Fox Valley Friends Meeting - Green Bay, WI Quakers

Welcome! At Meeting for Worship each Sunday we come together to seek the Divine in unprogrammed silent worship. All are welcome to join us at 11 a.m. at the Mauthe Ecumenical Center on the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay campus.

If you are new to Quakers, you may have some questions about what you will experience at a Meeting for Worship. At the appointed time, we settle into worship in a circle of chairs, attempting to focus inwardly and to clear our minds from everyday busy-ness. We wait together in silence to hear the still small voice of God that is within each of us. We have no appointed leaders or ritualistic sacraments, and believe that the experience of God's power is equally accessible to each of us at all times.

In the silence, you may experience a sense of comfort or direction, a clearer view of a problem, a special feeling of gratitude and praise, or a strong concern. These are usually private impulses, but sometimes individuals are led by the Divine Spirit to share a vocal message with the whole group. It is most effective if these messages are spoken so that all present can hear, and if a space of silence is allowed before another message is given.

After an hour, the person taking care of the worship will rise from their chair. At that point, everyone else rises and all join hands in a circle to signify the end of Meeting for Worship. We then introduce ourselves and take time to share with each other any messages from our personal worship that seem important but didn't quite rise to speech during the silence. This sharing time can also include joys, sorrows and announcements.

After sharing, all are invited to stay and enjoy informal fellowship and a light potluck meal. This is a good opportunity to get to know each other better, ask questions, and look at books and materials in our Quaker library.

As Quakers, we believe that there is "that of God" in every person. Each person is directly responsible for their own relationship to God. Because each person's relationship with God is different and is always in a state of growth, we have no set creed. You will find a wide range of beliefs here, as well as people from many religious backgrounds. We are united by our desire to live a good life, with God guiding our lives. And, whatever our individual beliefs, we are expected to live by those beliefs every day. There should be no separation between what we do at Meeting and what we do in our lives outside of Meeting.

We value Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community and Equality.

Come worship with us! Learn what you can hear in the silence. We would be happy to meet you and have the opportunity to share our spiritual paths, even if it is just for an hour.