Reedwood Friends

What Reedwood Friends does

Reedwood Friends is a 130+ year-old Quaker religious community headquartered in Portland, Oregon, operating from an owned 3.05-acre campus at 2901 SE Steele St. in the Reed neighborhood. The organization delivers weekly Quaker worship services (Sunday Meeting for Worship 9:30–10:30am, Tuesday Bible Study, Thursday Simple Silence contemplative practice in Ong Chapel), a free childcare program during Sunday services, and a portfolio of mission-driven community programs including Afghan refugee resettlement support, student research grants, and interfaith programming with visiting speakers such as Dr. Cornel West and Shingon Buddhist representatives. Core service architecture is built around semi-programmed Quaker worship — a hybrid model combining pre-planned elements with unstructured communal silent worship and spontaneous ministry — delivered through both in-person sanctuary and conference room settings and via Zoom, with an active YouTube archive (@reedwoodfriends) and Constant Contact newsletter for asynchronous reach. The organization also opens its facility to community groups (Tai Chi circles, 12 Step groups, Portland Folk Music Society), which generates modest rental income alongside donations.

The business model is a contribution-based nonprofit: core worship and study services are provided free of charge, and operating revenue is derived from voluntary member donations, facility rental payments, and a $1.5M restricted endowment received in 1965 from Dr. Harlan F. Ong that funded the original 3.05-acre land purchase. Reedwood Friends is independently governed under a Quaker congregational model (decisions reached by unity in monthly meeting, led by a presiding clerk) and is operationally staffed by 1–10 personnel including a Pastor (Mark Condo), Office Manager (Sara Dahl), Finance Director (Janis Sigourney), Audio-Visual Coordinator (Bert French), and Contemplative & Ecumenical Outreach Coordinator (Sean Conley). The organization is not affiliated with a parent entity but participates in the wider Quaker family — AFSC, FCNL, FWCC, Friends Peace Teams, QUNO, and Barclay Press — and has in 2026 extended its civic footprint through a national Interdependence Relay partnership with the Barnraisers Project and The Hearthland Foundation.

Name

Reedwood Friends

Legal name

Reedwood Friends

Website

https://reedwood.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Reedwood Friends is a 130+ year-old Quaker religious community in Portland, Oregon offering weekly worship, Bible study, contemplative practice, refugee support, and student research grants, funded by member donations and facility rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Worship Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

Interfaith & Ecumenical Councils and Dialogue Organizations (BPAGAJAJ)

Keywords

• Quaker worship services
• Contemplative spiritual practice
• Bible study programs
• Religious community services
• Silent meditation ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Tithes: Reedwood Friends receives financial support from congregation members through voluntary donations. The organization accepts rental payments, donations, and presumably operates on a contribution-based model typical of religious communities.
2. Facility Rentals: The church facility is made available to various community groups including Tai Chi circles, 12 Step groups, and the Portland Folk Music Society, generating rental income while serving the broader community.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Reedwood Friends is a Quaker religious community that conducts Sunday Meeting for Worship (semi-programmed worship blending pre-planned elements with open silence), Tuesday Bible Study, and Thursday Simple Silence contemplative practice, both in person at its Portland meeting house and online via Zoom. It also provides community support programs including Afghan refugee resettlement assistance, academic research grants for students, and shared facility use for partner community groups.

Product overview

Reedwood Friends is a Quaker religious community offering primarily in-person worship services and spiritual programs. The core offerings include Sunday Meeting for Worship (combining programmed elements with open silence-based worship), Tuesday Bible Study via Zoom, and Thursday Simple Silence contemplative practice. The organization also provides community support programs including refugee assistance and student research grants, along with digital access to services through Zoom and YouTube.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Meeting for Worship Weekly semi-programmed Quaker worship service held Sundays from 9:30 to 10:30 am at the Reedwood sanctuary, combining programmed elements with extended open silence for spontaneous ministry, prayer, and messages as led by the Spirit. Open to all seekers.
• Bible Study Weekly Bible study session held Tuesdays from 10:00 to 11:00 am via Zoom, open to all participants for scriptural reflection and discussion.
• Simple Silence Weekly communal silence practice inspired by the Quaker tradition, offering a secular-accessible contemplative space for meditation and mindfulness. Open to all regardless of faith or background, held in Ong Chapel at Reedwood Friends.
• Community Support Programs Community programs including Afghan refugee resettlement support (one family resettled in Australia, three young people supported with daily needs, two students enrolled in universities) and student research grants for academic work in theology, social justice, and religious studies.
• Online Worship Services Virtual attendance option via Zoom for Sunday services and Bible study, plus archived video content on the Reedwood Friends YouTube channel (@reedwoodfriends).

Quantifiable outcome

• Four students received academic scholarships and research grants in 2025
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Barnraisers ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 May 2026The Barnraisers Project works across rural and urban areas to help people move from silence to taking action in their own neighborhoods. Garrett Bucks, the founder, is a Quaker writer and organizer based in Milwaukee. Reedwood is hosting Oregon's participation in the Interdependence Relay national event organized by Barnraisers.
• The Hearthland FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 May 2026The Hearthland Foundation focuses on building shared democracy through community and civic participation, narrative change, and creating a culture of accompaniment. Founded by Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, the foundation supports the Interdependence Relay project that Reedwood participates in.
• Portland Folk Music SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReedwood Friends hosts folk music events through partnership with the Portland Folk Music Society, supporting musicians and listeners in the joy of song.
• American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)minorOthersAFSC works for a just, peaceful, and sustainable world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Reedwood supports this Quaker organization through financial contributions and solidarity.
• Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC)minorOthersFWCC represents Quakers around the world and helps share Quaker voices across traditions and geographies. Reedwood is part of this wider Quaker family.
• Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)minorOthersFCNL is a national, nonpartisan Quaker organization that lobbies Congress and the administration to advance peace, justice, and environmental stewardship.
• Friends Peace TeamsminorOthersFriends Peace Teams brings a spirit of compassion and nonviolence into places of conflict and need. Reedwood supports this organization as part of its peace testimony.
• Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO)minorOthersQUNO brings Quaker perspectives into international diplomacy and peacebuilding efforts at the United Nations.
• Barclay PressminorOthersBarclay Press focuses on education and spiritual nurture within Quaker communities, helping share Quaker voices.
• Harambee CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Harambee Centre in Kenya, co-founded by 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai, focuses on education and development primarily in Kenya. Reedwood supports Grace Kuto's work at this center.
• Shingon Buddhist Temple (Portland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKosho Finch, head of Portland's Shingon Buddhist Temple, has spoken at Reedwood about Buddhism, contemplation, and visualization in an interfaith dialogue Q&A session.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL): National Quaker policy and advocacy organization affiliated with Reedwood. Comparable in Quaker identity and progressive mission, though focused on federal advocacy rather than congregational worship.
• American Friends Service Committee (AFSC): National Quaker organization that Reedwood financially and programmatically supports. Not a direct competitor but a peer in the Quaker ecosystem, with overlapping values around peace, justice, and refugee support.
• Shingon Buddhist Temple of Portland: Interfaith dialogue partner of Reedwood (Kosho Finch has spoken at Reedwood on Buddhism and contemplation). Adjacent in the contemplative-practice space and an example of Reedwood's ecumenical outreach model.
• Harambee Centre (Kenya): Kenyan community-development organization co-founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai; Reedwood provides programmatic and financial support. Comparable as a small values-driven nonprofit in Reedwood's international giving portfolio.

Direct peers

• West Hills Friends Church: A Portland-area evangelical Friends congregation. Less progressive than Reedwood but directly comparable as a Quaker congregation competing for the same regional seeker pool and donor base.
• Multnomah Monthly Meeting (Portland Quaker Meeting): Another active Friends (Quaker) meeting serving the Portland metro with similar programmed-worship and contemplative programming; directly comparable in faith tradition, geographic market, and operational model.
• Piedmont Friends Meeting: Historic Friends meeting in the Portland area, originally established in 1913 as one of five daughter meetings spawned from what is now Reedwood Friends. Direct programmatic and demographic peer within the Oregon Quaker family.

Broad incumbents

• Augustana Lutheran Church (Portland): Mainline progressive Christian congregation in Portland with comparable commitment to social-justice programming, refugee support, and inclusive theology; competes for similar donor and member pools.
• First Unitarian Church of Portland: A larger, established progressive religious community in Portland with an explicit social-justice mission and inclusive ethos. Competes for the same progressive-seeker demographic, though much larger in scale and budget.

Regional players

• Portland Mennonite Church: Historic peace church congregation in Portland that actually purchased Reedwood's previous building when Reedwood moved in 1970. Comparable as a progressive Anabaptist/Quaker-adjacent community with similar values around nonviolence and inclusion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@reedwoodfriends
• Facebookfacebook.com/ReedwoodFriendsChurch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reedwood-friends-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Reedwood Friends