About Us
The Basics.The Berkeley Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Berkeley Friends Meeting) is an open and affirming unprogrammed Quaker meeting which is affiliated with College Park Quarterly Meeting and Pacific Yearly Meeting. The Berkeley Friends Meeting began in 1914, with its first Meeting to Business held in 1916.
The Meeting Clerk is Theresa Cox (email).
All are welcome and invited to attend our Meetings for Worship (9 am Sunday, 11 am Sunday).
Meetings for Worship. We gather in silence to wait upon God. The Meeting for Worship is unprogrammed and without prearrangement. Those who minister by a spoken message do not come prepared to speak. As we listen, and as we break the silence, we seek to be guided by the Inner Light. Vocal ministry, responsive to the spiritual needs of the Meeting, deepens, rather than interrupts, the silent worship. Messages are brief and each one is followed by a period of silence. In Worship, we are refreshed in the life of the Spirit and, in that Spirit, we strengthen one another. In speech or in silence, each person contributes to the Meeting.
Visitors and newcomers. Visitors and newcomers are welcome; to provide a record of your visit, you may sign the Guest Book in the foyer of the Meetinghouse and may also indicate whether you would like to receive the newsletter and request a nametag. We would also love to get to know you better after the 11 am Meeting for Worship over refreshments in the Community Room.
Activities. Members, attenders, newcomers, and visitors are welcome to participate in Meeting activities. There are regularly scheduled social events, information and discussion sessions, and activities sponsored by Meeting committees. The Library, with its collection of Quaker history and theology, books about other religions, and Oral History collection, is open after the 11 am Meeting for Worship.
Activities for Children and Youth. Childcare is provided during the 11 am Meeting for Worship. Activities for older children include games, learning about Quaker beliefs, and service projects. Two or more adults are present with children at all times.
Communications. Information about Meeting events and activities is available on the website, our Facebook page, email list, and in our monthly newsletter. Regularly scheduled events are listed on the bulletin board in the Community Room. Announcements are also given weekly after the 11 am Meeting for Worship.