From The Winchester Star dated Saturday 29 Aug 2009.
By Cynthia Cather Burton
The Winchester Star
Clear Brook -- Maggie Stetler was raised Catholic.
But deep down, she was really Quaker.
Hopewell Meeting House has been hosting services for 250 years.
(Photos by Jeff Taylor) |
"I just didnt know it," the Winchester resident said recently.
Four years ago, Stetler visited the 250-year-old Hopewell Meeting House for the first time.
She was so moved by the hour-long Sunday service the congregation sits in silence unless someone is moved to speak -- that she has been attending ever since.
Stetler thinks others would find the faith's commitment to pacifism, social activism, and simplicity appealing -- if only they knew about it.
Quakers typically shy away from publicity, but they're making an exception this year to mark the 275th anniversary of Quaker worship in the Shenandoah Valley. It began in 1734 in a Frederick County log cabin with about 70 families who migrated from Hopewell in Lancaster County, Pa.
A more permanent structure, the Hopewell Meeting House, was built 25 years later from native limestone and pine on present-day Hopewell Road. It is here that Quaker worship has continued uninterrupted since 1759, making it the area's oldest surviving place of worship.
Linda Wilk (left) of Falling Waters, W.Va., a member of the Hopewell Friends since 1997, and Maggie Stetler of Winchester, who attends local Quaker services, look over the sanctuary of the meeting house near Clear Brook. The first Quakers moved to the Valley in 1734, and Quaker services have been held at the meeting house for 250 years. "You dont have to be Christian to come here," Wilk said. "You would never be turned away." |
Today, about 100 families are on the rolls at Hopewell, which merged in 1999 with Winchester Centre Meeting to become Hopewell Centre.
Linda Wilk, clerk of the combined meetings, said 30 to 40 people regularly attend services. They are held on the first three Sundays of the month at Hopewell and on the fourth Sunday in the Winchester meeting house at Washington and Piccadilly streets.
Wilk was raised Presbyterian. Nearly 30 years ago, she and her husband became "convinced" Quakers.
She noted that just 25 percent of Hopewell's members are Quaker by birthright. Most came to the faith later in life.
"You don't have to be Christian to come here," Wilk said on a recent afternoon as she sat on a shady side porch at Hopewell. "You would never be turned away."
Because Quakers dont evangelize or advertise, they are frequently confused with the Amish, Wilk added with a laugh. "They think we walk around in plain clothes and dont use electricity."
Another common misconception is that Quakers -- long associated with the image of a white-haired man smiling benevolently from beneath the brim of a black hat on the front of an oatmeal box
-- have gone the way of the dinosaur.
In 1910, workers were rebuilding the eastern end of the historic meeting house near Clear Brook. The area's oldest surviving place of worship, built of native limestone and pine, first held services in 1759.
(Photo provided by Hopewell Meeting House) |
When people learn that Winchester resident Jim Riley is an eighth-generation Quaker, they often ask: "There are still Quakers around?"
Established in mid-17th century England as an antidote to institutional Christianity, Quakerism -- formally known as the Religious Society of Friends -- has about 300,000 members worldwide, according to the Web site
http://www.Quaker finder.org. About 100,000 live in the United States and Canada.
Quakerism eschews creeds and religious symbolism and has no official leader or pastors. Each member is considered equal before God and capable of knowing "the light" directly.
Wilk said the faith's emphasis on living simply and peacefully makes it particularly relevant now, given the wars and economic and environmental crises around the world.
"We think we speak to the 21st century."
CELEBRATION PLANNEDAnyone interested in learning more about Quakerism may attend the Hopewell Meeting House's annual homecoming service and anniversary celebration Sunday.
It will begin with silent worship at 10 a.m., followed by a pot-luck picnic at noon. Music will be provided at 2 p.m. by Chilean guitarist Ali Youssefi and violinist Pam Hill.
The Hopewell Meeting House, a Virginia Historic Landmark and a Frederick County historic site, is at 604 Hopewell Road near Clear Brook. It will remain open throughout the day for visitors to explore.
Vintage photos, quilts, and clothing will be on display. Quaker crafts will also be for sale.
Four free public talks on "the Quaker way" will be held Oct. 7, 14, 21, and 28 at the Centre Meeting House in Winchester. For more information, call 540-667-9114 or visithttp://www.hopecentre.quaker.org. |
-- Contact Cynthia Cather Burton at
cburton@winchesterstar.com