Welcome to Radnor Meeting

Scroll down to get acquainted with us and make your first visits more comfortable. Here you will find:

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What to expect for your first time at Radnor Meeting

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FAQ – Frequently asked questions about our religion and practices.

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Why We Attend: Statements from people about what attracts them to Radnor Meeting.

What to Expect for Those New to Radnor Meeting

NOTICE – During the Covid Crisis: All activities are conducted over Zoom links. The Zoom link can be found on the home page of the website (scroll down just below the home page picture).

When the Meetinghouse re-opens:

view from roadLocation

The Meetinghouse is on Conestoga road, behind a long stone wall. The main entrance is very near the merge of Conestoga road and Newtown road. The exit is closer to Sproul road (rt. 320) across from the Urgent Center. You can find the location in your favorite map app by searching for Radnor Friends Meeting. Here is a link for Google maps.

Parking

There are 2 parking lots: an upper and a lower lot. As soon as you enter off of Conestoga road, you will be in the upper lot. The lower lot is reached by driving out of the upper lot, down the hill, and turning right just before the exit to Conestoga road. If both lots are full, street parking or parking in the Ithan Market lot (on the side or back) is acceptable.

Entering the Meetinghouse

The main entrance is directly in front of the upper parking lot. Upon entering, rest rooms are immediately to the right. There is a coat rack in the hallway. The main meetinghouse is entered by turning left at the end of the entrance hallway. This takes you to the Fellowship room where people will proceed through and turn right to enter the meetinghouse worship space. This space is filled with benches, most of which face the front of the room and a few benches face the back in the opposite direction. Enter quietly and take a seat on any of the benches facing forward. It is our practice to wait in silence during worship Please see the FAQ section for details on worshiping in silence. Services begin promptly at 10am.

 

Radnor Meeting FAQ’s
Frequently Asked Questions for people new to Radnor Meeting

If this is your first time at an unprogrammed Quaker Meeting, what should you expect?

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Our service (Quakers call it “Meeting for Worship”) begins at 10 am on Sunday mornings. If you identify yourself as new, you will be warmly welcomed by our ‘Greeter’. A few minutes before the Meeting begins (10 AM on Sundays) several members of the Meeting will take seats in the Meeting room to prepare the silence that is the essence of our Meeting. Children may prefer to attend the First Day school rather than sit in silence for 50 minutes. Please enter quietly by 10 am and take a seat on any of the forward- facing benches.

Our Meeting lasts for about 50 minutes. The Spirit may move an individual in the Meeting to deliver a brief message. Once the message is given the Meeting will settle back into a period silence. Often there are several messages spoken during the Meeting. The messages may follow a theme or be unrelated. Discussions about any of the messages should be saved for Fellowship after the Meeting for Worship. Occasionally the silence is not broken for the full duration of the Meeting for Worship.

Approximately 10 minutes before the end of the Meeting for Worship any children that attended First Day school will file back into the Meeting room and settle into silence with their families.

There are two or more Members on the Facing Bench (bench at the front of the room facing the body of the Meeting). Traditionally, they will signal the end of Meeting for Worship by greeting each other. The rest of the us in the Meeting will then turn and greet each other.

The Members on the Facing Bench will make any announcements and then call for additional announcements from the rest of the Meeting. Newcomers will be invited to briefly introduce themselves and sign guest book. A final call for any other announcements will then be made.

When announcements are over it is time to leave the Meeting room and enjoy a time of fellowship with light refreshments outside the Meeting room. This is a good time to meet members and attenders of the Meeting as well as find out more about Quakerism. There is someone termed the “Corner Friend” that is designated to answer questions about Quakerism. They will be pointed out at the end of the Meeting. But most members of the Meeting will be happy to answer your questions or point out the Corner Friend.

Why do Quakers worship in silence?

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Quakers worship in silence with an attitude of expectant waiting for any divine messages they might receive from God, Spirit, Source, or the Light Within. To give credit to Howard Brinton from “friends for 350 years”: Withdrawing into the presence of God, we seek to perceive the whole as it is seen by God. The Quaker Meeting, in its waiting upon the Lord in silence, carries the doctrine that God reveals divine messages directly to us. As a result, worship is nothing less than reverent waiting for God’s message. The silence also serves to bind the gathered together in this expectant waiting, away from our day-to-day busy and worldly lives.

Why are we called the Religious Society of ‘Friends’?

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For Jesus, friendship is the ultimate relationship with God and one another. It is because of what Jesus says to his disciples that we call ourselves the Society of Friends. We are Friends of Jesus.

 “I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.” John 15: 12

Why is it called a ‘Meeting’?

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We do not consider our Meeting Houses to be consecrated as sacred or set apart from all other activity but worship. It is a place that we use for worship but also for different types of gatherings such as meals, business meetings, child care, etc. It is the housing of our worship community for our varied activities. It is our worship community that is sacred to us, not the building.

Are Quakers anti-war?

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Yes, we believe that we must work to resolve conflicts peacefully and work to eliminate causes of war and all other violence. Quakers believe God is the “Light within” every human and therefore violence against another human is violence against God.

Is there a Priest or Pastor?

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As Quakers we do not believe we need an intermediary between ourselves and God. Pastors and Priests tend to reduce our relationship to God to mere words: Of Scripture, Of Prayer, Of Sermons, Of … We believe our contact with God is our central being, our Inner Light. It is expansive, comprehensive, total. It is not hemmed in by anything., especially words, their limits and limited meanings. Friends often consider the entire congregation as clergy, responsible for sharing their truth.

What is ‘First Day’?

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Quakers sometimes use ‘First Day’ as another name for Sunday (i.e. First Day school is the same as Sunday school). It comes from the Quaker practice of considering all days of the week ‘God’s day’, not just Sunday. Quakers began to reference days of the week by their position on the calendar to emphasize this and not give Sunday more or less religious importance than any other day.

What is Fellowship?

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Fellowship occurs at the conclusion of our worship service (Meeting for Worship) after announcements have been made. Those who were present at Meeting for Worship gather in the Fellowship room to share light refreshments, and greet each other regarding news of friends, thoughts and ideas that might flow from vocal ministry given during Meeting, and general joy among friends to be together. Once a month the Meeting also has a ‘Fellowship’ lunch to share food and socialize. When needed, this happens online.

What is a ‘clerk’?

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Within the Religious Society of Friends, a clerk is someone responsible for various administrative functions within a meeting. As a ‘servant leader’ the clerk is responsible for bringing the body to unity on shared concerns. This includes oversight of operational affairs, running a Meeting for Business, and documenting minutes resulting from decisions. Clerks are assigned for a Meeting and for each committee. A clerk is not considered a position of clergy.

How many Quakers are there?

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Do Quakers have Sacraments?

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Quakers do not practice baptism nor celebrate the eucharist. For Quakers, no particular ritual is necessary to be in touch with God.  All interactions with the Spirit are equally sacred.

Why do people stand up and talk? When should I do this?

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For a body that worships mostly in silence, this is a central question and a divine mystery. Let us start then with the basics and see if we can approach an answer – but understand that the true answer is best experienced at meeting, and not overanalyzed before or after.

Quakers begin worship in meeting with stilling the mind and body, letting go of tensions and everyday worries, feeling the encompassing presence of others, and opening oneself to the Spirit. It may include meditation, reflection on a remembered passage from the Bible or other devotional literature, silent prayer, thanksgiving, and consideration of one’s actions and regrets. All the while, we wait and listen expectantly for the light and the divine from within — and from others, following the inspired guidance of George Fox that there is “that of God in everyone.”

Into this living stillness of the meeting may come leadings and fresh insights that are purely personal, not meant to be shared. At other times they are meant for the meeting at large to hear.

When a leading is to be shared, the worshiper feels a spontaneous and compelling inward call to vocal ministry, sometimes even a trembling, a quickening of the pulse, a power greater than ourselves. Vocal ministry may take many forms, as prayer, praise of God or nature, song, teaching, witnessing, or sharing. These messages are usually brief and are not planned before the meeting – the speaker acts as a conduit of something inspired at the meeting and beyond herself. The messages may center upon a single, vital theme; often apparently unrelated messages are later discovered to have an underlying unity. Such ministry and prayer may answer the unrecognized or unvoiced needs of other seekers.

When someone accepts the call of the Spirit to speak, fellow worshipers are likewise called to listen with an openness of mind and heart. Hesitant and tender spirits should feel the meeting’s loving encouragement to give voice, even if haltingly, to the message that may be struggling to be born within. Friends whose thought has been long developing and whose learning and experience are profound serve the meeting best when they, like all others, wait patiently for the prompting of the Inward Teacher. Anyone moved to speak following another should first allow others to absorb and respond inwardly to what has already been said. *

*Taken largely from the PYM website regarding Quaker worship.

What is a Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business?

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Most Quaker faith communities hold monthly meetings where we make decisions on both business matters and actions of a more spiritual nature. We use the collective discernment of members as well as tradition to help us. These business meetings are facilitated by the meeting clerk and at Radnor Monthly Meeting usually occur on the second Sunday of the month, shortly after meeting for worship.

All members are expected to participate in these business meetings, and all attenders (a word we use for non-members who have made it a practice to attend meeting for worship) are welcomed and encouraged to attend.

It has been said that there are four pillars undergirding Quaker business meetings:

  • that the meeting is rooted in worship;
  • that the meeting is clerked;
  • that there is enough time, a sense of spaciousness; and
  • that decisions are made by sense of the meeting.

Following the first pillar, our business meetings start with a brief period of silent worship. This helps us all to approach the business decisions with a spirit of peace, unity and Quaker values.

The clerk of the meeting – who acts as a “servant leader” — moves us through the agenda, usually based on items previously discussed and reviewed by committees of the meeting. These committees include care for the quality of worship, finances, peace and social concerns, hospitality and fellowship, religious education, nurturing members, outreach, and care of the building and grounds. These committees perform the bulk of the work of Quaker meetings, but some decisions and issues must percolate up to be considered and determined by the meeting as a whole.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of Quaker meetings for business is the fourth and final pillar, that decisions are made by determining the “sense of the meeting.” Inward yielding, patience and waiting for a sense of unity to grow among all present are characteristics of the way Friends conduct their business. This is not decision by majority vote or under strict deadlines, but rather a striving toward a spiritual unity on an issue, with those present listening for something more than what each person thinks. It is not a negotiated settlement or compromise. Rather, it is a moving toward a unified decision, guided by the Spirit, which goes beyond logical agreement. Oftentimes this sense of meeting is readily discerned. At other times, a decision may have to wait many months, or the issue simply set aside because a lack of unity. For Quakers, this is not a failure. It is listening to the Spirit.

What are Quaker SPICES?

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SPICES is an acronym for the historical and primary values/beliefs of the Quakers. SPICES stands for Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship.

Simplicity

The early Quakers believed that personal ornamentation or elaborate belongings detracted from their ability worship God and do God’s bidding. They believed in making their daily work and interactions with others to be a type of worship of God. Elaborate clothing, possessions, politics, etc. therefore took time and thought away from worshipping God in their daily life. Currently simplicity is still seen as a means to keeping “things” and our lifestyles from distracting ourselves from living our beliefs and maintaining a continuous relationship with God.

Peace

Quakers believe God is the “light within” every human and therefore violence against another human or self is violence against God. Peace does not mean the absence of conflict but finding a non-violent resolution for conflict.

Integrity

Integrity is aligning one’s behavior with one’s belief. This is probably the most fundamental of our beliefs. Basing our everyday behavior, activities, and relationships on what we have come to understand through Quaker teachings, reading and studying the Bible, and insights gathered during worship.

Community

Community focuses on the members and attenders of our Quaker Meeting. We believe in sharing our insights during Worship and gathering around and helping those in our Meeting community who are in need (physical, emotional, etc.). Our journey through life is shared with other members of the Meeting and support is frequently offered. We also believe that we should help others in groups and individuals outside our Meeting such those in our physical community as we are able. 

Equality

Because Quakers believe there is that of God in each individual, we believe that all people are equal and should be treated as such. This also includes our duty to point out and change laws, customs, and any actions that deny equality to anyone. This is the basis for our history of challenging laws holding people of color, those of different ethnicities and religions and those of different gender identities and sexual orientation. Friends have been at the forefront of abolition, gender equality and racial equality movements for centuries. 

Stewardship

Stewardship tells us that we must take care of what has been given to us in our world so that it will exist for future generations. We need to take care of the earth, of our friends, our families, and of groups (formal & informal) that exist for the good of all. We use our talents and financial resources to take care of our planet and those in need.

What are the Committees at Radnor Meeting?

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The work of the Meeting is carried out in committees which meet regularly and include both members and attenders. Committees open to everyone are: Outreach, Fellowship, Religious Education (for children and youth), Peace and Social Concerns, Landscape and Grounds, Library, Adult Education, and Property. A few committees require meeting membership (Care and Counsel, Worship and Ministry, Nominating and Finance).

What Activities does the Meeting have?

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Here are some examples of activities:

  • Women’s and men’s groups
  • Book Club
  • Quakerism courses

We also have Forums which are typically held after worship services on topics from religious education to putting our faith into action. Examples include:

  • Quaker values
  • Actions against gun violence
  • Support for local food banks
  • Concerns about Climate Change

What is the Sunday Schedule?

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10-11am: Meeting for Worship and First Day (Sunday) School

11-12:30pm: Fellowship followed by Adult Education or business meeting

Religious Education for Children

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Radnor welcomes children! As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “We find delight in the beauty and happiness of children.” A basket of toys and coloring activities is available in the Fellowship room so that parents have the option to keep children with them, let them occupy themselves quietly in the Fellowship room, or go to class in the lower building.

During Meeting for Worship, First Day (Sunday) School classes are held from 10-11am in the building adjacent to the Meeting House. Classes might focus on Quaker practices, values or history; Bible stories or social justice/climate change. Parents are welcome to stay in the First Day School with their children.

At 10:45am, First Day students join the adult Meeting for Worship and can sit with their parents or their class, as they are comfortable.