A Request for Membership 

by Ted Ehrhardt
Brooklyn Meeting

The following letter was submitted to Brooklyn Meeting in 1999. Ted is currently the clerk of the meeting.

Dear Friends,

I am writing to ask if I can be a member of Brooklyn Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. I have been attending for four years and would like to share some of what I have learned in your company during that time. In an introduction to Quakerism course I learned that I would have to overcome my fear of being considered crazy were I to take our practice seriously. This is now a risk I will hazard. I have learned that it is necessary for me to sit in the presence of God every day. I am called to do this even though I fight against it. When sitting I experience confusion, fear, all sorts of complex emotions over which I have very little control. But I do sense the presence of God and am confident that I am doing just what I should be doing. I cannot do this alone. Alone I am selfish and hysterical. Your companionship keeps me focused and more able to sit and listen and obey. Thank You.