"I saw that there was. . . an infinite ocean of light and love that flowed over the ocean of darkness."
George Fox, 1647
Our Quaker Faith
The Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, trace their origins to a Christ inspired movement that sprang from the religious and social foment of mid-17th century, post-Reformation England. In the succeeding 375 years, that movement has evolved, under the Protestant umbrella, to include several distinct branches, each with their own individualities. Common to all is a core belief in ‘that of God’ in every person, a belief that informs its social testimonies on non-violence, equality and integrity.
Learning More about Quakers
To learn more about Quaker history, faith and practice, we invite you to peruse the following links:
Lake Erie Yearly Meeting (LEYM)
The Kalamazoo Friends Meeting is a member of Lake Erie Yearly Meeting, an organization of Quaker meetings in the Lake Erie region of the Midwest.
Friends General Conference (FGC)
The Friends General Conference is a nationwide organization of Quakers, counting the Lake Erie Yearly Meeting as a member.
- The FGC's "About Quakers" page is a great place to start learning about Quakerism: About Quakers - Friends General Conference
The Religious Society of Friends - Quaker.org
An excellent and extensive resource for learning more about Quakerism.
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
A global, progressive Quaker activist organization.
Friends World Committee for Consultation
A UN-recognized, London-based group that promotes cooperation and communication between Quakers around the world.
A tool from the Friends General Conference, showing the locations of Quaker meetings across the United States and Canada.
Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
A US-based organization that lobbies Congress to take action based on Quaker values.
Learn more about the Meeting's work with FCNL on the Our Activism page of this website.
A YouTube channel covering many aspects of Quakerism in an accessible video format. Their video "What do Quakers Believe?", linked in the sidebar to the right of this list, is a good introduction to the channel's content.
To learn about how we worship at the Kalamazoo Friends meeting, continue to the Meeting for Worship page of this website.