A HISTORY OF THE GRANVILLE FRIENDS MEETING (QUAKERS)

The Granville Friends Meeting, Religious Society of Friends, began as a worship group in 1946, meeting at the College Town House and the home of one of the founding families, the late Maylon and Anne Hepp.

A decade later, in 1956, it became a monthly meeting under the care of the Friends World Committee of Consultation (FWCC).  The meeting thrived, becoming active in a variety of peace and justice issues, local and national.  By 1966, however, all but one family had moved away so the meeting was laid down (disbanded).

In 1978, Granville Friends came together once again as a worship group, with five families participating.  Within five years, the worship group was capable of resuming full meeting responsibilities, this time under the auspice of the 4-state Lake Erie Yearly Meeting.  During the subsequent decade, Granville Friends were once again active in the community, particularly in regard to peace and disarmament issues.  Local Friends, for example, first installed the Granville Peace Pole on the south side Broadway in Granville at the crosswalk in 1987 in cooperation with the Denison-Granville Peace Fellowship.

The pole, replaced and rededicated in 1998, has the words "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in four languages: English, Russian, Chinese and Arabic.

By 1989, however, a number of families in the meeting had moved away, requiring that the monthly meeting again be laid down although three families continued to gather each First Day as a worship group.

These remaining families were the core of a third generation that revived the Granville Meeting in June 1993.  A major Friends' event during the 1990s was the annual toy fair in Granville each November, promoting the use of non-violent and non-sexist toys and games as Christmas gifts for local children.  Although the toy fair was discontinued after 2003, the Meeting remains active in supporting local charities and social welfare programs, including the New Beginnings Women's Shelter and Licking County Food Pantry.

Friends in Granville have met in private homes as well as other available venues throughout the meeting's history.  In 1997, the meeting was invited by Denison University to use the 4^th-floor faculty lounge in Slayter Hall on the campus.  This is where we continue to meet each First Day at 10 a.m. (excepting on months which have five Sundays, where we meet on the 5^th Sunday at Kendal at Granville.)