Needless to say, a lot has changed over the past 300 years. But one thing that has stayed the same: the Matinecock Quaker meeting house, located at 267 Duck Pond Road.
The Matinecock Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends — also known as Quakers — has congregated since 1725, marking 300 years of continuous worship in the North Shore community.
The group celebrated the milestone on Saturday, Sept. 20, inviting members and newcomers to learn more about the group. Presentations chronicled Quakers’ past, present and future, and the Town of Oyster Bay presented the society with a citation.
“Our 300th anniversary event unites the rich history of Long Island Quakers with contemporary voices exploring how Friends continue to build community in today’s world,” said Recording Clerk Tom Hawkins, a Glen Cove resident who said he was exposed to Quakerism as a student at Friends Academy.
Quakerism is a Christian movement that emphasizes temperance, peace, and equality, and is known for having silent meetings with no single leader.
“I was relieved to sit in relative silence and commune with God and His light myself, and not have to go through a minister or a hierarchy,” said Meeting Clerk Tom Jaske, a former Port Washington resident whose son graduated from Friends Academy.
Jaske said all decisions are made with near-unanimous consensus.
“We depend on each other to really step up and meet those needs,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins said the Matinecock Quakers are composed of approximately four dozen members. He said he attends the Long Island Quarterly meeting, where he meets with representatives from other Quaker houses, including Jericho, Westbury, Manhasset, and Bethpage.
“We meet periodically to see if there’s any shared news or insights with each other nto make sure we stay connected,” he said.
But the group doesn’t stop there, working with other community partnerships like Friends Academy.
“We do work very closely with Friends Academy. That’s probably the biggest impact we have in terms of outreach,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins said approximately 650 Friends students attend weekly Quaker meetings and the Matinecock Quakers help introduce and educate students. He said the meeting house is a separate entity from the school, but the group does have representatives on the school’s board of directors.
“It’s always been a very strong connection…We support each other,” he said.
Jaske said the group supports other community organizations as well like donating meals to the Glen Cove men’s shelter
“That’s something we’d like to do more of,” Jaske said.
At the 300th anniversary celebration, the group received a citation from the Town of Oyster Bay.
Jaske observed that “300 years is a long time.” He said Matinecock Quaker meetings date back to 1671, but the meeting house was not built until 1725.
“We’re older than the country,” he said.
