Society of Friends in Indiana
Quaker History
During the early part of the 19th century, many Quakers migrated to the Indiana Territory. Many of these Friends were from North Carolina, who moved in protest of slavery in their home state. Their anti-slavery feelings moved with them. Some of these Quakers became ardent abolitionists and assisted runaway slaves by working on the Underground Railroad.
After the Civil War and the elimination of slavery, their emphasis changed from abolition to temperance. As early as 1869 itinerant Quaker ministers were conducting temperance meetings in Delaware County, Indiana.
By 1876, Quakers in Muncie established the Muncie Monthly Meeting with 18 charter members – six men, six women, and six children. The Meeting had grown to more than 100 members by 1878, and plans were made to build a frame building at the corner of Mulberry and Wall (now Seymour) streets.
The new church made a steady growth, and by the early part of 1900 the membership had risen to 350. It was at this time that plans were made for a new church building of modern design. A lot was purchased at the corner of Adams and Cherry streets. The building in which Friends worship today, was completed at a cost of $48,000 and was dedicated in 1908. In 1936, when the Meeting celebrated its 60th anniversary, membership was nearly 1,000. An education wing was added in 1963.
In 1996 a new addition with an elevator made the building more accessible to people with mobility problems. Expanded parking was added, giving us a main entrance off Jackson Street.
Another important outreach ministry of Muncie Friends Church is the Food Pantry. Started in 1977 as an outreach to low income families in our community, it continues to grow and provide an increasingly important service. During the early days, approximately 50 sacks of groceries were being distributed each month. Now our Food Pantry serves an average of 200 families each month.
Other programs arise to meet the needs our members such as: Sunday School classes, Monthly pitch-in dinners, free Friday Night Suppers for the community, Bible study groups that meet at the Meetinghouse, and a holiday bazaar. Space is also provided, free of charge, to community groups.
As the Muncie Monthly Meeting of Friends continues today, their numbers are smaller and the issues that inspired the original Muncie Quakers seem distant and hazy. Still, they “seek the Light,” and realize that theirs is a history steeped in tradition that has always looked positively toward a brighter future. The Meeting is aware there is much to be done, which can be accomplished with the quiet waiting and peaceful action after the manner of Friends.
Further Reading
Angell, Stephen W., and Pink Dandelion, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Quakerism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
Birkel, Michael Lawrence. Silence and Witness: The Quaker Tradition. Edited by Philip Sheldrake. Second printing edition. Maryknoll, N.Y: Orbis Books, 2004.
Dandelion, Pink. The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
McDaniel, Donna, and Vanessa D. Julye. Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship: Quakers, African Americans, and the Myth of Racial Justice. 1st edition. Philadelphia, Pa: QuakerPress of FGC, 2018.