Quaker Meetings of the South Coast

Find a Friends meeting near you

Four Quaker meetings on the South Coast. Whoever you are, there is an open door near you.

Find a meeting near you

Each meeting is its own community. Choose the one nearest you to see worship times and how to visit.
Your First Visit

Thinking of coming? Here is exactly what to expect.

Visiting a Quaker meeting for the first time is low-key by design. There is nothing you need to know, bring, or believe beforehand. Come as you are. Here is how a first visit actually goes.

A first visit, minute by minute

  1. 1

    Before you arrive

    Come a few minutes early if you can. No need to sign in, dress up, or tell anyone you are coming. Parking is usually simple; if you are unsure, the meeting will happily tell you.

  2. 2

    Arriving

    Someone will quietly greet you and show you where things are. Sit wherever you like. The chairs or benches usually face one another rather than a stage.

  3. 3

    The silence begins

    Worship starts in stillness. There is no announcement, no music, no leader up front. Settle in, breathe, and let your mind quiet. That is the whole practice.

  4. 4

    During the hour

    Mostly silence. Now and then a person may stand and speak briefly out of the quiet, sharing something on their heart. You listen; there is no discussion or reply. You are never expected to speak.

  5. 5

    The close

    After about an hour, one Friend will shake hands with a neighbor, and everyone follows. That gentle handshake ends worship.

  6. 6

    Afterward

    Often there is coffee and friendly conversation, and newcomers are usually welcomed by name. It is a good moment to ask anything. Or slip out quietly. Both are completely fine.

What to expect

  • A warm, unhurried welcome
  • Shared silence, and space to just be
  • People genuinely glad you came
  • Freedom to watch and take it in

What you will not find

  • Pressure to speak, sing, or perform
  • A collection plate aimed at you
  • Being singled out or put on the spot
  • A test of what you do or do not believe

Common questions

Do I have to say anything?
No. Most people never speak, and many Friends go to worship for years mostly in silence. Speaking is always optional and never expected of a visitor.
Do I need to be religious, or a Christian?
No. Friends welcome people of every faith and of none, including seekers, doubters, and those simply curious. You do not have to believe anything in particular to be welcome.
What should I wear?
Whatever is comfortable. There is no dress code. People come as they are.
How long does it last?
Worship is usually about an hour. Many meetings have coffee and conversation afterward, which you are free to join or skip.
Can I bring my children?
Yes. Children are welcome, and several meetings have a children's program or a quiet space for families. If it helps to know the details ahead of time, just contact that meeting.
What happens if someone speaks?
Occasionally a person feels moved to share something briefly out of the silence. There is no discussion and no reply. You simply listen, and the quiet returns.
Will I be asked for money?
No. No one will put you on the spot. Meetings are supported by their own members; a visitor is a guest.
What if I have never done anything like this?
That is true of nearly everyone their first time. There is nothing to get right. Come, sit, and see how it feels.

Ready when you are

Pick the meeting nearest you on the Find a Meeting page for its worship time and address. You are welcome to simply show up.

What Friends Believe

A faith of experience, not creed

Quakers (the Religious Society of Friends) hold that there is that of God in everyone, and that anyone can know it directly. There is no required creed and, in our unprogrammed meetings, no clergy.

Out of that simple conviction grow the testimonies that shape how Friends try to live. They are not rules so much as a direction of travel, worked out together and lived imperfectly. Open each to see what it means in practice.

Friends on the South Coast welcome people of every background, orientation, and gender identity, and people at every stage of doubt or belief. You do not have to have it all figured out to belong.

Simplicity
Living plainly and keeping your focus on what truly matters, free of clutter and excess.
Peace
A long commitment to nonviolence, and to working actively for peace and reconciliation.
Integrity
Letting your life speak: honesty, and keeping word and deed in line with one another.
Community
Caring for one another, and making decisions together in a patient search for unity.
Equality
There is that of God in everyone, so every person is of equal worth and dignity.
Stewardship
Caring for the earth and using time, money, and resources responsibly.

Want to read more?

These trusted Quaker sources go deeper: New England Yearly Meeting, Friends General Conference, and the short videos at QuakerSpeak.

Events

Gatherings across the meetings

Worship happens every Sunday at each meeting. Beyond that, here are the wider gatherings the whole community is welcome to.

The Allen's Neck Clambake

Held since 1888 on the third Thursday of August, the Allen's Neck Clambake is one of the South Coast's most beloved summer traditions.

Aug
20

Allen's Neck Clambake

Allen's Neck Friends Meeting, South Dartmouth. A community tradition since 1888.

Sun
10

Meeting for Worship

Every Sunday at each meeting. See Find a Meeting for each meeting's time.

Each meeting also holds its own gatherings through the year, from book fairs to seekers groups. Check the meeting nearest you for what is coming up.

Our History

Three centuries on the South Coast

Quakers have gathered on the South Coast for more than three centuries. The story below is shared by all four meetings, each carrying part of it.

The Dartmouth Monthly Meeting was founded in 1699, among the oldest gatherings of Friends in the United States. From that root the meetings here grew over the following centuries: Westport (then called Coaxet) was set off in 1766, and New Bedford in 1792.

Among the meeting houses still standing are Allen's Neck, completed in 1761, and the New Bedford meeting house of 1822. In Westport, the 1813 meeting house was built under the leadership of Paul Cuffe, the Black Quaker sea captain and abolitionist, who is buried behind it.

These meetings have long been part of the region's witness for equality and peace, and they remain active, welcoming communities today.

1699

Dartmouth Monthly Meeting founded, the root of the others.

1761

The Allen's Neck meeting house completed.

1813

The Westport meeting house, built under the leadership of Paul Cuffe.

1888

The first Allen's Neck Clambake, a tradition still going strong.

Contact & About this site

Getting in touch

The best way to reach any meeting is through its own page. Choose a meeting on the Find a Meeting page for its contact details.

This site is a shared welcome mat for the Friends meetings of the South Coast, all part of Sandwich Quarterly Meeting within New England Yearly Meeting. It is a directory and a guide for newcomers. Each meeting is independent and governs itself; this site simply helps people find the meeting nearest them.

If your meeting would like to update its listing or has a correction, please get in touch and we will take care of it.