Arlington Friends House is a Quaker-oriented cooperative in Arlington, outside Boston. We typically include five to seven members with a common interest in simple living. Most residents have been single adults, but we have also included small family groups. We share a large Victorian house, with six bedrooms and five common rooms, including the kitchen, diningroom, livingroom, music room and library. The extended porch leads down into a large yard and garden. Although many of us have been practicing Friends, we also welcome non-Quakers. Our community has included members from diverse backgrounds that range from Buddhism to Catholicism, and from areas as far away as the Philippines and as close as Cambridge. Many residents have had ties with area divinity schools.
Because we are a small household we make most day-to-day decisions as a group. Members enjoy both planned and spontaneous meals together; each of us cooks for the house one night a week. We also share rotating house tasks, including shopping and cleaning. Residents attend regular house meetings.
Arlington Friends House works not only because of a shared commitment to simple living, but because we actively seek community. We enjoy each other's company, not only cooking and eating together, but sharing social events. These often include walks, bike rides, birthday celebrations, and impromptu games and movie nights.
We're fortunate to have a beautiful Victorian home in an historic neighborhood. The house is within easy walking distance of the local library, Town Hall, post office, grocery store, and shops in Arlington Center. Although we enjoy a beautiful wooded park up the street, we're only blocks from Mass. Ave. and public transit (MBTA). Local bus lines connect us to Cambridge and the Boston subway system. Alternatively, the Minuteman Bikeway provides a tree-lined ride west to Lexington or east to Cambridge.
Our specific Quaker practice includes different aspects of simple living (carpooling, recycling etc.) and house meetings that follow the model of the Friends Meeting for Business. We share silent grace before our common meals. Most Quaker residents of Arlington Friends House have attended Beacon Hill Meeting in Boston or Friends Meeting at Cambridge.