Our Heritage

Friends Roots
The Friends Church began more than three hundred years ago in England under the leadership of George Fox, a man who experienced a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and spent his life sharing this experience with others. Those early Friends made great contributions to the spiritual and social needs of their country, taking the lead in securing prison reforms, religious liberty, Christian education, and care for the suffering.

Friends In America
Before long the Friends (also called Quakers) began coming to the new world along with other colonists, and soon there were thousands of Friends in America. In 1681, the colony of Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn, an outstanding English Quaker, as a refuge from persecution for fellow Quakers. Years later, Friends were instrumental in establishing an effective underground railroad for the relocation of those bound by slavery.

Moving West
As other Americans moved west, so did the Friends, taking with them their faith. Among the first priorities for these pioneers was the establishment of a group for worship and a meeting house in which to conduct such worship. By 1812, Friends in Ohio had united to form the Ohio Yearly Meeting of Friends. They held annual meetings in the Mount Pleasant Yearly Meeting House for many years. Later, Damascus became the headquarters and place of meeting. Since 1965, the Yearly Meeting has held its annual session in Canton, Ohio.

Evangelical Friends Church - Eastern Region
In 1971, the name, Ohio Yearly Meeting, was changed. Now known as the Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region (EFC-ER), Evangelical Friends Churches are organized into regions called Yearly Meetings. FFC is one of over 90 Evangelical Friends Churches in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Rhode Island and eastern Canada that make up the Evangelical Friends Church - Eastern Region.

With a membership of some 13,000, EFC-ER maintains its office in Canton, Ohio. In 1992, the World Outreach Center was dedicated in Canton, serving as a center for Friends working to fulfill Jesus' Great Commission to mobilize, equip and send workers to spread His love. The World Outreach Center and central offices are located at:

5350 Broadmoor Circle NW
Canton, Ohio 44709

Phone: 330.493.1660
Website: www.efcer.org
Email: EFCER@aol.com

Evangelical Friends International
EFC-ER participates actively in a larger group of Friends worldwide, Evangelical Friends International - North America (EFI-NA). Evangelical Friends International exists to help local Friends churches around the world meet the spiritual needs of their communities. Our desire is to stretch across racial, cultural, national, even denominational barriers to reach people with the life-changing love of Christ.

Evangelical Friends churches of North America consist of close to 300 churches in the United States and Canada. This region is further subdivided into 5 Yearly Meetings: