About Us:

The touchstone of faith for the Religious Society of Friends is the belief that there is "that of God" in... and accessible to... every human being. Everything, from our manner of worship to the way we conduct business, reflects this belief. It leads us to conclude that we are all spiritual equals and that human life is sacred. It leads us to affirm a way of life based on hope, simplicity, truthfulness, non-violence, right-sharing of the world's resources and responsibility to community. It encourages us in applying these principles to the best of our respective abilities in our private and business lives, our worship community and the wider community of the world. Three characteristics of Quakerism can be perceived immediately as different from other religions:

the absence of ministers or priests;

rule by consensus rather than majority or church hierarchy; and

worship conducted not so much "in" as "around" silence wherein anyone present might be moved to share spiritual insight.

Each worship community in the Religious Society of Friends holds a Meeting for Business once a month, which is also considered a manner of worship open to all members and attenders. There, Friends decide by consensus rather than majority on matters as various as the spiritual life of the meeting, peace and social concerns (such as prison reform and Friends' place and responsibilities in the world) as well as such workaday needs as upkeep of the building and grounds.

Meetings for Business form the operational infrastructure of the Religious Society of Friends and insure that every worshipper can take part in the decision-making process of the entire Society. They are held monthly, quarterly, and yearly. Chappaqua Friends Meeting is also known as the Chappaqua Monthly Meeting, and every third month, it sends representatives to meet with other Monthly  Meetings' representatives of a given area at a Quarterly Meeting for Business. Once a year, the Quarterly Meetings, in turn, send representatives to a Yearly Meeting to discuss the concerns and decisions raised at the Monthly and Quarterly Meetings. Chappaqua Monthly Meeting is a member of Purchase Quarterly Meeting and the New York Yearly Meeting.