Local Quaker explains religion's focus on clarity, community

Ann Cooper, who is actively involved with the Yellow Springs Friends Meeting, said she started exploring the Quaker religion when she moved to Yellow Springs in 1989.

handout Ann Cooper, who is actively involved with the Yellow Springs Friends Meeting, said she started exploring the Quaker religion when she moved to Yellow Springs in 1989.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Rockford Meeting House in Yellow Springs hosts an unprogrammed meeting at 10 a.m. Sundays. An unprogrammed meeting is not conducted by a minister, but friends sit in silent prayer, rising only to offer spoken ministry if led by the Spirit.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Video: Take a look at the Quakers

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By Meredith Moss, Staff Writer Updated 5:44 PM Friday, March 19, 2010

YELLOW SPRINGS— The Miami Valley offers a rich variety of religious options.

This is another in a periodic series that examines the major religions represented in our area and the ways in which they are affecting the daily lives of their members.

In addition to chatting with devoted members of each congregation, you’ll find an accompanying video tour of their house of worship.

This week, you’ll meet Ann Cooper, who is actively involved with the Yellow Springs Friends Meeting.

A conversation  with Ann Cooper

Q: How did you come to your religion?

A: I had read a book by Elizabeth Watson, a Quaker who had some connection with Yellow Springs, and when I moved to the village in 1989, one of the first invitations my family received was from Quakers asking us to join them for a hayride. I also happened to live only a block from the meetinghouse, so I walked down the street one Sunday to see what Quakers were all about. Knowing nothing about Unprogrammed Friends Meetings, I was unprepared for an hour of silent worship, but it felt right even then.

Q: What do you think sets your religion apart and makes it special?

A: Several things strike me as being peculiarly Quaker:

Quakers see a divine presence in everyone, no exceptions.
In unprogrammed meetings for worship, such as the one in Yellow Springs, it is possible for an entire hour of worship to occur in silence. Unprogrammed Friends Meetings, like ours, do not have paid staff or ministers. All members and attenders may offer spoken ministry during worship. During our Sunday meetings for worship, Friends wait in silent prayer, only rising to speak if led by the Spirit.
There are wide variations in worship styles among Friends. Englewood Friends, for instance, and a number of other meetings in the area are pastorally led — there is a prepared message and music.

Q: How does your religion help you get through hard times, such as the current economic crisis, health issues, deaths, etc.?

A: Quakers look for clearness when confronted with difficult, painful or confusing situations. Individuals may ask their meeting to appoint a clearness committee, a small group of Friends who will meet with the individual (or couple, or family) to prayerfully consider what is, and what may be. When surrounded by loving, patient members of a spiritual community, even those in great distress can discern a way forward. This is consistent with Friends’ general goal of gathering together to seek divine love and guidance, and then to live accordingly.

Q: What is a Quaker’s view of God?

A: Quakers are as diverse in their understanding of God as any group of religious individuals. I am drawn to the words of James Nayler, an early Quaker, who spoke of a Spirit which delights to do no evil. He was talking about a limitless capacity for forgiveness and tolerance, which is familiar to many Christians as divine love. My notions of God tend in that direction.

Friends talk about “the Light,” and hope that their lives in general, as well as in worship, may be lived in the presence of a divine Light.

Q: What do you love about your religion?

A: I love the gentleness and patience of Quakerism.

Q: How does your faith affect your day-to-day life?

A: Quakers have some testimonies about simplicity and peace that lead me to think carefully about the consequences of many day-to-day actions. In a global economy, it’s not easy to know the full impact of every apple we buy or milk carton we discard, but my faith challenges me to care about that and make good choices.

Q: What holidays or traditions do you especially enjoy?

A: Friends do enjoy holidays, but our celebrations are not extravagant.

Q: What is a particular Quaker observance that has special meaning to you?

A: We don’t have observances per se, but the most meaningful Quaker event for me has been our wedding. We were married in a meeting for worship. Some spoke out of the silence, and when the time was right, Bruce and I stood and exchanged our vows directly. All present were witnesses and signed our marriage certificate. No minister presided. It was simple and beautiful.

Q: What do you think is the most important thing you’ve learned from your religion?

A: Somehow as a Quaker, I think my faith has become quieter and more extensive at the same time. I talk about it less and live it more, which is the example modeled by many elder Friends in our meeting community.

An overview

Quakers, according to the Quaker Information Center Web site, are members of the Religious Society of Friends, a faith that emerged as a new Christian denomination in England during a period of religious turmoil in the mid-1600s, and is practiced today around the world in a variety of forms. To members of this religion, the words “Quaker” and “Friend” mean the same thing.

“Quakers are not Amish, Anabaptists, Shakers or Puritans — we come from a separate tradition than these other groups,” the Web site www.quaker.info explains. “We mostly don’t dress like the man on the box of oats anymore, and today we hardly ever call people ‘thee.’

“We are a diverse people consisting of several distinct branches. We continue our traditional testimonies of pacifism, social equality, integrity and simplicity, which we interpret and express in a variety of ways. Today, many Friends include stewardship of our planet as one of our testimonies.”

To learn more go to www.quakerinfo.org.