Durham Friends Meeting

Located just south of Erwin Rd near 9th Street, the Durham Friends Meeting is a very vibrant meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.  The meeting is unprogrammed, so don't come expecting to hear a pastor give a sermon or the congregation sing a few hymns—it's a very different experience, described during one meeting as "improvisational worship that dances with the Holy Spirit".

Like most Quaker meetings, the Durham Friends Meeting is very active in social justice, environmental stewardship, education, and community organization.  The meeting directly holds two to three all-meeting events a month, and works with many other ecumenical organizations.

Formally, the meeting is a member of the North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative), and is thereby attached to the Wilburite/Conservative branch of Friends.  It is also associated with the Piedmont Friends Fellowship, and is thereby associated with the Hicksite branch of Friends. 

In practice, what this means is that the meeting has a decidedly Christian sensibility (including Bible studies and a prevalent love for Jesus) while avoiding any litmus test of beliefs to join.  This makes the Durham Friends Meeting a very welcoming place for those Christians who may not be willing to make doctrinal commitments or who find themselves more wondering and seeking than certain.  It also seems to attract many Christians who found their previous church homes to lack spiritual nurturing.