Ministers! Choirs! Ecumenical intolerance?! criticising other Friends ministry? They don't sound like any Quakers I ever knew.

I've always thought of Quakers as being the Zen aspect of Christianity. Living a hard discipline which placed considerable demands on the individual. These folks you describe seem to be taking all the easy options that Friends traditionally turned away from.

Recall when Fox was turned out of the church by the priest at Firbank he went up on the fells and preached there instead and drew the faithful to him. Not much "Waiting in Humility" in his make-up, rather more of "Trampling the contrary under"

Maybe you should sing Sidney Carters "George Fox" very loudly from time to time with heavy emphasis on the words. Or find another meeting or move to the UK ( we have some good folk clubs over here too :-) )

I think you are right about Guildford. And you would be welcome at our meeting any time

Thy Good Friend, AWM