Worshiping in Silence at Barnegat Friends Meeting House

"Let us hold President Obama and all those with the power of decision-making in the Light."

These were the only words spoken during the meeting of the Barnegat Friends, or Quakers, Sunday morning.

They were confidently enunciated by Carolyn Shafer. Shafer was raised as an American Baptist, and although she wasn't unhappy with her church, she felt immediately connected when she visited a Quaker meeting in 1979.  

The Barnegat Friends Meeting House is the oldest church in Barnegat and the third oldest in Ocean County. It was built in 1767. Land for the one-room building on East Bay Avenue south of Route 9 was deeded by two men, one of whom was the son of William Cranmer, an early Barnegat settler. 

Although benches filled the one-room building, the congregation has just 12 members, four of whom attended Sunday's meeting.

Pat Sherwin opened with a reading from Jane C. Miller's collection of devotional writings, Yes, There Is Something You Can Do. As the group settled into the quiet, the last line of Sherwin's reading hung in the air.

"Silence speaks clearly: It speaks peace."

Eyes stayed mostly closed.

The sound of birds chirping and boards creaking, of bodies shuffling and stomachs growling gently filled the space.

Signs on the wall spoke into the silence. "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way," one said. "War is not the answer!" read another.

And when Shafer spoke her singular sentence midway through the meeting, it punctuated the rhythm rather than interrupting it.

To conclude the service, she stood and reached across the aisle to shake a hand, and around the small circle the benediction went.

Although no minister presides over this congregation, Shafer attended Earlam School of Religion in Richmond, Ind., and has served as a hospital chaplain, a hospice worker and an educator. 

She answered questions that Erin Baumgarner – the only congregant to grow up Quaker – said she was grateful to hear someone answer. 

Baumgarner's mother, Barbara Reynolds, was raised Catholic, but left the church in part because it taught an exclusive form of religion that she rejected. 

"Every time I ran into a Quaker, I was moved, touched," said Reynolds.

"Quakers are so not pushy, to a fault," she said. "I felt like I was trying to make my way into a secret society."

When she finally was able to talk to a Quaker and began attending meetings, the pacifism, simplicity and inclusiveness of the faith resonated with her, she said, as did the absence of a priest or middle man between her and God.

"It's a lot more work to be a Quaker, but whatever you do accomplish is significant," said Reynolds.

Sherwin echoed these sentiments, saying she prefers an experiential faith to a creedal one.

"The Bible is an important resource and source of strength. It's not the final word of God," said Sherwin, explaining that she believes God continues to speak through ongoing revelation.

Sherwin was raised as a Presbyterian and "went forward" at a Billy Graham crusade, but her faith eventually fell apart, she said. The pastor of her Presbyterian church preached eloquent sermons that moved her, she said, but she would leave church and wonder what it was all about. 

"I felt an incredible hunger," said Sherwin, describing the sensation as a God-shaped hole.  

She explored yoga and Buddhism before finding what she was looking for in Quakerism, she said. 

"When I drop into silence, that's where I connect with God. That doesn't happen with words for me," said Sherwin. 

Erin Baumgarner was 4 or 5 years old when her mother began attending Quaker meetings 21 years ago. She grappled with whether to embrace the faith when she was in college, but ultimately did. 

"I like the sense of freedom to really question what you believe in. I didn't feel pressured to believe certain things," said Baumgarner, who lives in New York City and usually attends a meeting of about 200 Quakers in Brooklyn.

She said she thinks this freedom led to a deeper faith. Her interest in social justice issues is grounded in Quakerism, she said, as are her educational pursuits in the areas of child development and family policy. 

Although only women were present at Sunday's meeting, the small congregation does include men.

The Barnegat Friends meet at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings. 

For more information, call 609-698-2058.