About Quakers

'Walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one' (George Fox, 1656).

'Worship is the response of the human spirit to the presence of the divine and eternal' (Quaker Faith & Practice, 2.01).

Quakerism is a way of life rather than a specific creed or set of beliefs. However, Quakers do try to maintain the core belief that ‘there is something of God’ in all human beings. Our unity is based on shared understanding and a shared practice of silent worship: a gathered stillness through which the circle of Friends seek to experience God directly – internally, and in relationships with others.  Some prefer to think of ‘God’ as ‘the Light,’ ‘the Spirit’ or ‘Love.’

Since the experience of God is personal and direct, Quakers in Britain do not feel a need for elaborate ritual or for priests to interpret the word of God on behalf of the congregation. Instead, we appoint a small group of Friends to look after the spiritual needs of individuals, as well as the Meeting as a whole (see Getting to Know Us).

Useful Links

The links under the heading 'About Quakers' at the foot of each page of this website take you to sections of the Quakers in Britain website that introduce you to Quakerism and its history. (All these links open in a new tab/window.) We recommend that you start by visiting the Our Faith page and two pages to which it links: How Quakers Worship and Our Values (which introduces the four testimonies). The Personal Journeys page contains seven short videos in which individual Quakers talk about the spiritual path they have taken.

If you're interested in the roots of Quakerism, you'll find a very brief account at A Brief History of Quakerism.

To keep up to date with the latest news from Britain Yearly Meeting, together with upcoming courses from Woodbrook, you can subscribe to a weekly email, Quake!.

Books on Quakerism

Quaker Faith and Practice (QfP) describes what it means to be a Quaker in Britain through extracts from the writings of Quakers through the ages. It offers thoughts, reflections and advice on the different stages of life and the challenges one may encounter, including relationships, aspects of faith and service to the community. QfP also explains how the Society of Friends is structured and how to conduct procedures such as marriages and funerals.

QfP includes the Advices & Queries: short paragraphs which serve as reminders of the insights of the Society. In Abingdon an Advice & Query is read out in Meeting for Worship once a month.

 QfP is freely available online and is also available as printed book (hardback and paperback).

The following books are short and very readable:

• What do Quakers Believe? by Geoffrey Durham (2019).
• Living our beliefs: An exploration of the faith and practice of Quakers, developed and edited by Young Quakers with Graham Ralph (2nd ed 2018).
• Quakers do What! Why? by Rhiannon Grant (2020); available as a paperback or in e-book format from John Hunt Publishing.

All these books – and many more – can be purchased through the Quaker Bookshop.

Abingdon Meeting has a very small library of books on Quaker history and spirituality for loan. View the library catalogue (link opens in a new tab/window).