The Meeting Community  - As many candles, lighted and put in one place, do greatly augment the light, and mak it more to shine forth, so when many are gathered together in the same life there is more of the glory of God  - Robert Barclan (1678)

    Friends are bound together in community by a continual process of common seeking and experience of the Light within.  The community provides spiritual and emotional nurture.  It also stimulates our thinking and challenges us to put into practice our convictions.  In the meeting, we share fundamental ideals and values, and the meeting affirms and inspires us.
    Within this fellowship, divergent leadings are often present.  Friends seek a balance between the needs of the individual and those of the group.  Open recognition of and respect for differences, forthright sharing, and sincere reflection can lead individuals to new insighht and strengthen the meeting as a whole.  It is possible to resolve differences either directly by the individuals involved or with the meeting's assistance.  Unity emerges not only from agreement but also from a common search for the truth conducted in a spirit of loving concern.
    Friends strive to be sensitive to others' spiritual and material needs.  Both requesting and giving assistance are essential aspects of Friends' life together, and taking a warm, personal interest in one another's welfare strengthens the meeting and individuals alike.   Friends also provide spiritual support by holding in the Light those experiencing special hardship or joy.  In mutual service and support, we express our love for God and reflect God's gifts to us.
    All forms of sharing  - spiritual, economic, domestic, co-operative service  - enhance meeting unity.  These experiences within the meeting enable Friends to envision new possibilities for community living and usggest practical ways to build community beyond the meeting.
    Yearly meetings and other gatherings are opportunities for Friends from different areas to nurture spiritual growth and fellowship.   The scattered company of SAYMA seeks to build the living community of the spirit.