Conservative Friend

I started worshipping regularly with Friends in the '50s when I was still a child and my family found Friends, originally in an FUM church.  Most of my life I was in unprogrammed meetings, most of the time of the liberal variety.  Had a powerful experience with Jesus Christ at the 1987 FUM Triennial, and have felt the need to have Christ central in my life since then.  Served for a while on the FUM Board.

This made me increasingly uncomfortable among liberal Friends.  I networked with other Christian Friends in Baltimore YM, and we would hold retreats and gatherings.  Helped found the Friends in Christ ministry, which we once thought would become its own meeting/church.  It combined Quaker ideas with those that would know be known as Emerging Church.  We have two Bible study groups in the Washington-Baltimore corridor, and an Internet ministry.  I also became an affiliate member of Rockingham Meeting in Ohio YM.

With Friends in Christ not becoming a meeting/church, I sort of wandered for years with regard to my worship affiliation.  For a few years, I alternated between attending an early, very small worship service at a local meeting which tended to be a bit more Christ-oriented than the big later meeting, and an independent charismatic church.  I learned a lot from the charismatic church, but it never really felt like my spiritual home.

In 2005, I gave up Quakers for Lent.  During Lent, I attended all Sundays at Cedar Ridge Community Church, an independent church in the emerging church style dedicated to Christian discipleship.  It felt like my spiritual home, and I became a member (for which I was removed from affiliate membership by Rockingham).

Some folks know me from QuakerInfo.com, a site I founded and maintain but do much less with these days.  It has an active Forum which draws from all parts of the Society of Friends.

I am not formally a Quaker anymore, but I still value ties with Friends.

Hi Bill,

We’ve crossed paths in cyberspace various times – and maybe you remember me. Nice to see you here. I will be looking forward to seeing the contributions that you bring this way.

Best wishes to you - your family and community.

In Christ,

George

Bill Samuel,

I appreciate the times you've given me insight into my inquiries and I would like to say, alongside George, that I look forward to all you do with us and with others along your journey.

Tim