Des Moines Valley Friends Meeting (unprogrammed)
CONTACT
HOURS
ETIQUETTE
Phone:
(515) 393- 7677
Email:
clerk@desmoinesvalleyfriends.org
For more information, check out their website!
Des Moines Valley Friends (Quakers)
Meeting Times:
Sundays ( First Day )
10 AM – 11 AM Worship followed by half hour of fellowship
11:30 AM – 12:20 PM, Second hour program on social and spiritual topics
Everyday dress
When entering the Meetinghouse, you will be greeted by a host
The unprogrammed form of worship found is DSM consists of a largely unplanned service, also known as waiting worship:
- These services consist of large periods of silence, with intermittent vocal contributions by these moved by God to speak
- As Friends believe in the ‘Priesthood of all believer’s’, there is no limitation on who is able to speak at these times
Student Testimonial
The first Quaker settlement in Iowa began in 1835 when the Isaac Pidgeon family came to Henry County in southeastern Iowa. By 1860 there were five quarterly meetings in Iowa consisting of 45 local meetings in 18 different counties.
In 1939, a few people began meeting for unprogrammed worship in the home of a Friends family in Des Moines. The group continued to meet informally for about ten years. By 1950, the group was meeting for worship and a joint Sunday School at First Friends Church. In 1954 the Des Moines Friends Meeting was recognized as a monthly meeting by the FWCC (Friends World Committee for Consultation). The meeting moved to the Easter Seal Center in 1956 and met there until the present meetinghouse was completed in 1966.
The meeting house is an integral part of Friends House, which houses various like-minded non-profits and small businesses, including immigrant services, mutual aid and counseling services.