National and International Quaker Organizations
Quakerism encompasses a broad spectrum of beliefs and interests, and many groups have emerged to demonstrate our diversity.
Friends General Conference, (www.fgcquaker.org) Friends United Meeting (www.fum.org) and Evangelical Friends International (www.evangelical-friends.org) are three prominent Quaker organizations whose orientations range from the least to the most Christocentric and Biblically-based, although there is considerable overlap.
American Friends Service Committee was founded by Quakers to promote peace and justice. It is entirely separate from the monthly and yearly meetings, although many of these provide support for its projects. Many members of AFM have been active in AFSC activities. (www.afsc.org.org)
Friends Committee on National Legislation (www.fcnl.org) and Quaker United Nations Office (www.geneva.quno.info)
are independent bodies which seek to provide a Quaker perspective on national and international issues.
Quaker camps and schools may be independent and run according to Quaker principles, or they may be under the care of a particular meeting.
Pendle Hill is an educational center near Philadelphia, offering Quaker spiritual enrichment and study. www.pendlehill.org
Resources For Further Learning
Curious about Quakers? Want to learn more? Many of the resources below can be borrowed at the Annapolis Friends Library in our Meetinghouse
Pendle Hill Pamphlets and Bookstore provide a scholarly Quaker viewpoint on a wide variety of theological, social and lifestyle topics. The pamphlets are published six times a year. www.pendlehill.org
Friends General Conference publishes a full range of Quaker and non-quaker literature. www.fgcquaker.org
Fiction
The Peaceable Kingdom, by Jan DeHartog (1971) This lengthy novel was a best seller. Based on real historic individuals, the book dramatizes the beginning of the Quaker movement in the mid-1600’s in England. It is the first of a trilogy.
I Take Thee, Serenity, by Daisy Newman (1994) This novel involves a traditional Quaker family during the 1970’s. There also is a sequel. Both books are available in the AFM library.
The Friendly Persuasion, by Jessamyn West (1945) This novel tells the story of a Quaker family in southern Indiana in the mid-19th Century. Of particular interest is the family’s struggle to decide how to react to the Civil War, with the parents confirmed pacifists and the son eager to fight the Rebs. Also rent the 1956 movie starring Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire and Tony Perkins. Jessamy West wrote the screenplay. It’s a great family movie. This book and its companion, Except for Me and Thee , are both in our library.
Historic and Social References
Friends for 300 Years, by Howard Brinton (1964) is a history of the Quaker movement. Thoughtful and scholarly, this is one of the most complete and readable references a new attender might choose.
Magazines
Friends Journal is a monthly magazine about “Quaker thought and life today,” which consists of brief articles, readers’ contributions, essays and poems, considering their daily lives and spiritual concerns. www.friendsjournal.org
Quaker Life is published ten times a year by Friends United Meeting, reports on Quakers around the world. Call 765-962-7573 or www.fum.org/ql