Spiritual Matters

Have never considered myself to be a religious person per se (i.e., one to practice religion), however, I have tended to view myself as being a spiritual or rather to be a spiritually motivated person and, speaking for myself only (of course), have usually not felt comfortable in most churches or attending formal church services. 

In fact, my church of choice has been the outdoors, found among nature.

Yet, when someone I know and well respect mentioned about their being a Quaker last week, something that I had not previously known, I felt drawn to seriously consider becoming a Quaker myself, particularly after having done some online research about being a Quaker and, finding that Quaker way of life as well as core beliefs, principles and values appear to mirror as well as closely align with my own, seeking information about where Quaker meetings are held in the area as well.

Not only did I email the person about it, but I also posted on Montpelier's Front Porch Forum (FPF) asking if anyone knew about whether there were and currently are Quaker meetings held either in Montpelier or elsewhere.

The FPF post of mine received fifteen (15) responses (thus far), five (5) of whom were seeking the same information and requested that I pass such onto them.

Between my online searches as well as the information some of those responding to my FPF post provided and also the person I had emailed, I learned that, among others in the area, there were and currently are Quaker meetings held in Plainfield and also Burlington.

The Plainfield Quaker meeting house offers a weekly online remote option on Sunday mornings as well as an in-person meeting held afterwards (for more information about being a Quaker, read Quakerism: The Basics).

There are Quaker style meetings in Montpelier (i.e., as I understand it, not officially affiliated), however those are either small ones held in people's homes here and there (on a monthly basis) or during the Summer months at a local church (on a weekly basis).

If possible, I am hoping to attend a small meeting to be held in a family home within Montpelier and, if so, it will be my first.

Informative video (via YouTube):

By the way, speaking of Quakers, I came across this vtdigger article about Vermont Quakers who had refused to fight in the civil war, here (circa: 2020).

Speaking of that, there is a small group of protestors, including Quakers, who hold anti-war protests out front of the federal building in Montpelier during the noon hour on Fridays (most weeks).

Another interesting read: A Brief History of Quakers in New England (via New England Quakers Website), here.

Update 1: Had attended my very first Quaker meeting (Plainfield), remotely via Zoom, this morning (Sunday, 2/11/2024). It went well. Was warmly welcomed, then we went into silent meeting mode for an hour and afterwards into fellowship mode for about an hour and a half, talking about this and that.

Update 2: Check out a more recent blog post of mine regarding current reading about Quakerism, here.