About the Friends

The Religious Society of Friends, better known as the Quakers, are best known as a Christian peace church and for their commitment to humanitarian service.  Prior to the Civil War, for example, Friends in the United States were among the most active participants in the Abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad.  Friends try to live the testimonies of peace and nonviolence, honesty, simplicity, equality, community, and unity. What sets Quaker worship apart from other Christian churches is that we worship in silence, and ministry only arises as the spirit moves people to speak. All members are called to participate in ministry, whether to listen or to speak. There is no pastor or programmed service.

Underlying the testimonies and this form of worship is the belief or understanding among Friends that there is that of God in each person and that we all have direct access to God, requiring no intermediary but our own seeking. Friends thus often speak of the Inward Light, referring to the seed of God within, or Christ within, looking to this inward voice to guide their speaking and their actions.

For more, please see our Faith and Practice.

Friends still retain some of their own traditional phrases. The church community is called the “Meeting” and the place of worship is called the "Meeting House." We often call Sunday the “First Day.” Because Quakers do not require profession of a creed to worship and because our form of worship looks so simple (like meditation), you will find a range of beliefs among our members and attenders. Friends arose 350 years ago in England following the reformation. They came to colonial America to escape religious persecution in England. While Friends have a Christian tradition, you will find a wider range of spiritual practices among modern Friends. In our own Meeting, for example, you will find a few of our members have a Buddhist practice, while other members occasionally attend other Christian churches. Whatever the source of a member’s religious practice, all find common ground and sustenance in our Meeting for Worship.

Besides providing for Worship, the Meeting also forms the basis for both local and wider Friends organization. We refer to Meetings such as ours as a “Monthly Meeting,” as the maintenance and running of the Meeting is conducted in a monthly Meeting for Business. Our Reno Meeting holds its Meeting for Business after Worship on the 2nd Sunday of the month. Each Meeting is responsible for its own maintenance, but it also is part of a wider Friends organization. Monthly Meetings are organized into regional gatherings of Friends which meet quarterly and yearly for worship, fellowship, and to conduct business. Our Reno Meeting is part of the College Park Quarterly Meeting comprised of about thirty-two Meetings in Northern California and Hawaii. The College Park Quarterly Meeting in turn is part of the Pacific Yearly Meeting, which includes Meetings from Southern California, Mexico and Guatemala. As the name implies, Friends gather annually for the Pacific Yearly Meeting. Members of the Reno Meeting are members of the Pacific Yearly Meeting. Our Reno Meeting makes no distinction between members and attenders. Attenders are persons who choose to worship with us, but have not sought membership in the Society of Friends.