Welcome
G
oose Creek is a warm and welcoming community where we support each other in our shared journeys of the Spirit. We believe, in the words of the Quaker writer Thomas Kelly, that “deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking Voice, to which we may continuously return.” In our worship and in our daily lives we seek to remain always with our hearts turned toward that Divine Center.
Quakerism is not defined by creeds or doctrine. Rather it is a lived spiritual practice where we seek God in our experiences and live out our faith in our shared world. We believe that there is that of God within each and every human being – adults and children – regardless of faith, race, nationality, sexual orientation, or life experiences. We are called to answer that Divine spark, that Light Within, both in ourselves and in others.
We welcome all seekers, find deep kinship in our shared humanity, and value our differences.
Youth
- Do you establish family standards including the mutual obligations of youth and adults?
- How do we get to know and care for our youth as individuals? What have we learned from the wisdom expressed by our youth?
- How do we share our deepest beliefs with our youth, while leaving them free to develop as the spirit of God may lead them?
From Baltimore Yearly Meeting “Advices.”
Rejoice in the presence of our youth in meeting. Recognize and affirm the gifts that they bring to the life of the meeting community, and ensure to the maximum extent possible their well-being and safety… All Friends need to be mentors to the youth in their meeting
Voices
“To watch the spirit of children, to nurture them in Gospel Love, and labor to help them against that which would mar the beauty of their minds, is a debt we owe them; and a faithful performance of our duty not only tends to their lasting benefit and our own peace, but also to render their company agreeable to us. A care hath lived in my mind, that more time might be employed by parents at home, and by tutors at school, in weightily attending to the spirit and inclinations of children, and that we may so lead, instruct and govern them, in this tender part of life, that nothing may be omitted in our power, to help them on their way to become the children of our Father who art in heaven.”
— John Woolman, c. 1760
“But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”
— Mark 10:14
“We seek to affirm in each child at school, each member of the meeting, each person we meet in our daily lives, the person that he or she may with God’s help grow to be. We are all the merest infancts in God’s world, struggling to stand upright and walk unaided, trying in vain to articulate our halting thoughts and feelings. We stumble and fall. We give way to self-pity and shame. God hauls us to our feet again and makes sense of our childish babble, never ceasing to believe in what we may ultimately become. Do we do the same for our children and one another?”
— Barbara Windle, 1988
“I want that we may all show our faith by our works, by our honesty and justice and mercy and love.; I want love to begin with little children; they should be governed by love and love only. I am glad that the rod is so far banished in the family circles and the schools. Children love peace. The little child knows when it says, Mother, I love everybody. There is a Divine instinct in them which prompts this feeling.”
— Lucretia Mott, 1876
Calendar
Friends and visitors are also invited to join us for our hybrid Meeting for Worship at 9:45 a.m. each Sunday. If you would like to participate online, please use the link below.
Link for Meeting for Worship:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83350737205?pwd=Z0pNM2xZRTBpSDQwa2ZaMmRiRHM0UT09
Meeting ID: 833 5073 7205
Passcode: 061785
For all other online gatherings listed in the calendar, please request link at gcmmlincoln@gmail.com.
Help us extend hospitality to Friends and visitors! Sign up to provide after-meeting refreshments here.
Wednesday, October 2
6:00 p.m. Quaker music ministry presented by Dann Pell of Exeter Friends Meeting in Douglassville, PA. Potluck dinner to follow.
Sunday, October 6
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:00 a.m. Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
Tuesday, October 8
7:30 a.m. Rolling Ridge Bird Walk — Friends Wilderness Center
Saturday, October 12
10 a.m. Ephemeral Art in Nature — Friends Wilderness Center
Sunday, October 13
8:30 a.m. Peace & Social Concerns Committee meeting
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Thursday, October 17
7:30 p.m. Unity with Nature online monthly guided nature meditation
Saturday, October 19
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Music at Mt. Olive Baptist Church
4 p.m. Share & Share S’more: Campfire “Open Mic” — Friends Wilderness Center
8:00 p.m. onwards. Meteors on the Meadow: Orionids — Friends Wilderness Center
Sunday, October 20
8:45 a.m. Unity with Nature Committee meeting
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:00 a.m. Publications Committee meeting
Sunday, October 27
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:00 a.m. Ministry & Worship Committee meeting
Saturday, November 2
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friends Wilderness Center Volunteer Day
Sunday, November 3
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:00 a.m. Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
Saturday, November 9
11:00 a.m. Forest Therapy: Gratitude & Giving in Nature – Friends Wilderness Center
Sunday, November 10
8:30 a.m. Peace & Social Concerns Committee meeting
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Tuesday, November 12
7:30 a.m. Rolling Ridge Bird Walk – Friends Wilderness Center
Thursday, November 14
7:30 p.m. Unity with Nature online monthly guided nature meditation
Sunday, November 17
8:45 a.m. Unity with Nature Committee meeting
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Sunday, November 24
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:00 a.m. Ministry & Worship Committee meeting
To request an email announcement or addition to the calendar, please contact us at goosecreeknews@gmail.com. Please read our Goose Creek Email Protocol for further guidance.
Street Address:
18204 Lincoln Road
Purcellville, VA 20132
Postal Address:
PO Box 105
Lincoln, VA 20160
