INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME          PRACTICE            EARLY HISTORY

INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME

The Coldstream Friends Meeting is part of the larger Religious Society of Friends(Quakers).  Together with other autonomous Meetings from across Canada we are affiliated with the Canadian Yearly Meeting and also interact with the Friends United Meeting of the USA.

Our Coldstream Friends Meetings for Worship are unprogrammed, meaning that we gather together in silence without the leadership of a pastor or priest. We are our own clergy and all members or attenders contribute with whatever spiritual or other gifts they have. Our Meeting House was built in 1859 and is surrounded by peaceful scenery. The two acres of grounds that go with the Meeting House has a modestly small cemetery in the back. This area in the town of Coldstream is generally considered a historical site and draws many visitors throughout the year. People often learn about the core of Quakers beliefs and practices through their own spiritual studies. To facilitate this study, books on Quaker beliefs, history, and concerns can be borrowed from our lending library in the Meeting House. We also have frequent informal discussion sessions after silent worship.

WHAT DO COLDSTREAM QUAKERS SAY?

  What we have in common with all traditionally Quaker groups and Meetings can be comprised in the following short summary:
-There is something sacred in all people
-All people are equal before God.
-Religion is about the whole of life.
-We meet in stillness to discover a deeper sense of God's presence.
-True religion leads to respect for the earth and all life upon it.
-Each person is unique, precious, a child of God.

"Deep within us all there is an amazing sanctuary of the soul ,a holy place,
a Divine Center,a speaking Voice, to which we may continuously return.
Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our time-torn lives, warming
us with intimations of an astounding destiny, calling us home to Itself"
From, A Testament of Devotion, a Quaker classic,
by Thomas R. Kelly (1893 - 1941)

OUR BASIC BELIEFS CAN BE FURTHER OUTLINED AS FOLLOWS:

  1. Like many other denominations, Quakers are individually diverse in their beliefs about many things but share one central belief that there is a spark of God in every human being, and therefore every person is in a direct relation to God.

  2. From this central belief flows the conviction that all persons have inherent worth, regardless of their gender, race, nationality, religion or sexual orientation. That is why Quakers have always been opposed to sexism, racism, intolerance of all kinds, the death penalty and war.

  3. There is a strong mystical component to Quaker belief. Because the individual's relation to God is primary, Friends believe that dogmas, ceremonies or rituals are not essential. Quakers therefore have no priesthood, no hierarchy and no mandatory beliefs other than the fundamental belief that there is a spark of God in every person.

  4. Quakers revere the Bible and believe that it has many layers of meaning. They rely upon the Inner Light and do not consider any formal interpretation as the final word on matters of faith and practice. They believe in the continuing revelation of God through the operation of the Spirit in all fields of life.

  5. A Meeting for worship consists of an hour of silence in order to clear the mind and focus attention on preparing to receive the spirit. Members of the Meeting, if they feel moved by the Spirit, are free to speak during the silence.

  In gathering together to worship in this way, individual Quakers gather as a society of friends who share in the readiness to receive the Spirit. Individual worshipers are strengthened by, and strengthen, the faith of their fellow worshipers.
  Testimonies of Friends from throughout its history as a Religious Society have been compiled in a book of guidance and inspiration called Christian Faith and Practice in the experience of the Society of Friends, which is periodically updated to keep abreast with new insights and issues of concern.

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PRACTICE

  1. Their beliefs have led Quakers to avoid bestowing special authority on any individual or group within the Society of Friends. Each Meeting is autonomous, governing itself by means of a spiritually based consensus model. The clerk of the Meeting is responsible for expediting business but decisions about matters of business are made by the Meeting. It is the role of the Clerk to discern the sense of the Meeting based on the discussion of the members present.

  2. In any matter of business being considered, the decisions are not made by a vote which sets up a win-or- lose situation. This would be contrary to the Quaker belief that there is that of God in every person. Therefore all opinions and insights need to be considered. The outcome is not the lowest common denominator of what people will accept but a prayerful consideration of God's spiritual direction in our lives. This is often a slow process but leads to the members moving forward together.

  3. Men and women in the Religious Society of Friends have always had equal standing in every aspect of the Society's ministry and governance.

  4. Simplicity, truthfulness, pacifism, and the reality of inner revelation are long-standing Quaker beliefs, as are the equal status of men and women, the abolition of slavery, the relief of human suffering, and the fostering of justice and human creativity.

  5. The Clerk and members of committees are named by the monthly meeting. The meeting will form a Nominating Committee which will examine the vacancies that need to be filled. They then consider the members who might have the skill and qualities needed for the various positions and ask them if they would be willing to serve. The Nominating Committee reports back to the Meeting which, after consideration of the recommendations, accepts or declines the proposals.

  6. Although small in number compared to other denominations, Quakers have embodied their principles in practical efforts to relieve human suffering and to foster human creativity. This has created, for example, active involvement in Aboriginal Affairs, Jails and Justice, Environmental Issues, Programs of Self-help and Education in underdeveloped areas in the world, Alternatives to Violence, and Peace and Social Concerns, both national and international.

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THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS (QUAKERS)
EARLY HISTORY OF COLDSTREAM FRIENDS MEETING
ESTABLISHED IN1850
COLDSTREAM, ONTARIO, CANADA

EARLY HISTORY
George Fox (1624-1691) was the founder of the Religious Society of Friends (more commonly known as "Quakers"). As he approached manhood he became dissatisfied with established principles and religious formalities. At the age of 23 (in 1647) he conceived the idea that there is in every person the power to communicate directly with God. This power needed only concentration and sincerity, not ornate surroundings or elaborate rituals. He left home to preach his insights throughout England and Europe and soon gained thousands of followers who, like him, had been searching for a truer form of worship.
One of these followers was a young Englishman, William Penn (1644-1718), and he joined Fox on his preaching missions. Together they were tried and imprisoned under laws designed to stamp out all but the "official" church.

QUAKERISM COMES TO AMERICA -

Penn came from a very influential family and on his father's death he inherited vast holdings in England and Ireland, together with a debt from the English Crown which, by 1680, amounted to 16,000 Pounds. He had been educated as a lawyer at Oxford, in London and in France and much of his time was spent securing the release of Quakers who had been imprisoned because of their religious beliefs. Despite his own activities on behalf of the Friends he was highly respected in the Court of King Charles II and Penn asked the King for a grant of land in America as payment of the debt to his father. This was readily granted and Penn drew up the constitution for his colony based on, among other things, absolute freedom of worship. Many of the persecuted people of Europe (Friends, Mennonites, Amish, Dutch Reformed, French Huguenots, Moravians) seeking asylum from the oppression of their homelands were attracted to America by the promise of this freedom.

- AND TO CANADA

After the American Revolution many of these people preferred to remain under British rule, and these were among the United Empire Loyalists who came to Canada. The Niagara Peninsula was a favourite settling area for Quakers and Mennonites from Pennsylvania. Their lands were overrun during the War of 1812 and threatened again during the Mackenzie Rebellion of 1837 so, once more, they looked for an area where they could live in peace. They finally found it, halfway between the frontiers of Niagara and Detroit and in the northernmost part of the Talbot Settlement, in Lobo Township, where they have lived in peace and prospered by their labours.

EARLY HISTORY OF COLDSTREAM FRIENDS MEETING

Between 1834 and 1843, among the first settlers in the area now called Coldstream, were the Quaker families of John and Margaret Harris, Benjamin and Sarah Cutler, John and Sarah Marsh, and Daniel and Susan Zavitz. In 1854 and 1863 the Kester family and then the Muma family settled here also.

In the beginning informal meetings for worship were held in family homes. In 1849 the first formal meeting of the Religious Society of Friends called an Indulged Meeting was held, setting up a structure for the development of the now existing Coldstream Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. In 1850 land was donated to erect a frame building which would serve as a meetinghouse . By 1859 this frame meetinghouse was inadequate to accommodate the growing families and it was replaced by the now existing brick structure. A burying ground was also established behind this building where the graves of many Coldstream Quakers can be found.
Some other family names comprising the developing Quaker community are Shotwells, Hamachers, Sitters, Willsons, Browns, and Bycrafts.
The Quaker pioneers did not limit their energies to the practice of their religion or the clearing of land and establishing successful farms. To fill the settler’s needs Benjamin Cutler built a combination grist and saw-mill on the Sydenham River on the Coldstream Road. A quarter of a mile downstream John Marsh built another grist & saw-mill, a furniture factory and a woollen mill in what now is Coldstream. There was no rivalry between the two mills because the settlers of the area were using the products from the mills as fast as they were turned out. Later a general store was built and run by John Marsh’s son Jacob and his wife Louisa. The Marsh Store is still standing as a privately owned historic building in Coldstream.

The Quaker settlers established a good relationship with the Indian people who often camped along the Sydenham River while they were cutting hickory and ash trees for baskets and tool handles. On cold days they would often come into the homes of the hospitable Quaker families to warm themselves by their fires. Of these homes, John Marsh's home was often a favoured place of refuge.

Friends were diligent about education. Before any libraries existed Friends had formed reading groups and personal books were shared with other families. In 1875 they set up the Olio , a literary and debating society which served the wider community for 25 years. The Coldstream Public Library, est 1887, had it birth from the Olio Society. A First Day School was started in 1880 and was the first Sunday School in the area . From 1886 to 1899 the Young Friends' Review was published by Coldstream Young Friends. It carried news and editorials of interest to Quakers over a large area of Canada and the United States.

Friends filled the necessary roles of a budding community acting as first postmaster, school teachers, carriage makers, shoe and harness makers, blacks smithies and watch and jewelry repair, & weigh scale operators. The Quaker Phone Company established in the Marsh store was one of the early phone companies.

Charles A. Zavitz, son of Daniel and Susan Zavitz, was director of Plant Breeding and Field Experiments at the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph. He became world renown as a plant breeder and his leadership was responsible for developments in many of the gain crops commonly grown now in Ontario.

The meetinghouse, built in 1859, remains in good condition and continues to house Meeting for Worship for our present Quaker community. Through the years the makeup of our community has changed. The Coldstream Quaker Meeting community that was originally established here was made up of families who had been Quakers for generations. Over the intervening years our community has been, more and more, made up of what we call ‘convinced Friends’ or people who have come to worship with us because they are attracted to the beliefs and practices that Friends have held over the centuries.

You are welcome to join us for Sunday morning Meeting for Worship at any time. The Meeting house remains open for anyone wishing to look at this historic building or for anyone wanting to rest and commune with God.

"By all means use some time to be alone...
See what thy soul doth wear."
-George Herbert