What Does “A Christ-Centered Quaker Community of Ministers” Mean?
We are Christ-Centered
Rooted in biblical Christianity and acknowledging Jesus as the true head of our community.
We are a Quaker Community
Identifying with the Friends heritage of discipleship, equality, simplicity, peace, social concern, and decision-making by prayerful corporate discernment.
We are a community of Ministers
All of us have our own voices, gifts and ministries. Our pastors encourage the spiritual gifts of all of us and seek to make those gifts active in our worship services and the work of the community. Through our life together in meetings for worship and business, in our committees and task groups, and in informal times together we try to help each other live in relationship with God and in the ethical consequences of that relationship.
How Reedwood is Organized
Most decisions affecting the Reedwood Friends community are made in monthly meeting at which all are welcome (visitors and committed members alike) to attend. These meetings are held most months on the fourth Sunday.
The presiding clerk (as Quakers call the presiding officer of our gatherings) exercises servant leadership over the meeting, as we all seek the will of God through prayer and discussion. Decisions are reached and recorded when substantial unity has been found. Normally, in the absence of such unity, decisions are deferred for further prayer and study.
Much of the work of the community is done in smaller groups. To read more about these committees and councils, CLICK HERE.
The church’s officers and elders are chosen through a nominations process and approved by the monthly meeting.
For Reedwood’s wider affiliations in the Quaker world, see About Quakers. For information on membership in Reedwood, contact any of the pastors.
We at Reedwood Friends Church (Quaker) have been moved, by recent actions that have taken the lives of young black people and created a climate of demonstrations and violence across our nation and even around the world, to make a statement. As we, the Elders and pastors considered what we might do it seemed good that making a statement agreeing to become part of the solution rather than sit back and act as though we cannot make a difference seemed good. We hope this statement will encourage us all to do better at being followers of Christ. Lloyd Pruitt, Presiding Clerk
A STATEMENT OF CONCERN
As followers of Christ, we are called to express our personal faith in Christ through peaceable, loving behavior towards all people. We must love all of our neighbors as ourselves. Our love for God requires a compassionate attending to our neighbors’ expressed needs, without exception, hesitation, or discrimination. Here is the foundation and challenge set before us as followers of Christ. As a church, a community, and a nation, we must continue to raise our voices against racism.
Therefore, we at Reedwood Friends Church, a Quaker meeting, vow to openly oppose and peaceably work to dismantle the forces of racism that would bring harm, physical, emotional, and spiritual, against our neighbors of color. We vow to live more fully into the standard that Christ leads us. Agreeing with Dr. Martin Luther King’s statement, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”; we are committed to bringing light to this time of darkness.
To our neighbors of color, we see you, we hear you, we stand and walk alongside you in this struggle.
Mark Condo-Pastor
Mario Macias-Latino Pastor
Lloyd Pruitt-Presiding Clerk
(This statement was prepared by the above and the current Elders as of June 5, 2020: Susanne Christopher, Marcia Kubat, Carole Spencer and Kara Wilkin.)