Tacoma Friends (Quakers), an unprogrammed meeting of the Religious Society of Friends and member of North Pacific Yearly Meeting, is a community of seekers. Join us for your spiritual journey into the oneness of faith, community, and the Earth.

Meeting for Worship begins every Sunday at 10 am. Usually we offer blended meetings (in person and via Zoom) every Sunday except the first Sunday of the month. However, this coming Sunday, August 9th, Vashon Island Worship Group is visiting us at the meeting house with a potluck to follow. We encourage all who can make it to come in person to Tacoma Friends for worship and fellowship with Vashon Friends. If you can’t come in person, check out the link below for multiple online worship choices.

Online Worship (westernfriend.org)

First Day School summertime schedule – June, July, and August – is supervised free play during worship.

Tacoma Friends have the practice of offering advices and queries each month. Advices convey wisdom gathered from the inward experience of Friends trying to live faithfully in the Light. Queries challenge us to turn inward and nurture faithfulness as a foundation for every thought and action.

Advice and Query – Civic Responsibility – August 9

Advice –

Friends’ responsibility toward civic authority requires integrity and discernment. When government acts as a coercive agency, especially when resorting to violence, it may violate Quaker principles. On the other hand, the state commands respect and cooperation when it acts to maintain an orderly society with justice under law for all and to meet human needs.

When obedience to the state appears to be contrary to divine law, Friends take prayerful counsel to find the right way forward. This involves testing our resistance to the state through discernment in the meeting community, possibly through a clearness or support committee. When the decision is to refuse obedience, we act openly and make the reasons for our actions clear. If the decision involves incurring legal penalties, Friends generally have suffered willingly and fearlessly for the sake of their convictions. If we are not personally involved in an action of civil disobedience, we strengthen the meeting community by supporting our fellow members with spiritual encouragement and, when necessary, with material aid.

Queries –

• What are we doing to uphold those acting under a concern aligned with Quaker belief?
• Do we share our convictions in a spirit of loving concern?

August 9th Second Hour – Potluck with Vashon Friends Worship Group

Tacoma Friends is hosting Vashon Worship Group for worship and a potluck to follow. If you can bring a dish to share it would be great. We have main dish options including meat stew, vegetarian mac and cheese, and vegan beans and rice. Bring whatever you like to add to the festivities and get to know Vashon Friends better. At the end of the month on August 30th, those who can will take the ferry over to Vashon for worship and fellowship there. These are wonderful opportunities. All are welcome

Contact us: tacomafriendsmeeting@gmail.com