Every conservative Quaker would give a different answer to that question. However, go to the OYM siteto get a foundation for the OYM beliefs. Friends believe that through the silent meeting time, we can experience the Holy Spirit, and find continuing revelation from God. It is a time of anticipation and expectation. The meeting time and its purpose are at the center of Friends' beliefs.
Conservative Friends believe in the sanctity of the Bible. North Main Friends have a time of Bible Study every 1st Day, after the silent Meeting. The scriptures play a vital role in our understanding of God's revelations. Most conservative Friends, however, are not fundamentalist in their approach.
John 15:15 (NIV) "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." Friends much prefer the term "Friend" to "Quaker". Many non-conservative Friends would cite different reasons for using the term. Whatever the reason, it is always a great thing to be called "Friend".
Conservative Friends generally have no paid staff at their meetings. All are ministers, and all seek the Holy Spirit together. Music can appear at meetings, but only spontaneously. No one will say, "Turn to page ___ in your hymnals". A Friends' meeting is based on anticipation and waiting, and therefore it is also spontaneous. Conservative Friends like music just as anyone else would, they just don't use music at the time of worship the way most other churches do.
Why do Quakers say "Thee" and "Thou"? Some conservative Quakers still engage in this use of 2nd person pronouns, and many times they were taught this from birth. At North Main Friends we don't use plain speech, but there's actually a very good historical reason for this practice. In the same way that Spanish has an informal "tu" and a formal "usted" for the second person pronoun, English had a similar practice a few centuries ago. And in many cases, the formal "you" was used for people who were considered superior, while the informal "thee" was sometimes used to address those who were considered inferior. George Fox felt a very strong calling to dismiss any such practices, and proclaim the equality of everyone. Therefore early Friends kept the plain and informal "thee and thou".
Conservative Friends don't often use the conventional names days of the week and the months,since many of these names were derived from Norse or Roman gods. The days of the week are often called 1st Day, 2nd Day, (Sunday, Monday), and the months are referred to in the same manner (1st month, 2nd month). This is a practice many conservative Friends follow, and is not at all expected of any visitors or new Friends.
Friends are well-known for the nature of their meetings. Conservative Friends meet in silence, with different individuals speaking when they feel they have a leading from the Holy Spirit. The time of silence can be meditative, reflective, and many other things as well, but conservative Quakers like to call the silent meeting "a time of waiting for the Holy Spirit". To wait on the Holy Spirit means to ask for inner guidance, for help in difficult decisions, or in understanding more about the world in which we live. Consider this passage from Jeremiah 6:16:
Thus says Yahweh, "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, 'Where is the good way?' and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." (World English Bible)
This quote from Jeremiah is a profound description of what we hope for. We endeavor to stand in the place, ask for the path of old, and then after the meeting, walk in that path.