Our History
Swarthmore Friends Meeting was established in 1893. Our home is a beautiful old Meetinghouse at the edge of the Swarthmore College campus. A later addition, Whittier House, is used for First Day School and other activities.
Quakerism was founded in 17 th century England by George Fox, whose revelation
was that God speaks directly to each person who will listen. This meant that there were no
professional preachers, and that any worshipper could stand and give the message they
had received from God. Today there are about 400,000 Quakers in the world, with major
concentrations in East Africa, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East.
Our Worship
Our Meeting begins with silence, usually at least ten minutes, as we clear our minds
of day-to-day concerns and settle into the silence together.
Quaker worshipers listen inwardly for spiritual leadings or insights. Out of the silence,
we offer brief messages as ministry inspired by the divine.
To allow space to consider each message, we leave some silence after someone speaks.
When someone feels led to speak, that Friend will rise (if able) to speak in a voice loud enough to be heard throughout the room.
Friends generally don’t respond directly to what another person has said.
We don’t arrive prepared to speak—or determined not to speak. We are called to listen
to one another with open minds and hearts.
Almost always, one speaks briefly and only once.
Our Sense of Community
Spirituality
For more information about our spirituality, visit the Spirituality page, https://swarthmorefriendsmeeting.org/spirituality
Relationship with Swarthmore College
Although the Meeting enjoys an excellent relationship with the College, we are an independent organization and most of us have no college affiliation.
