| Who are the Quakers? |
"Quakers" was the name of Christian converts who arose in England in the 1600’s. They believed God could be experienced directly in worship by corporately waiting in silence. Contemporaries noted their religious fervor with contempt, as they spoke out of the silence, and labeled them Quakers. Originally they called themselves the Religious Society of the Friends of Truth, now just Friends. The body of the membership is known as the "Meeting" and the place where they worship is the "Meetinghouse."
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Friends gather weekly for worship, originally in homes, now at the Westbury Meetinghouse, and monthly to consider the spiritual, social and financial affairs of the Meeting, called a Monthly Meeting for Business. Meetings on Long Island gather four times a year for the Quarterly Meeting to worship and consider business affecting these Meetings. Once a year Friends from many Monthly Meetings gather for a Yearly Meeting.
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| Who are the Westbury Quakers? |
Throughout its history, Westbury has been the site of Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly meetings. Consequently, when we talk of Westbury Quakers, we mean that we embrace not only the local groups of Friends who worship together, but also all the Friends who have been connected to Westbury.
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