About Friends:
The Quaker Faith, also called
the Religious Society of Friends, is about 350 years old. While not all Friends
have exactly the same beliefs, there are some basic foundations to the Religious Society of Friends. Some of these primary foundations include:
The belief that there is
the Light of God in each and every person. Coupled with this is the “duty”
or obligation of each Friend to seek that Light of God within themselves and others.
This also means that all are treated equally.
The belief in “continuing
revelation” which means that Friends believe that God is still in communication with us.
This is part of the ongoing spiritual journey that many Friends find is part of their daily lives.
The belief in non-violence
and non-violent ways to solve conflicts. It is very rare to find Quakers serving
in the military, or participating in fights or competitions.
A belief in simple or plain
living. This belief used to mean plain dress and speech, in contemporary times,
it means that Friends look to ways to live and worship more simply, unencumbered by an overabundance of material goods.
A belief in speaking the
Truth. This means that Friends work at learning and discerning the truth of their
own hearts and speaking that truth at all times.
Friends try to live by our
beliefs and our “testimonies” of equality, justice, honesty, simplicity, and peace. Members and attenders of the North Columbus Friends Meeting come from a broad background of religious traditions. Some have been raised as Quakers, other are seekers, raised in other religious traditions
or none at all. We believe this diversity strengthens our community and our collective
spiritual journey.
The term “Meeting”
refers to a number of things. The place we worship is called a “Meeting
House”, instead of a church. The community is also called a Meeting, instead
of a congregation, as in other faiths. North Columbus Friends Meeting is called
a “Monthly Meeting” because we conduct business once a month. North
Columbus Friends Meeting (Quaker) is affiliated with Lake Erie Yearly Meeting, a group equivalent to what other faiths call
a synod or dioceses. It is called a Yearly Meeting, because this group meets
once a year to conduct business. 
