One Winlock resident is hoping to grow attendance for a weekly Quaker meeting in Chehalis after years having to travel outside of the county or attend services online to find others of the rare protestant denomination.
Catherine Levison unlocked the doors of the Fred Hess Kitchen Meeting Room in Chehalis Tuesday morning just before 10 a.m. in hopes some interested community members might attend what she believes to be the first ever Quaker meeting in Lewis County.
No one arrived to the inaugural meeting, but that isn’t necessarily bad for a faith known in part for its appreciation of quiet time.
Levison plans to be there at the Fred Hess Kitchen Meeting Room every Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. for the foreseeable future as she also attempts to spread the word about the new meeting.
She said she believes there might be members of the community that are already Quakers and don’t know it themselves.
There do exist groups of cultural quakers who are not necessarily religious but still engage in Quaker practices.
Quakerism is, afterall, centered on the belief that all people have a direct connection with God. Long stretches of quiet time are a hallmark of traditional quaker meetings, allowing for individuals to simply listen to God.
Some Quaker denominations don’t even have pastors or clergy.
Levison was born into a non-religious family, but she feels that she has always been a Quaker and recalls having felt a connection with the religion and its tenants early in her life.
“I feel as though I was born Quaker, but in an atheist family,” Levison said. “We didn't practice Quakerism, but it always resonated with how I am. One of my favorite things about it is honesty, and that really matters to me.”
Levison has lived in Lewis County for about 15 years and has considered herself to be a part of the Quaker faith, also known as the Religious Society of Friends, for nearly 30 years. In that time, she has educated herself on the religion through extensive readings while traveling around Washington and its neighboring states to attend meetings and retreats.
Levison knows of regular Quaker meetings in many surrounding counties and cities in Washington, including Tacoma, Olympia and Kelso, but despite Lewis County’s long and well-established religious streak, she couldn’t find any record of an existing or previous Quaker presence in the state's oldest county.
Levison also participates in virtual Quaker meetings twice a week. All of these efforts have helped her craft what she hopes for out of her own meeting.
On Tuesday morning, her meeting agenda consisted of three main parts: 20 minutes of Bible reading, 20 minutes of quiet time and 20 minutes of prayer, both out loud or silently.
For more information on the new local Quaker meeting, which is free and open to all, locals can join the Lewis County Quakers Facebook group.
