QUAKERS

Why are we called Quakers?

Friends were given this nickname by those opposing the Friends movement in it's early beginnings. This is because when some of the Friends spoke in a moving way they would tremble in the power of the Lord. Friends felt that this was actually a compliment and eventually did not hesitate to use the name themselves.

What is a Meeting?

Quakers services are not called "church services". Instead, they have meetings. Some Friends Meetings hold services that are not led by a pastor while others have a minister. Therefore, instead of having a Church or Temple, Friends have Meetings and gather in a meetinghouse.

What are Monthly, Quarterly,
and Yearly Meetings?

Although each local Friends group ordinarily meets for a weekly worship service, it holds a meeting to handle business once each month. Hence, for business or structural purposes, it is a "monthly meeting" and such has long been the name applied to the organized local Quaker groups.

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Several neighboring meetings are usually associated in a Quarterly Meeting (Similar to Districts in the Wesleyan Church). As the name indicates, these ordinarily have three or four gatherings during the year, at which representatives from the monthly meetings discuss matters of joint concern.

Monthly meetings within a larger area, sometimes covering several states, join in a Yearly Meeting. There are thirty of these in the United States and Canada. Some overlap geographically, allowing monthly meetings to group themselves with others which they feel are most similar in attitudes and practices. The Yearly gatherings are occasions for business and promote spiritual inspiration as well as sociability.
     

Most of the Yearly meetings are members of some national grouping such as Friends United Meeting, Friends General Conference, or Evangelical Friends International. Internationally there is a Friends World Committee for Consultation which ties together Quakers all over the world. Asheboro Friends is part of the Friends Church of North Carolina (FCNC), which we recognize as our yearly meeting.