History of Friends
& the Northwest
Frustrated by the formalism of the seventeenth-century English church and by pleasure seeking outside of the church, George Fox searched until he discovered the One who could speak to his condition. His experience was so compelling that he told others that Christ could free persons from guilt and sin. The Quaker awakening and missionary movement that followed took the name "Friends" from Jesus' words "You are my friends if you do whatever I command." (John 15:12-15)
The Friends teaching about the presence of Christ with His people resulted in strong ethical testimonies. These included support for religious and political freedom (including women ministers), opposition to slavery, honesty in business, humane treatment of criminals, compassion for the mentally ill, and aid to war victims and others in distress. Friends opposed war and practiced peacemaking. The name Quaker, originally an insult, became a symbol of integrity. These Friends met to worship without program, plan, or preacher, relying upon Spirit-led ministry from anyone in the congregation.
As the movement grew, it organized itself into "yearly meetings." The first were in London and Dublin, then spreading to the English colonies in America. Later Quakers moved west as the frontier expanded. During this expansion, the Quaker evangelistic zeal waned but their social concerns did not.
William Penn, John Woolman, and William Allen were among Quakers who led opposition to slavery and the oppression of Indians.
In the nineteenth century Quakers split into orthodox and liberal factions; Friends today range along a broad spectrum of doctrine and worship style. Those tending toward the liberal Friends General Conference, usually meet in unprogrammed worship. More orthodox is the Friends United Meeting, encompassing a variety of worship styles. Conservative Quakers, a small group, preserve the quietist tradition. Evangelical Friends, dominantly choosing pastoral leadership, formed the Evangelical Friends Alliance.
Friends in the Northwest came from Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa, the first arriving in 1847. By 1893, the Quakers in Salem and Newberg were ready to form Oregon Yearly Meeting of Friends. Later Friends in Washington and Idaho joined, and it became known as Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church.
Northwest Yearly Meeting has continued the Quaker traditions of outreach, social concern, and education. Mission work was started in Bolivia in 1930 and has spread into Peru. Through the Evangelical Friends Alliance, the Yearly Meeting also supports ministry in Mexico, Africa, and Asia. Members of the Yearly Meeting have served in different ministries devoted to the alleviation of economic and cultural disparity. The establishment of George Fox College and Greenleaf Academy show the Yearly Meeting's support of education.