Community Life

"A spiritual community strengthens and steadies its members, nurturing them as they gain experience, and passing on a communal wisdom which a lifetime of individual searching may never uncover." --Ursula Jane O'Shea, Living the Way: Quaker Spirituality and Community.

Sunday morning worship (10:30 am) is at the heart of Ottawa Monthly Meeting community life. However, we also have many other opportunities to gather:

Potlucks

We usually have a potluck after Meeting for Worship the first Sunday of the month. All are welcome.

Attenders' Meetings

Periodically, the Ministry and Counsel Committee provides an opportunity for attenders to ask questions of more seasoned Friends after Meeting for Worship. All are welcome. Contact the Clerks for more information on when these are scheduled.

Meeting for Business for Worship

Quakers have a unique form of dealing with business. Our business meetings typically occur on the second Sunday of the month, starting about 12:30. All are welcome, although non-members may be excused late in the meeting when membership concerns are discussed.

Committee Meetings

Like most organizations, we have an abundance of committee meetings. Participation on a few committees is limited to members, but there are many opportunities to serve for attenders. Our committee handbook describes how these committees work. If you are interested in joining a committee, please ontact the Clerks.

Winter Retreat

The Ottawa Monthly Meeting winter retreat is held in late January or early February each year.

Regional Gatherings

Ottawa Monthly Meeting is part of the St. Lawrence Regional Gathering, which in recent years has been occuring in the once a year in either the spring or the fall. Information is posted on the "front page" of the website as this gathering approaches.

Canadian Yearly Meeting

Ottawa Monthly Meeting is part of Canadian Yearly Meeting. The annual August gathering is a yearly highlight for many young people and adults and will next be held at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg during the week 8-16 August 2014.

Ottawa Quakers

Ottawa Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends