Joanna: Sometime in the late 1980s, when I was in an especially dark period of my life, I was persuaded to go to a Billy Graham meeting at Earl’s Court. I knew vaguely what to expect from this evangelical preacher, but it was a lot worse than I had imagined. At the end of the gathering, all newcomers went forward “to be saved” – all except for me. I knew that I wanted something very different, something diametrically opposed. The next week, I found myself at my first Meeting for Worship at Wandsworth. Immediately, I felt at home. The building itself felt welcoming, with its warm woodwork, and the ancient graveyard at the rear was strangely reassuring. But the real welcome was from the Quakers themselves; I felt embraced by them but without any pressure.
Ray: Quakers had been floating around my consciousness at a distance for many years.
They were always there in the background: I knew about their work in social justice, in charities and good causes and I liked the fact that they actually did things, not just contemplated them. I also knew that they were liberal, considerate and embraced many lifestyles and beliefs. I have no strong belief in God, and was not attracted to the traditional and more formal religions – and just steered clear. But when my son ended up going to St Mary Abbots Junior School and I became a stay-at-home dad for a while I always attended the Thursday morning school service to support him. This didn’t change my beliefs, but it did surprise me that I liked the moment of shared contemplation. I still didn’t like the dogma, the ritual, the overtly Christian side to the experience, but there was something that I wanted to explore. One Sunday morning I simply walked into a Quaker meeting. No one tried to convert me, or persuade me that this was the way, or the truth, or that this was the path to salvation. They just smiled and made me welcome. What I didn’t realise, was that this was my first and only real lesson. The Quakers are actually a Society of Friends, and the second you walk into a Friends Meeting House you are instantly one of them. Powerful stuff.
Verena: I have come to Hammersmith once a month for a while now and I would like to say how much I appreciate the Meetings for Worship. I could say that I have been a religious person all my life, but over the years I have got more and more disillusioned by the power structures and directions of my own Church of England. While cleaning the brass door handles of the church one day, the vicar passed by and I said something to the effect that if our services would be all in silence, I would be the first there, and she said “maybe you should go to the Quakers”. Of course, it was obvious! I had attended a few Quaker meetings (mainly funerals) over the years and so I looked for the nearest Meeting House to where I live. It was Hammersmith, and so I came and immediately felt at home, as obviously many other people find, too. Now I am trying to learn more about all things Quaker and slowly to become part of the Hammersmith Meeting and loosening the bonds with my parish church. There is no doubt that Quakerism is my spiritual haven and I hope to integrate more as time goes by.
Abi: I have been coming to Quakers since late 2014, having known very little about it before then. I felt I had a strong faith in something, but I didn’t know what. I didn’t fit in with a conventional church, which I found quite prescriptive and I didn’t like being told what to do. My partner Thuy went to stay with some Quaker friends of ours, and when he came back, he talked all about Quakers – and I thought, “This sounds like what I’ve spent most of my adult life seeking”. We looked on the Quakers website and found the Hammersmith Meeting. I went to my first meeting, unsure of what to expect, but with an open mind. Even though I didn’t know anyone, I felt really connected to people in the silence and had a strong sense that, finally, I had found my kind of people. I continued attending meetings, and it had a profound effect on me. Especially the idea “there is that of God in everyone” – it was really helpful to me. I thought “that’s true of me, too,” and it helped me to be kinder to myself, and freer to express myself to other people. I felt freer to be the person I am rather than trying to be something else. At Quakers, I found a place where it felt normal, rather than being thought of as a weakness of some kind, for people to look out for and care for one another. This was extremely liberating for me.
Charles: I first came to Quakers in 2000. I had started meditation, and wanted to explore different ways of worshipping in silence. My friends Paul and Scottie were regulars here and suggested I join them. I was made very welcome – along with my partner Alison and children. My children Melanie (now 29), Jim (27) and Tom (18) all really enjoyed their time in the Children's Meeting. When I meditate I am usually alone, so I appreciate the experience of worshipping alongside others at Quaker Meeting. I like Advices and Queries no 8: 'Worship is our response to an awareness of God'. We can worship alone, but when we join others in expectant waiting we may discover a deeper sense of God’s presence. We seek a gathered stillness in our meetings for worship so that all may feel the power of God’s love drawing us together and leading us.
Ruth: It’s almost 40 years since my staff bus went along the A4 ad I saw “Friends Meeting House” on the wall to my left. I’d attended meeting as a student and made a point of seeking the building out and going the next Sunday. I am still here and I met my husband and married here, brought my children up in the care of the meeting and have helped and been helped by it over all that time. I can’t imagine life without the worship or the community. It underpins the rest of my life. The sense of the presence of God in everything I do and everyone I encounter influences my actions and choices and motivates me. “Remember each one of us is unique, precious, a child of God.”
(Sadly our friend Ruth passed away early in 2014. When she wrote this we were still in our old Meeting House beside the A4.)