Quaker Christianity
What do Quakers believe?
Quakers believe as George Fox said: Christ has come to teach his people himself. We believe that the Holy Spirit is with us to guide us, to teach us how to live. Our primary task is to respond faithfully, together, to the Spirit’s guidance.
SPICES
Friends have found that listening to the light of Christ within us leads us to a common, Christ-centered way of living. English-speaking Friends often articulate our social commitments using the acronym of SPICES. It breaks down like this:
Simplicity is the practice of laying aside all that hinders us. May we learn to desire one thing: communion with God and with one another.
Peace is the practice of treating all life as sacred. May we value the life of each person as though it were our own.
Integrity is the practice of telling and living the truth. May we always say what we mean and live up to what we say.
Community is the practice of listening to each other and seeking truth together. May we be led together to live in the light as none of us could do alone.
Equality is the practice of ensuring that all voices are heard and respected. May we be rooted in God's love for all people and willing to listen well.
Service is the practice of love. May we love at every opportunity and always turn towards love.
These commitments are borne as spiritual fruit.
Paul Buckley explains Are SPICES ‘the’ Quaker Testimonies.
Leadership
Pastors
Julie E. Rudd, M.Div. and Craig M. Dove, M.Div., PhD.
Julie Rudd grew up in the Tug Hill area of New York. She attended Houghton College in Western NY, graduated from seminary at the Earlham School of Religion, and returned to New York to work at a case management program at the Salvation Army in Syracuse addressing the needs of chronically homeless clients. She spent the past eleven years serving as a Friends pastor southwest Ohio, and she also worked in communications at Friends United Meeting.
Craig Dove grew up east of Portland, Oregon. He studied philosophy, completing his bachelors at Duke University, his masters at the University of South Carolina, and his PhD at Tulane University. He also earned a Masters of Divinity at the Earlham School of Religion, and spent the previous decade in Ohio working as a hospice chaplain with OhioHealth and becoming board certified. He chaired OhioHealth's Ethics Advisory Committee for Community Based Services and also served on the board of the BioEthics Network of Ohio.
Julie and Craig met in seminary and married in 2014. They have twins, George and Gardenia, who were born on December 25th, 2022.