Our Quaker Roots
"I have called you friends." - John 15:15

In the mid-1600s in England, a lay minister named George Fox became dissatisfied with the established church, feeling that too much emphasis was placed on outward ceremony and too little on inward experience and righteous living. He began to preach about the "Christ within," or the "Inner Light," speaking of the direct and powerful communication between the individual and God. His followers came together to form what became known as the Religious Society of Friends. They met together in worship, without clergy or ritual, sitting in silence until one among them might feel "moved to speak," rising and delivering a message from God. This was (and is) such a profound experience that it was often accompanied by the speaker's trembling - hence the name "Quakers."

Since independent religious gatherings were illegal at that time, and they refused to join the military or even to swear oaths in court, they were often harassed and imprisoned. Nevertheless, the faith attracted increasing numbers in England and Europe. Many immigrated to America, particularly to the colony granted to William Penn. In certain areas, such as Massachusetts, they were persecuted and some even martyred. Their principal that "there is that of God in every person" led them not only in opposition to war, but also to work for the abolition of slavery, prison reform, justice for Native Americans, and voting rights for women and minorities.

Quakers began settling in the Kennebec Valley in the 1770's. They moved here from Nantucket, Cape Cod and southern Massachusetts following the collapse of the whaling industry and to avoid taking sides in the Revolutionary War. The first Meeting for Worship in Vassalboro took place in 1780, and a wooden Meeting House was build on this site in 1798. It was replaced in 1833 by a brick building. Adults and children now meet together in a simple, common room with benches arranged in a hollow square. The remaining space is adapted for First Day School, library, meal preparation and social events. Both the building entry and indoor facilities are wheelchair-accessible.

Vassalboro Friends Meeting is a member of the Religious Society of Friends and is one of 13 Meetings and one small Worship Group in central and downeast Maine. The Meetings get together for a day three times a year in various locations and annually for a weekend at Friends Camp on China Lake. Every other year a gathering includes Friends from southern Maine. All belong to the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, which meets, well, yearly!