Greetings
A Quaker Meeting for Worship is based on silence.
It is a stillness based on personal and collective listening to the Spirit within.
During the Meeting for Worship, we wait expectantly to bring us closer to the Divine and to each other.
‘Ministry’ occurs when someone feels deeply Spirit-led to stand and share.
Although we have traditions, we don’t have dogma and creeds.
People of all faiths (or no particular faith) are welcome to worship with us.
The image on the right is one of the 77 embroidered pieces made by 4,000 people from 15 countries.
Quaker Tapestry Museum, Kendal, UK
https://www.quaker-tapestry.co.uk
Meeting for Worship is not a formal event. There are no dress requirements, and attenders are welcome to come as they are.
We meet weekly in person and online (via Zoom) or a blend of the two (see calendar).
Meeting for Worship starts as soon as those in the room have settled into worship. We may worship in silence for the whole hour, or someone may be deeply moved by the Spirit within them to rise and share ministry.
We gather in the spirit of openness to the challenge of new possibilities and the revelation of deeper truths within.
At the moment, children attend Quaker Meetings in Victoria with their parents on an occasional basis.
We have a special room in the Meeting House (Victoria) for children with toys and a library; but unfortunately no Children’s program at the moment.
Families are welcome to sit in the silent Meeting as long as the younger children are comfortable doing so; and then after a few minutes, a parent may head upstairs or to the park with the children for the remaining time.
There is a strong and vigorous culture of families and Young Friends at Western Half-Yearly Meeting, held every May, and the annual CYM In-Session, held in late summer on the grounds of the Canadian Mennonite University, Manitoba.
We have a reasonably long history of accepting love in whatever form it occurs.
This Meeting held weddings without regard to gender or sexual orientation long before they became legal in British Columbia. Until legalized, our marriage registrars completed and filed government papers for same-gender marriages, only to have them returned.
We solemnized the marriage of two British Quakers in 2006. The experience of this marriage influenced Quakers in Britain to adjust their documents, which, in turn, influenced the UK government to legalize same-sex marriage.
In 2022 Canadian Quakers updated their statement on non-traditional marriage in a way that is inclusive of all loving relationships.
Quakers have a reputation for being plain and perhaps kind of stodgy. Actually, we are pretty fun-loving.
We sing with full voices around the piano, and some of us even dance. Multi-generational Balancing is a favourite activity at half-yearly and yearly gatherings.
Many of us are artists and artisans of various different kinds (musical, visual, textures, pottery/etc., digital), as well as activists. Some of us garden; and we all delight in the colour and fragrance of flowers or the fresh-picked taste of vegetables.
We share our lives and passions in our Soup and Stories session once a month.
We have a comprehensive Quaker library.
Please ask for a free copy of the Advices and Queries, which are also available at the bottom of CYM’s Faith and Practice page.
Please see the Resources page on this site for other materials, including the self-study guide to Canadian Quaker Faith and Practice and a list of glossaries of Quaker jargon.