New Garden Friends Meeting

09/10/2026

09/06/2026

You are invited to Meeting for Worship online, which will be available just before 11 a.m. Here’s the link:
livestream.ngfm.org/watch

09/06/2026

In The Forum today at New Garden, the Rev. Frank Dew and journalist-author Jeri Rowe. Rowe is the author of “Calling: A Memoir of Ministry.”

09/05/2026

Quaker Meetings get things done by committee. At New Garden, there’s a committee looking after outdoor spaces (Grounds) and a committee that takes care of the facilities (House). Another committee concerns itself with keeping the books balanced (Finance & Stewardship). There’s even a committee to make coffee on First Day (Sunday) mornings.
Each committee is led by clerk, and all are encouraged to conduct business "after the manner of Friends."
Quakers, as is well known, do things a little differently. For instance, we don’t vote on decisions. Rather, we strive to reach consensus on matters large and small. Which means that in order to do a good job, clerks need to develop certain skills that typically aren’t taught in most classrooms or learned in the workplace.
There’s an emphasis on listening and respecting all voices. Clerks don’t (or shouldn’t) seek to rally a committee toward a certain decision. Instead, clerks aim to help those gathered find unity.
On Saturday, twenty-some New Garden Friends Meeting clerks gathered for a seminar on clerking. Marian Beane, a veteran clerk from Charlotte Friends Meeting, came to share her insights on clerking skills and good practices.
The event was coordinated by Jean Burns Pudlo, clerk of New Garden Friends. The clerk of the Meeting is the top position in a Friends congregation.
Some clerks in attendance were new to their responsibilities. Other long-time Friends present have clerked numerous committees over the decades. It was a morning with lots of discussion, Q & A, role play and plenty of laughter.
The clerks’ time together opened and closed with brief periods of silence (open worship) to center and reflect on the task at hand.
Quakers, as mentioned earlier, do things a little differently, and have for nearly 400 years.
www.ngfm.org

08/28/2026

What’s new in the foyer? The gallery of all of New Garden’s pastoral ministers, from long ago right up to today. Check it out!

08/25/2026

Music of all sorts is a big part of worship at New Garden Friends Meeting. Recently we've been serenaded by a flute choir, sung summer camp songs, and heard Scott Joplin's ragtime as a prelude. Then, last First Day, member Alan Teichman took us back to 1939 with this bluegrassy Southern gospel tune.

Alan Teichman (guitar, vocals and harmonica) performs this classic ...

08/22/2026

We were delighted to host a bunch of Guilford College students last week - Quaker Leadership Scholars, plus Honors, Bonner and ELF (Ethical Leadership Fellows) students. Welcome, F/friends!

08/19/2026

Marcy Reid-Smith delivered the prepared message at Meeting for Worship on August 16. The video is here:

Marcy Reid-Smith, a member of New Garden Friends Meeting, delivered...

08/11/2026

Friends (aka Quakers) believe that all those in the Religious Society of Friends are ministers. And over the years, a number of members at New Garden Friends Meeting chose to become Quakers after serving as ministers in other faith traditions. The prepared message on August 9 was delivered by John Danner, who before retiring was a United Church of Christ minister. Carter Lawe, a third-generation Friend at New Garden, performed "Simple Gifts' on violin.

John Danner, a retired UCC minister and member at New Garden Friend...

08/05/2026

Brenda Esch, pastoral minister at New Garden, titled her August 2 message "Marching." She began by asking for a show of hands: Who played an instrument in a high school band? To experience what came next, check out the video.

https://youtu.be/J3ZoIvS-Lao