Welcome!
Northside Friends Meeting is a Meeting (chapter/church) of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. We welcome people from all cultural backgrounds and spiritual practices, families of all sorts, youth and elders, people of all races, identities, genders, and orientations. All may find refreshment at Northside Friends Meeting.
We hold Friends’ central belief that there is that of God in every person.
The foundation of our religious practice is the Meeting for Worship. At Northside, we practice unprogrammed worship, during which we gather to know the Light of the Spirit within ourselves and one another directly, without an intermediary. Any of us can minister as we are able. We sit in silence, waiting for Spirit to provide messages which we may share, and that help guide our actions. Messages are precious gifts!
As Quakers, we often ask ourselves collectively, and as individuals, are we living our testimonies (our values) of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship? Of course, the answer is yes and no. Nonetheless, we strive for our actions in our daily lives to reflect these values and to make a difference in the world, starting with our interactions with each other.
We find our deepest commonality in working together through Quaker process. Our community is self-governed, making decisions collectively, guided by Spirit, with care and consideration for everyone. When struggling with doing the right thing, we may join in dialogue, seeking the Light within. It can be messy.
Northside Friends Meeting started in 1962 in the shadow of the Vietnam War when a small group of Friends began gathering weekly in each other’s homes for worship and fellowship. 35 years later, we found a home as resident partners at the Japanese American Service Committee (JASC). The last few years have seen a deepening of our relationship with JASC with more participation from our Meeting in JASC events.
Our history is informed by individuals in our community who labor in good faith over tough social issues - peace, the rights of LGBTQ+ people, women’s equality, and ending incarceration. We are currently addressing white supremacy in our community and this work has impacted many facets of our Meeting life. We aspire to become a beloved and welcoming community that recognizes and decries all manifestations of racism and white supremacy within ourselves, the institutional culture of our Monthly Meeting, and the wider world of Quakers. We strive to work for justice through sustained efforts to heal those inured by racism. We hold ourselves accountable to one another in Spirit.
In an effort to heal both individuals and the world, we have held healing circles and have committees focusing on social justice and anti-racism work.
Working together to accomplish the work of our Meeting we become aware of one another’s personal gifts and seek to nurture them. So too we nurture our children. In fact, Chicago Friends School was founded with the effort of members of our Meeting.
If you would like to learn more about us, attending Meeting for Worship is a great place to start. Or send us an email if you have questions.
You are welcome here as you are. We’d love to meet you.
