World Quaker Day 2026: Let Peace Be Among Us
Ahead of this year’s World Quaker Day, Ella Morris from Friends World Committee for Consultation, reflects on what a Quaker Meeting looks like…
In most places in Britain, a Quaker Meeting Worship lasts for about an hour, on a Sunday morning, often in a Friends Meeting House. But Quakers have always held that God is present in all places and times, and therefore no time or place is more holy than another. One of the first Quaker meetings was on Firbank Fell, a hillside in North West England, and lasted upwards of three hours. As the movement spread, Friends gathered for worship in private houses, in barns, and even - when they were imprisoned for defying the established church - in the dungeons where they were incarcerated.
As with the origin of most Quaker ways, this is modelled on the New Testament. The Sermon on the Mount took place outside. At Pentecost the disciples were gathered at a house. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says that “wherever two or three are assembled in my name, I am there with them.” For many Friends, communal stillness is a form of communion.
In modern times, Friends have discovered that the Spirit is also present when we gather online, each joining from wherever we are. It’s now quite common to be in an online meeting with some people at home, some outdoors and others in a Meeting House.
Building on the belief we can connect with the Divine anywhere and anytime, from the 26th of September to the 4th of October Quakers in Britain are making plans to meet in a variety of unusual places, and for a variety of lengths of time. Find out more here.
On 4th October, the body that connects Quakers around the world is planning an extended meeting for worship lasting 6+ hours, joining Friends in different countries together.
If you are interested in coming along you can register here. As part of it you’ll get to experience the different ways Quakers across the globe express their faith, and hear how they work for peace. You can come for the whole thing or just drop in for a few minutes, as you feel able.
Whether you’re meeting for a few minutes or an extended period of time, gathering with hundreds on a hillside or sitting with two Friends in a garden, we all have the potential to ‘feel the power of God’s love drawing us together and leading us’ (Advices and Queries 8).
