Although Quakers can worship anywhere, we are usually organised into Local Meetings (our equivalent of churches), which are grouped geographically into Area Meetings. Abingdon Local Quaker Meeting is part of Oxford & Swindon Area Quaker Meeting, which in turn connects us to our national body, Britain Yearly Meeting.
Abingdon Meeting is a friendly group of Quakers and 'attenders' of different ages and backgrounds. We share many values common to Quakers and find, through worshipping together, an inspiration to shape and guide the way we live our lives. Unlike most Quaker Meetings, we currently don’t have a Meeting House of our own. Instead, we worship in a number of venues, shown on the Find Us page.
Our Meetings for Worship
Like the majority of Quaker Meetings in Britain, the heart of our Meetings for Worship is a quiet, peaceful hour of reflection that deepens our awareness of the Spirit and brings a unity to the group. The silence may be broken if someone present feels called on to minister: that is, to say something that will deepen and enrich the worship, in response to the prompting of the Spirit. The silence is broken for the moment, but the stillness is not interrupted. Once a month we have a reading from the Advices & Queries: short passages which serve as reminders of the insights of the Society of Friends.
The Meeting proper closes with the shaking of hands initiated by the Friend responsible for 'eldering' the Meeting.
In Abingdon Meeting, our worship continues in a short period that we call Afterwords. This is an opportunity to share with Friends any thoughts and insights that have come to us during the silence, or other matters that we have on our minds, which may not have led to spoken ministry during the main Meeting for Worship.
Notices, from the Clerk and other Friends, are followed by tea and coffee. At this time we also welcome newcomers and give them the opportunity to introduce themselves if they wish.
How the Meeting is Organised
Since Quakers have no priest or minister to lead a congregation of worshippers, everyone in the Meeting contributes to the way we worship and to how we care for each other as a community. Our Spiritual and Pastoral Care Group (SPCG) has a specific responsibility to be guardian of the spiritual life of the Meeting and the experience of worship. It also has responsibility to ensure that the pastoral needs of everyone associated with the meeting, including attenders and enquirers, are noticed and supported.
Like all Local Meetings, Abingdon Quakers appoint a Clerk, who serves for three years and looks after administrative matters relating to the Meeting. The Clerk's duties include dealing with correspondence, preparing the agenda for business meetings, guiding the meeting through the items of business and circulating the minutes afterwards.
There is no voting at a Quaker business meeting: instead, it is the responsibility of the Clerk to discern 'the sense of the meeting' in relation to each agenda item and prepare a written minute of the outcome.
Other Roles
Running a Quaker Meeting depends on contributions by a number of other Friends, whether as committee members or as individuals. Other roles in Abingdon Meeting include Treasurer, Children's Committee (which organises Children’s Meeting), newsletter editors, advisers on funerals and representatives on Area Meeting bodies.
Informal Groups
In addition to the formally appointed committees, a number of informal groups flourish within Abingdon Meeting. Two separate groups meet monthly at different times of the week to read and discuss works relating to Quakerism or spirituality in general. And, in a literary vein, a number of poetry enthusiasts meet monthly to share their favourite poems on a wide range of topics.
Links with Other Local Churches
Abingdon Meeting is a member of The Church in Abingdon, a voluntary organisation comprising 14 churches from a range of denominations. These churches work together to support to the people of Abingdon in a practical way through various task groups and community projects, including The Abingdon Bridge, Abingdon Street Pastors and Trinity Learning.
Image credits: (top) Sally Reynolds, Abingdon Meeting (an outdoor Meeting for Worship in the Garden of St Ethelwold's House, July 2021); (middle) Quaker Meetings Network.