What can I expect from this "unprogrammed" meeting?

Our worship is based on silence. Friends in the unprogrammed tradition have no creed, no sacraments, and no presiding ministers.

Our silent worship is an alert openness to the leading of the Inner Light. During our silence, we are “Waiting upon the Light.” Some in the meeting may refer to this light as The Divine or God, while others have different words that speak closer to their experience. Some unprogrammed Quakers are non-theists while others are Christians or are part of a different faith group. In community, each worships in the manner they are most comfortable. One consequence of this “Waiting upon the Light” is that one or more worshipers may be moved to speak out of the silence. Such speaking is not an intellectual exercise; it is a movement from the depths of one’s being, a conscientious response to carefully discerned leading of the Spirit.

On the first Sunday of the month, we have Worship Sharing which is a structured, group practice that combines silence with sharing focused on a specific query or prompt.

Meeting draws to a close after about an hour. We close worship by shaking hands and greeting each other.

Welcomes and announcements are then made after which visitors are encouraged to stay for fellowship.

Further Reading



Quaker Testimonies

The word ‘testimony’ is used by Friends to describe a witness to the living Truth within the human heart as it is acted out in everyday life. It is not a form of words, but a mode of life based on the realization that there is “that of universal truth/God in everyone,” that all human beings are equal and that all life is interconnected. In the recent past Quakers have sometimes abbreviated them SPICES.


Simplicity is cutting away everything that is extraneous, so our outward life fully reflects our inward life. Friends have no recipe book for simplicity; all Friends find their own way. Simplicity means avoiding self-indulgence, maintaining a spirit of humility and speaking clearly and directly without exaggeration. It also means keeping the material surroundings of our lives serviceable to necessary ends.







Upcoming Events



Saturday, October 10, 2026 10:30, Worship Group Meeting for Business, Friends Church library

Saturday, December 12, 2026 10:30, Worship Group Meeting for Business, Friends Church library