Noah Baker Merrill
Noah is a member of Putney Friends Meeting in Southern Vermont, a local congregation of New England Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
He seeks to follow in the living Quaker tradition of service and travel in gospel ministry – the practical spiritual work of building relationships, encouraging faithfulness, and participating in Love’s work of awakening hearts. The work is about coming more fully Alive together to what is most deeply Real.
Putney Meeting has named Noah a Released Friend, freeing him to be available for this service as he is led by the Holy Spirit. The meeting has minuted its recognition of the gift of ministry given through him, and in keeping with Friends’ practice provides nurture and oversight of this unfolding work. As a member of Good News Associates, Noah shares in ministry with a gifted network from across the diverse branches of Friends’ tradition.
In this service, Noah offers vocal ministry as he is led; responds to invitations to preach and give prepared talks in diverse settings; writes for publication; engages in one-on-one spiritual encouragement and pastoral care; accompanies others in ministry; supports communities across North America and beyond in Spirit-led work for justice and healing; consults with faith-based organizations; and leads workshops on themes including spiritually-based activism, discernment for social witness, “prophetic service”, deepening worship and the spiritual life of communities, traveling in the ministry, and the future of the Religious Society of Friends.
Noah is a founding board member of Quaker Voluntary Service, which provides opportunities for transformational service and witness grounded in Quaker faith community. In 2009, for work supporting a future of peace for and with the people of Iraq, Utne Reader magazine recognized him as one of “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World.”
He can be reached by email, or you can follow him on Twitter (@anendlesslife) or on Facebook.
A note on the Quaker practice of traveling with a “minute”:
Noah’s travel minute, endorsed by Northwest Quarterly Meeting and New England Yearly Meeting, can be downloaded here. The practice of Friends is for those who receive a traveler in the ministry to “endorse” the minute with a written reflection on the experience of the visit – of how Truth was present among those gathered, or with a sense of what happened that was meaningful or useful, or what may have been challenging in the time together. The endorsed minute is then returned to the home meeting, bringing news of the Friend’s service among those visited and offering a vital form of accountability for the exercise of the trust and responsibility of ministry placed on the traveling Friend.
