Would You Like to Become a Quaker?
We are often approached by people wishing to become a member of our meeting. This delights us. It is a joy when others wish to participate in the same community we cherish. But it’s important to know what membership is and isn’t in a Quaker meeting. It isn’t a ticket to heaven. It isn’t the means by which you are saved; We don’t think you were lost in the first place. It won’t cause us to love and value you more than we already do. Membership is your “yes” to what you have experienced among us. It is your “yes” to justice, your “yes” to peace, your “yes” to generosity, your “yes” to commitment and community, and most of all, your “yes” to love.
Membership is not a status. It confers no privileges or advantages. It is an affirmation of relationship, your relationship with the Spirit and your relationship with your fellow Friends.
It is our experience that such commitments should be made sensibly. Just as you would not marry someone after one date (really, you shouldn’t), so too should your decision to become a Quaker be one of careful deliberation. Get to know us. There is time. We’ve been here since 1826 and will still be here tomorrow. Learn about Friends and our beliefs. Read. Talk with us. Ask questions. We have an extensive library and welcome the opportunity to chat over a meal. (Quakers love to eat and talk.)
When you’re ready to become a member, the process is simple. You write a letter declaring your desire to join our community. A few Friends will be assigned to meet with you, often over a meal. These folks can answer questions you might have. Your name will be brought to Ministry and Counsel, who, if seeing no barrier to membership, will bring your name to the entire community. If your children wish to join, they can become junior members, becoming full members when they are adults, if they elect to do so. If ones spouse wishes to join and another doesn’t, that is fine. We are comfortable with mixed marriages.
Because Quakers do not practice outward sacraments, you will not be dipped, immersed, or sprinkled. One Sunday morning, we’ll announce to the meeting that you are a member. If you wish, we will introduce you to the congregation, though by that point, you will already be known. Friends will shake your hand, probably invite you to lunch, and urge you (gently) to participate further in one of our small groups. We might even ask you to serve on a committee, but before you say “yes” to that, make sure it’s something you feel called to do. Some of us are feed-the-hungry folks, some are numbers-type folks, some are visiting-type folks, some are fixing-things folks, and some are leader-type folks. Whatever your gift, we will urge you to use it.
But whether you become a member or not, please know you are already valued and loved by Friends.
To learn more about membership at Fairfield Friends, please fill out the form on this page, and someone will reach out to you.
Any information you share is considered confidential and will be protected.