater structural maturity; other issues became dominant. We withdrew from Illinois Yearly Meeting in 1971 and participated actively in the growth and establishment of Northern Yearly Meeting which was founded in 1975. Three small new meetings were established (1978-83) by long term members of Twin Cities Friends Meeting. After much discussion and reflection, the meeting united to declare itself a sanctuary for Central American refugees in 1983. Five years of corporate seeking led to the decision to sell the 295 Summit Ave. Meetinghouse in 1984 and to seek a home which would more adequately meet our needs. In 1987 the Meeting purchased a house on Grand Ave. in St. Paul. When the construction of additional space is completed to the rear of the house, it will become our new Meetinghouse.

Meeting for Business

If Meeting for Worship is the point from which our corporate and individual spiritual insight grows; Meeting for Business is the point at which this insight takes fond in decisions and planned action. The expectant silence of the Meeting for Worship also serves as the basis of the Meeting for Business. In Meeting for Worship our individual defenses soften to the point that the Inner Light penetrates our consciousness. In meeting for business our individual agendas, fears, needs and defenses soften so that we often find previously unperceived leadings for spiritually grounded collective action. The sensitive guidance of the clerk and the maturity and discipline of the members contribute greatly in creating the conditions for such a meeting for business.

It is at the monthly meetings for business that important decisions regarding the meeting take place. Meetings for business often follows a potluck meal held at the home of a member or at the meeting house. It is open to attenders as well as members. The Clerk starts the meeting with a period of silence, asks for corrections and the approval of the previous minutes, and then presents an agenda for review. Items of business are brought up and committee reports are given. Rather than voting on decisions an attempt is made to find unity within the meeting by searching for a way forward which is not in con-flict with the leadings of individual members. The Clerk listens carefully and sensitively to what is said and at an appropriate moment tries to express the sense of the Meeting in a statement called a minute. Approval of the minute is asked for and members respond either with approval or indicate points at which they believe that the minute still does not accurately reflect the sense of the Meeting. The Recording Clerk keeps a written record of the minutes which is published in the newsletter. For important decisions where the Meeting needs more time to discuss in detail various aspects of an issue, special programs and special Meetings for Business are sometimes called. Regular attendance at the Meeting for Business is very important because it contributes a sense of continuity, background, and understanding which enable each member to take an active part in the decisions being made.

Guidelines for Meeting for Business

The following guidelines for Meeting for Business were developed by a committee of people who have been clerks of Twin Cities Friends Meeting. The committee included David Harper, John Martinson, and Marjorie Sibley and were presented to a Fall 1987 Meeting for Business.

• The Meeting for Business is primarily a Meeting for Worship, with attention given to the business of Friends.
• The purpose of Meeting for Business is to find the Light, not to get any individual’s point of view adopted.
• Participants in Meeting for Business need to be self-disciplined:
• in listening carefully to all persons as they share their measure of the Light.
• in waiting for others to speak.
• in speaking only when led by the Spirit.
• in waiting for recognition from the Clerk before speaking.
• in letting their speaking flow out of the silence, not just as a response to what someone else said.
• in forgoing needless repetition of what they or others have said.
• in trying to avoid speaking in anger, being thoughtful and respectful of others.
• in forming opinions only after thoughtful consideration and holding them up to the Light.
• in stating their views if others haven’t, even if those views are subject to change.
• if they hold a position different from the majority, in being sure that their opposition to a Meeting decision comes from a real leading, not just from personal interests.
• The relationship of committees to Meeting for Business:
• most issues should go through committee process for recommendations, not directly to Meeting for Business.
• not everything needs to come before Meeting for Business (committees can should handle much of the detail work).
• if there is a problem in a committee, it should be taken to the Clerk for possible consideration at the Meeting for Business.
• it is important for participants in Meeting for Business to listen carefully to committee recommendations, trusting that the committees have done their work competently.

Members of Meeting need to trust the Meeting for Business process, even when they aren’t present. Since the purpose of Meeting for Business is to search for the Light, the Meeting can proceed without particular individuals being present.

Participants in Meeting for Business should keep in mind that the worshipful progress of Meeting for Business depends on all persons present.

The role of the Clerk:

• to set and guide the agenda with approval of Meeting for Business.
• to state what the questions are and to remain neutral.
• to evoke comments from those who have not spoken and to limit comments by those who have.
• to exercise diplomacy while maintaining priorities in conducting the Meeting.
• to articulate the sense of the Meeting and to propose minutes for adoption.
• when individuals feel in opposition to the movement of a Meeting toward a decision, to help them clarify the degree of their opposition

Membership, part 1