Social Justice and Unami

At Unami, we seek, both individually and collectively to examine our attitudes and actions regarding race, class, ability, gender, and sexual orientation and find ways to inform ourselves and take action to address injustice. We support the work of other Quaker organizations who are committed to seeking social, economic, and environmental equity and justice.

	Social Justice Initiative
	“For years, we have been involved with the restoration of a stream bank and meadowland close to our meetinghouse. We read a book related to climate change, Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. We educated ourselves about sustainable agriculture. We donated to Earth Justice, an organization that provides legal support for environmental litigation. Our Meeting joined others to support a Pennsylvania action to limit greenhouse gas emissions during electrical power generation and to join other eastern states in a regulated carbon market (RIGGI). The Carbon Forest Logo represents our current Carbon Forest Project: the outgrowth of two years considering climate change and discerning action we can take. Click here for more information.
	Our Meeting advocates for Social Justice for black, indigenous, and people of color. We continually educate ourselves by reading books, including Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehesi Coates, Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, and How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, watching films, like James Baldwin’s I Am Not Your Negro, and engaging in meaningful discussions including difficult personal observations about our own brokenness. We have participated in local and regional Black Lives Matter and anti-hate rallies. More recently, we have been studying the effects of systemic racism and what reparations would mean for us. Click here for a list of Black Owned Businesses in the Lehigh Valley, Upper Perkiomen Valley and beyond.
	Unami Meeting supports and honors diversity in our faith community. Among our founders in the 1970s were gay and lesbian members and their families. Unami Friends welcomes everyone into full participation in the life of the Meeting, including those of all sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, or relationship statuses. Our meeting depends on and supports a spirituality based on wholeness of body and mind. We strive to be a thriving place for trans children and their families. Unami welcomes same-sex couples and assists in uniting same-sex partners in marriage.
	There Is No Way to Peace….. Peace Is the Way….. The Peace Banner stood so long outside our meetinghouse that the weather shredded it and the tattered sign needed to be removed. A moving experience shared by many during worship was the sign clanking against the Meetinghouse. . . reminding us of the message. . . reminding us how fragile Peace is. Meeting members and attenders have been active in demonstrations and lobbying for peace throughout our short history. We are ready and able to help young men find clearness in registering with Selective Service when they reach 18. Should a draft be reinstated, our Meeting would help provide guidance, perhaps leading to Conscientious Objector status or Alternative Service. We support the work of Quakers working for peace in organizations like American Friends Service Committee and Friends Committee on National Legislation.
	This image represents opening our hearts to everyone in the world. We partnered with a rural community in India to fund a well that was built by villagers. Our First Day School provided hygiene and school supplies for village children. Unami members support the resettlement of refugees and provide food aid and relief to those living in disaster areas. We’ve had presentations by volunteers working with immigrants in Allentown and in the Berks County Detention Center. We supported Afghan refugees in the Lehigh Valley. The Social Justice and Outreach work is never done!
	Love Thy Neighbor............no exceptions It is one thing to tolerate ideas held by people far away; it is another to find tolerance for those with different opinions right next door. Unami strives to see the Light in each person and listen to the views of others. We have studied Quaker publications that highlight how to cultivate tolerance and understanding of alternate points of view. We have welcomed a Muslim group to tell us about their faith. Some of us participate in organizations (Courageous Conversations and Braver Angels) that provide opportunities to engage in discussions that help us listen to and understand others’ viewpoints on a variety of topics. Our Meeting provides support, devoting 7% of our annual budget, to Open Link, a multi-service agency that provides services and programs that help, educate, empower those in need in the greater Upper Perkiomen Valley. Our Meeting has also raised funds for Project Home, a Philadelphia organization that provides services to unhoused families and individuals.

Hello and welcome to our meeting. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

Visiting Unami for the First Time?

If you've never attended a Meeting for Worship, we hope you will come worship with us -- give it a try.

Many have found help in viewing the "introductory" videos (below) to answer questions that might arise in expectation of a Quaker Meeting for Worship.

Here's what to expect

What do we do in silent worship?

We come together in silence:
To listen to the Spirit
To grow in our faith
To support each other
To help one another follow the Light within.

Our time together looks like:

Sitting quietly together, adults and children
Speaking as moved by the Spirit
Listening
Shaking hands when worship ends and greeting those around us

Quaker worship is based on silent waiting, where we expect to come into the presence of the Divine. In this living silence, we listen for the still, small voice that comes from the Divine through the Inward Light.

The essential experience of Friends is that of a direct, unmediated relationship with the Divine. Friends have used many terms or phrases to refer to the inner certainty of our faith: the Light Within, the Inner Light, and that of God in every person.

On Speaking in Friends Meeting for Worship:

Allow yourself time to settle into silence.
Refrain from preparing messages in advance. A message should come from the Spirit.
If a message comes to you, consider whether it is for you alone or to be shared with others.
Before you offer vocal ministry, allow time to elapse for a previous message to speak to the Light in others.
Speak briefly and from your personal spiritual experience.
Speak only once.
When you speak, speak so that all can hear you.
Be careful about speaking in reply to another's message. Forums and discussions can happen elsewhere. However, themes sometimes do emerge in Meeting for Worship.

Most Quaker meetings, at least in this part of country, are so-called "unprogrammed" meetings.
This means that our meetings for worship are not led by a minister, but are largely conducted in silence. Typically, a Clerk or other Member of the Meeting will close worship with a simple "Good morning friends" but otherwise the meeting may be completely silent.

My First Time at a Quaker Meeting
Quaker Silence
What Attracts Newcomers to a Quaker Meeting
What Do Quakers Believe
Glossary of Common Quaker Terms
How Quaker Meeting Changed My Life

Insight Support, 10/15/2019