Conservative Friends

Friends of all branches and beliefs are welcome at Quaker Spring.  From our initial gathering in 2007, however, Quaker Spring has had a close relationship with Conservative Friends.  2 members of Ohio Yearly Meeting (Susan Smith and Susan Bailey) are active members of our planning committee and our gatherings are held "in collaboration" with the Friends Center of Ohio Yearly Meeting.

Conservative Friends are the smallest of the four branches, but many Friends from other branches find Conservative Friends' approach to faith and practice uniquely moving and relevant to their own journey with Quakerism. This week offers a unique opportunity for learning more about the beliefs, traditions and practices of this branch of Friends.

Conservative Friends tend to be have a Christ-centered and biblically rooted faith, but has no pastors and unprogrammed worship. They also have maintained a strong commitment to the peace testimony.  Conservative members continue to "record" those who have a special gift of vocal ministry.  They also have a strong tradition of eldership, as a way of nurturing and holding accountable others with strong gifts of ministry. 

Annual Conservative Gathering

A gathering for Conservative Friends and those interested in Conservative principles is each June.  This gathering will be held in 2012 immediately preceding Quaker Spring (June 22-24) in Barnesville, making it easy for Friends to attend both gatherings back to back.  Here is a description of an earlier Conservative Friends Gathering.

Talks & workshops

Several presentations by Conservative Friends at previous Quaker Spring gatherings are posted on this website, notably one on the Conservative approach to meeting for business by Susan Smith, former clerk of Ohio YM, and one on the Conservative approach to scripture by Jack Smith, clerk of Rockingham Friends Meeting in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  There were a number of well-attended sessions held on the subject of eldering at the 2011 gathering facilitated by Conservative Friends.

Ohio Yearly Meeting

Ohio Yearly Meeting is the oldest and most "traditional" of the three Conservative (or "Wilburite") Yearly Meetings in the U.S. Ohio Yearly Meeting was the last to give up plain dress, plain speech and separate meetings for business for men and women.  Although numbers in the yearly meeting dwindled for many years, the yearly meeting has experienced a spurt of recent growth of new meetings in Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia.  There are also many Friends who live at a distance from monthly meetings in OYM that have joined the yearly meeting as "associate members".  Some of these associate members are also active in other yearly meetings (including, for example, the current clerk of Philadellphia YM and a number of British Friends.)    

Stillwater Meetinghouse was built in 1878 after the separation between the Guerneyite (now Eastern Regiion of the Evangelical Friends Church) and Wilburite (now Ohio) Yearly Meetings.  Yearly Meeting has been held here every year since it was built.  Here are some photos of the meetinghouse.

Stillwater Monthly Meeting is the largest meeting in OYM and many local Stillwater Friends have attended Quaker Spring sessions in previous years.