Quaker Dimension

Speaking truth, treating all human beings with respect, living simply, striving for community, and resolving conflicts through peaceful means are Quaker values that Friends School holds dear. Guided by the understanding that there is “that of God in each person,” we try to live these values as a school community. When lived through one’s life, these values become testimonies that are at the heart of the Quaker Spirit at Friends.

Our recently completed Faith and Practice of Friends School of Baltimore provides an explanation of these and other Quaker testimonies, practices, and decision making, and offers a brief history of Friends School.

Meeting for Worship

As a community we gather quietly for Meeting for Worship, usually once a week. Understanding that there is that of God within every person and that the light of God’s truth is accessible to everyone, we sit in silence, waiting and listening. For some younger members of the community, sitting in silence might mean simply practicing being quiet. For others it is centering, a time to rest from the day’s activities. And for others, Meeting is a time for deeper reflection, for contemplation, for prayer.

Any person may be moved to stand and speak during Meeting. We listen to each other with open minds, quietly, not arguing mentally, not judging, not rushing to formulate a response. After a time of quiet reflection, another person may stand to speak. Some Meetings are entirely silent; others evolve into a thoughtful sharing of comments, ideas, wisdom.

The experience of sitting together in silence, open to the Light within, helps to overcome our differences and approach the sense of oneness. As George Fox tells us, “in the Light wait, where unity is.”