In 1653, a jailer beat George Fox with a cudgel. Fox “was made to sing in the Lord’s power.” The jailer brought a fiddler to drown him out — but the Spirit’s song won.
The Quaker tradition of spiritual singing in prison runs deep.
Category: Youth Ministry,
A Father’s Lost History of a Grandma’s Soother Day: Recovering Anti-War, Anti-Colonial Roots of Mother’s Day
“We ask for the ballot not as a privilege, but as a weapon. With it, we shall refuse taxation for war. Without it, we are but breeders of cannon fodder.”
— Julia Ward Howe, 1870
This is not sentimental. This is strategic.
Read the full South Jersey Quakers reflection.
Healing Earth’s InterWeb
Quaker Earthcare Witness is calling Friends and faith communities to take one practical step for the Earth this Earth Day: restore native habitat where you gather, worship, or live. Add your meetinghouse to the QEW Action Map and join a growing network of Spirit-led stewardship. #QuakerEarthcare #Sustainability #CreationCare
#FreedomWalk2026
#FreedomWalk2026 is a multi-week pilgrimage from historical sites of enslavement to sites of liberation, culminating on July 4th, 2026 (U.S. semiquincentennial). Walkers carry stories, names, and calls for reparative policy, land return, and truth-telling. The route includes partner stops with Burlington Meeting, Black churches, and land trusts.
Rekindling Our Fires (SJQ)
Join a Spring 2026 Quaker weekend in South Jersey with music, worship, family activities, and potluck fellowship. All are welcome—seekers, families, and Friends.
What is this Present Concern Before Us? #SantuaryEverywhere means Love of Neighbor
How does #SantuaryEverywhere mean to seek in our Full Lives and to give us New Words to Love of Neighbor? Is this a Present Concern Before Us? Friends, we are again called into vigilance. Recent actions by federal authorities to establish a large-scale immigration detention facility in Roxbury Township—opposed by state and local leaders—signal not […]
Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?
A Balm of Gilead for Friends in a Time of Wars: A Quaker Biblical Witness “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?” (Jeremiah 8:22). The cry of the prophet echoes across centuries into our present hour of trembling nations, wounded bodies, and wounded spirits. For Friends—rooted in the Living Presence, the […]
Pacifism – Testimony Under Fire
Light in Darkness: A Testimony Under Fire From Westminster to Kyiv: State Secret Kidnapping’s Expanding Shadow If the raids at Westminster Meeting House were a “chill” on dissent, the events unfolding in the shadow of expanding global conflict are a deep freeze. As the fires of war leap from Ukraine to Kuwait, and from Sudan […]
Light in Emptying Darkness: London Calling – South Jersey Friends
In the silent quiet of our Meeting Houses, we speak of peace and equality. But what happens when the world’s turmoil crashes against our doors? Last month, the Metropolitan Police breached Westminster Meeting House in London, arresting 15 young activists practicing the art of peaceful protest. No charges. Just intimidation.
As Caroline Nursey, clerk of Westminster Meeting, reminds us: “Quakers have been accustomed to oppression by the state for over 350 years.”
REGISTER NOW FOR “WOMEN’S SPEAKING JUSTIFIED: PAUL ANDERSON IN CONVERSATION”
This Women’s History Month, join us for a landmark conversation about one of the most important documents you’ve probably never read.
In 1666, Margaret Fell sat in Lancaster Castle, imprisoned for her Quaker faith. From that cold cell, she wrote Women’s Speaking Justified—a fiery, scripture-by-scripture defense of women’s right to preach and lead. It became the theological backbone for a movement that would send thousands of women ministers across the globe before 1720.
Now, renowned scholar Paul Anderson has translated Fell’s work into modern English, making it accessible for a new generation. Anderson brings rare credentials: he’s a world-class New Testament scholar AND the son, grandson, and brother of recorded women ministers. He knows this material in his bones.
Following Anderson’s presentation, Windy Cooler of the Friends Incubator for Public Ministry will discuss how we can nurture prophetic voices today. The Incubator exists because, as Cooler writes, “Friends have often fallen out of practice in supporting ministers.” This conversation is about reclaiming that sacred work.
