Bridge City Friends Meeting
State of Society Report
2025
Bridge City Friends Meeting is a small Meeting, with approximately 8-10 Friends
worshipping in-person and another 8-10 Friends worshipping on-line. We meet in
blended format on first, third, and fifth First Days, and separately on seconds and
fourths. We hold in-person gatherings – retreats, workshops, and holiday celebrations.
We are geographically spread out in the greater Portland area but maintain our
community with the use of Zoom. We remain united in spirit.
Post-Covid, Zoom remains an important part of the Meeting’s life. Zoom has enabled us
to maintain a relationship with Friends who we would have lost. On the other hand, we
have Friends who don’t want to have anything to do with technology. Thus, twice a
month we meet separately: some Friends meet on Zoom, others in-person. This allows
Friends who are averse to technology to join us, yet there is on-line worship so that all
are included. We meet in blended fashion the other two or three Sundays per month,
including our Meetings for Worship for Business.
Occasionally a newcomer arrives with interest in our Meeting. Sometimes we don’t fit
their needs, or their lives don’t fit with unprogrammed Quaker worship. We are very
pleased to have one new member who has found a spiritual home with us. She feels
that we have helped her to understand what it means to be “in community.” We worry
that so many of us have been together for so long, it might appear we are not open to
others. Another Friend, pleased to have found us, describes BCFM as “a close Meeting,
not a closed Meeting.”
There is spiritual depth in our meetings, although only occasionally manifesting in vocal
ministry. Friends feel the Meeting is the keystone of our spiritual lives. We encourage
one another to deepen our understanding and experience of the Divine. We support one
another as we care for Friends in need of assistance, encouragement, and clearness.
Friends appreciate that our decision-making is done with integrity, with Friends listening
to different points of view, and then finding a way forward where all can unite.
We are aging – several members are in their 50’s but most of us are in our 70’s or 80’s
with concerns about our stamina and capabilities. For next year we have two Friends
who will share the clerking responsibilities, and a strong Operations Committee. The
Spiritual Life Committee (Ministry and Counsel equivalent) may be shorthanded. If it
seems that we cannot continue all our accustomed work, we hope to be clear to lay
down some tasks. We will maintain what we can do for the meeting and for one another
as long as possible.
Even though we are a small meeting BCFM has been blessed with adequate funds to
meet our current challenges and to preserve our Meeting, including funds from
investments through Friends Fiduciary. Given the current needs in our city and world,
after examining our hearts, we have decided that for the next three years, we will
increase our peace, justice, and social concerns giving by $15,000 per year.
We are actively considering the future of Bridge City Friends Meeting. We recently held
a threshing session and are following up with worship-sharing groups to further explore
our visions of the future for the meeting. Additional efforts to attract people to the
meeting are under consideration. We are beginning to look for a different meeting place
to better address our space, parking, and accessibility needs. We remind ourselves that
none of these decisions need to be rushed ahead of our sense of clearness.
Bridge City Friends Meeting still sings. We are one in the Spirit.