by Rhiannon Grant I am a Quaker both by accident and by design. I didn’t set out to be born into a Quaker family (although perhaps my parents had it in mind!), but nevertheless I was, as it happened, a cradle Quaker. Later in life, I made a few half-hearted attempts to leave the Quaker…
By Stephanie Grant Why am I a Quaker? because it’s where God wants me to be, because it’s a place I can work out how to follow the teachings of Jesus without the rituals and creeds that troubled me in other churches, because I feel it’s where I belong, because it gives me a safe…
By Sam Barnett-Cormack On my bag, I have a badge, and on social media, I have an avatar, and both say “I’m a Quaker – ask me whyâ€; that last one was just for Quaker Week, though. People are still slow to ask, but every little helps when letting people know what Quakers are really…
By Paul Levy For me being a Quaker is about thinking about others and the world when I make decisions, not something I find easy, I think that in me there is a very selfish person whom Quakerism helps keep in check. I found Quakerism because of spending a life changing two weeks with a…
How and Why I am a Quaker by Ben Jarman I first came to Quakers because of a crisis. In 2005, a friend fell victim to a serious crime, and in the aftermath her life fell apart. Those of us around her tried to help pick up the pieces, but we were powerless and our…
How I became a Quaker. My parents were Quakers and I was enrolled as a “birthright Friendâ€. They sent me to a Quaker school at aged 10, principally to avoid the blitz in 1940-41. We had daily Assembly and compulsory attendance at Meeting for Worship on Sundays. I joined a small group of pupils to…
Why I am a Quaker is first of all because faith took me over. About sixteen years ago, in response to trauma and in a dark time, something was going on within me that I did not understand but felt powerless to resist. I went into churches and ran out. Not what I was looking…
by Heather Martin I have been coming to Wednesday Meeting at Westminster Quakers for just over 2 years. My spiritual life was something I had struggled with for a number of years before I started coming. I had been raised a Catholic, became an Anglican, ended up doing some Eastern meditation. What I increasingly was…
By Emily Bishop Good afternoon, friends. My name is Emily, and I’ve been attending the Wednesday Meeting for nearly two years. I was really touched to be invited to speak today, so thank you. I was originally drawn to Quakers by the testimony of Peace. The Peace movement has been a big part of my…
By Bill Clendineng of Plainfield, Indiana, USA. Why am I a Quaker? I am a Quaker because when I was in high school I went to county-wide Youth For Christ meetings at Garden Grove Friends Church in Southern California. Fast-forwarding a few years, I found myself looking for a church to attend and while browsing…