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A New Ministry

© Bill Samuel

About a dozen people drift into a classroom in a middle school in Greenbelt, Maryland, on a Wednesday evening. They greet each other and sit in a circle. The leader opens up the 90-minute experiential class by asking those gathered to share briefly on something related to their spiritual lives he has chosen as the opening sharing topic. He then asks if someone will read the chosen scripture passage, from the gospels, for the evening. He reflects briefly on it, focusing on what it has to say about how we are to live our lives. Then he presents questions for personal sharing related to the passage. The group waits in silence until the first person is ready to share. Others share, with sharing often punctuated by brief periods of silence. As the class time nears an end, the leader calls for an end to the sharing, and the group settles into worshipful silence, out of which several offer vocal prayer.

The format is simple, but the sharing is deep and profound. In some cases, participants report significant change in their spiritual lives sparked by these sessions. The change may be development of a daily spiritual discipline, or a change in attitude towards other people or the circumstances they face in daily life. Almost everyone who attends once comes back.

The group that gathers is ethnically diverse and the participants have a variety of life experiences. Many are middle aged, but some are younger or older. Some have not been active in any church for quite awhile, and some are active in churches of various denominations. About half have some background with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), but the rest come from other backgrounds and may be unaware before first coming that the ministry team comes from Quaker backgrounds.

Friends in Christ

The group that sponsors these classes calls itself Friends in Christ, and is incorporated as an independent Christian ministry. The ministry is founded by Friends (Quakers), has received support from Friends United Meeting (the largest of several branches of Friends), and has an Advisory Committee composed of six Friends. However, it reaches out to others and presents program content largely without denominational or "churchy" language and references.

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