I too share what your are feeling/questioning rega...

2009-06-10T07:41:02.701-07:00

I too share what your are feeling/questioning regarding what you refer to as "mainline" American churches. I was brought up, so to speak, in the Methodist tradition and basically walked away. I was later in life that I learned of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Somewhat unusual in that for the previous 25 years lived in what could be called a hotbed of the Society in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
You can "goggle" Quakers and learn the basics but we do not have ministers (or everyone is a minister) in what is the original form of un-programed worship. We are all members one-of-another and we gather to mostly silently each week in group communion to celebrate the Sabbath. I someone is moved by spirit to vocal ministry they rise and do so. I have never felt the Spirit so strongly or the genuine Spirituality of others and felt at home. There is no creed, no outward signs (crosses or other ornamentation) and what you do is more important that what you believe. We believe that each person can have a direct relationship with the Spirit and an intermediary in not needed or necessarily desired. We are not Puritans, we sing (we are all the choir -sorry no robes). We are a traditional peace church and we are activists.
We have strong children's programs where teaching, not preaching, is the norm.

Maybe others can find some of what they are looking for in this group.
We are all over the country albeit in small groups partly by design and partly by our small numbers, perhaps just over 300,000 in the U.S.

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I too share what your are feeling/questioning rega...