You may wonder what could have a positive impact on the violence, upheaval and uncertainty of our world today.  

A small group in Fairhope connects with a long history of action and faith on a path toward peace. Behind the Fairhope Friends Meetinghouse, located at 9261   Fairhope Avenue, is a visual statement of the Quakers’ concern for peace and non-violence.  In the shade of towering cedar and oak trees is a Peace   Garden, a work in progress which continues to grow and change with the seasons. In the Peace Garden is a labyrinth — a quirky, Quaker configuration with more than one path that leads to a Peace Pole at the center and out again to the world. The Peace Pole, a hand-crafted wooden monument that displays the message and prayer “May Peace Prevail on Earth” on each of its four sides, in eight different languages, is one of more than 200,000 located in 180 countries all over the world and serves as a constant reminder to visualize and pray for world peace.

Marina, a 9-year-old who attends Fairhope Friends Meeting with her parents and younger sister, explained this four-sided wooden pole that stands taller than her head.

“The Peace Pole says, ‘May peace prevail around the world’ in eight different languages so other people in different places can think about peace, too. We’ve put stones from around the world around it and also flowers. It’s in the middle of the garden part. I think the Peace Pole is important because I want people to think about solving problems with love – not war. I like to hangout back here; it gives me a happy feeling. I think other kids will like it too; it’s not just a grownup place. There’s a cool playground over here, too.”

My family hid a geocache box here. That means we put trinkets in a box with a log book and hid it in a spot in the Peace   Garden.  You can go to geocaching.com to find where we put it. We put maybe 10 or 15 things in our box here. Almost every single thing has something to do with peace. If you take something out of the box, you have to put something back in.”

Quakers — in Fairhope? Yes, and they’ve been in BaldwinCounty for over 100 years. But who are these people known as Quakers, Friends or Society of Friends?  Aren’t they the ones who ride in horse and buggies and stay to themselves with no modern conveniences?

Quakers do not dress like the man on the oatmeal box or use a peculiar pattern of speech.  Quakers are not Amish or Mennonites. They live in the community, drive cars, use computers and talk on smart phones; they place a high value on education and their children go to school with yours. But because they are not evangelical, you may not know that your neighbor or co-worker is a Quaker.  

Quakers are a diverse group of individuals united in Spirit but not by a specific creed, and their social actions span a wide range in the modern world.  Today, for example, the American Friends Service Committee is involved, among other things, with abolition of torture, eliminating racially biased criminal laws, demilitarization of the police, prison reform and LGBTQ issues. More information about American Friends Service Committee is available at AFSC.org.

Quakers came to Baldwin County in the early 1900s, migrating from Indiana, Ohio and Iowa, drawn here like many diverse peoples by a combination of factors including the Single Tax, good farm land and mild climate. Up until 1950, much of the Single Tax lands east of Highway 98 and particularly the portion between Fairhope Avenue (Highway 48) and Morphy Avenue on the south was farmed by members of the Religious Society of Friends.

Also known as the Society of Friends, Quakers are a faith community that began in the 1600’s as a breakaway movement from the Anglican Church in England. A fundamental tenet of this group is to recognize that of God in everyone; this belief is reflected in action that includes direct involvement in community and world affairs. Quakers are known to quietly roll up their sleeves and go to work to promote peace, and help the hungry, sick, homeless, imprisoned and others oppressed by various forces, without regard to political or cultural distinctions. Quakers were the backbone of the Underground Railroad used by so many slaves as they fled from the South to freedom. Quakers have been very active in the Civil Rights Movement, women rights, voters’ rights and many others.  In 1947, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and British Friends Service Council accepted one of he most prestigious awards in the world — the Nobel Peace Prize — on behalf of Quakers worldwide. The prize recognized 300 years of Quaker efforts to heal rifts and oppose war. In particular, it named the work done by the two recipient Quaker organizations during and after the two world wars to feed starving children and help Europe rebuild itself.

The Quaker Meetinghouse was built on the north side of Fairhope Avenue sometime after 1910. It is located just east of Highway 13 and west of Highway 181 and continues to serve as the Meetinghouse for the Fairhope Friends. The early Friends first constructed a one-teacher school to the west of where the Meetinghouse would be built; today, the old school is a private residence.

By the late 1940s, there were 64 Quakers in the Fairhope area; many were farmers who had worked for years to build their homes and livelihoods here. They were deeply imbedded into and committed to their community, but in 1948 four of the young Fairhope Friends were sentenced to federal prison for refusing to register for the draft.  By the time the men were released, a swelling tide of Quakers had decided to leave their homes in Baldwin County to move to Costa Rica, a country where the military had been abolished, the government was stable, the economy sound and the climate was warm. By early 1951, 44 Quakers, ranging in age from two years to 80, had moved from Baldwin County to Costa Rica. When the families left this area, they had not selected land in Costa Rica, so they used Heredia as a home base to scout their new country. The group finally bought 3,500 acres that included land suitable for farming and pastures as well as cloud forests for the protection of the watershed; there they began to carve out a new life that included construction of a school, meetinghouse, cheese factory and various farming interests.  The Monteverde Friends remain a thriving and contributing part of Costa Rica. Over the years, Friends have moved back and forth between Fairhope and Costa Rica, and the two Quaker groups maintain strong ties.

After the exodus of two-thirds of the Meeting to Costa Rica, the group that chose to remain behind struggled to regain traction. The number attending the Fairhope Friends Meeting today is small but steadfast and growing. The makeup of the Meeting has changed to reflect a typical slice of modern Baldwin County. Most of the current members came to Fairhope Friends from other spiritual paths and are known as “convinced Quakers;” a minority of the members are “birth-right Quakers,” those whose parents were Quakers and who were raised within the Meeting. The old Meetinghouse remains much the same, but it has been updated for its protection and the comfort of those attending — for example, there is new wiring and insulation, central heat/air conditioning and foam on the wooden benches; a kitchen and bathroom were added.

INVITATION

Fairhope Friends invite the community to the Meetinghouse, located at 9261 Fairhope Ave., on Sunday, September 21, to share a time of focus on peace, a day designated by the United Nations as the International Day of Peace.  Beginning at 11:15 AM, there will homemade ice cream, poetry and other peace-related readings, followed by a peace vigil at noon.  Feel free to bring signs that reflect your vision of peace.  There will also be a pot-luck breakfast at 9:00 a.m. and meeting for worship at 10:00 a.m. All are warmly welcome.  

You are also invited to visit the Peace Garden, located behind the Meetinghouse; come to walk the labyrinth, sit on the benches, and enjoy the peace and beauty of our world. If you like, bring a rock or seashell to share; you’ll see others from wide-ranging places around the base of the Peace Pole. There’s a playground for the children. We welcome your energy and offer you a place to pause, in peace. Feel free to enjoy the Peace Garden and labyrinth at any time.