 MAY/SUMMER 2003 (XXXXI 3) |
Newton Meeting (NJ), like many others, has gone through periods of growth and decline in its 323-year history. In the latter part of the 20th century, with demographic changes in the immediate Camden area, the Meeting membership declined decidedly, although the meetinghouse has remained important in Camden's social history. It is currently a primary meeting place for southern New Jersey anti-war activity and for the Greater Camden Unity Coalition, a consortium of social justice organizations. Newton Meeting is housed in a modest building in Camden, New Jersey, and welcomes worshipers from nearby communities. In the past five years, our membership has grown from a few to 15 official members. We have an additional dozen attenders (some regular and others more occasional). Worship typically numbers eight to twelve people. As the Meeting has regained strength, the frequency of meeting for worship has increased from monthly, to twice a month, and now weekly.
Because we are a diverse community drawn from varied backgrounds, we make a special effort to get to know each other by coming together for a "pot luck" dinner one Saturday afternoon each month. These have been successful beyond our expectations and include worship sharing sessions around a variety of topics involving adults, teens and children.
We are part of Haddonfield Quarterly Meeting, which has been very supportive of Newton. Our members include a staff member of the American Friends Service Committee, a member of the PYM India Friends Working Group (who returned recently from a trip to India), and several members of the Greater Camden Unity Coalition. We believe many who visit are attracted to the scale of our Meeting, which feels family-like and allows for a refreshing simplicity as we seek God's leading and work to create conditions for peace and justice.
The Newton campus includes two structures, an historic meetinghouse and a school, which date back to the 1850s. Some years ago as part of a highway widening project, both buildings were moved to a large open yard with lovely mature trees. We hold meeting for worship in the schoolhouse, which, unlike the meetinghouse, has the convenience of modern plumbing and running water. We are developing a strategic rehabilitation plan for the campus to improve both structures over the long term.
We invite you to join us for worship at 10 a.m. Sundays. The Meeting is located on Cooper Street between Haddon Avenue and Eighth Street in Camden.
Francine E. Cheeks
Newton Meeting (NJ)
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM