By Jim Schacht

Dear Milwaukee and Multnomah Meetings: 

I want to send out a big thank you and express my frustration with sharing what you have taught me in wider Quaker circles.

Both meetings taught me that being a Quaker is about being part of a community, and growing as a person in relation to that community. Mary Lord (from the Milwaukee Friends Meeting) taught me that the goal that made sense for us as Quakers is a community goal – creating places and moments where the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and where people feel loved, safe, respected and seen.   

In both meetings there are many people who I have greatly respected like Rebecca, John and Roger, both Jo Spears, Peter, Diane, Meg, Eleanor, Mike, Chris, Bill Brown, Ravenna, the Cooper’s, Mary, etc. and every one of them was/is both a unique individual and a person that treasures and greatly contributed to Meeting life. Contrary to the popular belief  that people must sacrifice part themselves to be part of a community, I would argue that each one of these individuals became more themselves as they were nurtured by and served the Meeting. To me the idea of a Quaker hermit is an oxymoron.

Moreover, when I read history -the idea of a John Woolman or George Fox having any impact as an isolated individual – I am convinced is a false myth. Fox has no lasting impact without Margaret Fell and workers on the Fell estate. Woolman was supported by his Meeting and family.  Women and servants are invisible in journals, but the business of living had to be attended to. What in the past got attributed to an individual was almost always a collective effort.

On the Facebook Quaker chat though if I talk about community or its importance in Quaker life my posts are not approved and they don’t get posted. It seems that being a Quaker is treated as a theology, maybe in part because of the role of Evangelical Quakers. In addition, the image of a Quaker usually involves a person with a traditional belief in God, expressed in traditional Christian language.

I wish I could change the image of Quakers to be like one of you, real people living in the world today with normal doubts and experiences choosing a spiritual path. Not saints or Real Quakers, but real people seeking to walk the walk. I wish we would embrace the difference between unprogrammed Hicksite Friends and evangelicals in our openness to varied spirituality. I wish we could use more inclusive language regarding spiritual experiences so that people would not find them so alien or triggering from bad religious experiences.

Do we need to be willing to be seen as different? Sure! Is there any reason we have to sound weirder than necessary?  I don’t see it.

I treasure this historical quirk we get to be a part of, and I want others to know they have this option and that they are welcome. I want it to be both the reality and the perception that while there are always adjustments on both sides to be made when a person becomes part of a community, that they will be worked through with patience and love.

Thank you  Jim Schacht