Welcome
Goose 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.
Minute affirming Friends’ concern for immigrants and refugees in the United States:
“The Goose Creek Religious Society of Friends Meeting is concerned for the physical safety and humanitarian needs of undocumented immigrants and refugees in this country, especially in light of changing political priorities. We are aware of our interdependence with immigrants, documented and undocumented alike, as well as the contributions these persons make to our community.
“Consistent with our testimonies, we affirm that all persons are entitled to liberty and the opportunity to work and pursue their goals. We abhor the dehumanization of persons by policies that separate families and round up,detain, or deport individuals as though they were less than human.
“We believe it is essential to establish responsible, fair, and reasonable criteria for future immigration and amnesty policies and processes. We believe current undocumented immigrants should be provided a path to permanent residency and citizenship. We advocate the expansion of guest registry for foreign workers, which would enable them to temporarily work in this country with legal status. Our immigration laws should be tightly enforced throughout the system but with consistency, fairness, and basic respect for human needs.
“We intend to participate with other Meetings, Quaker organizations, faith communities, and groups to address this concern.”
Adopted by Goose Creek Friends Sixth Month 2025
Queries: Third Month
The Meeting Community
- Are love and harmony within the Meeting community fostered by a spirit of open sharing?
- Do you endeavor to widen your circle of friendships within the Meeting, seeking to know persons of all ages and at all stages of the spiritual journey?
- Does the Meeting provide for the spiritual refreshment of all members and attenders? Do Friends provide spiritual and practical care for the elderly, the lonely, and others with special needs?
From Baltimore Yearly Meeting “Advices.”
The guidance of the Inner Light has generally led Friends to common standards of conduct. We believe that a vital faith must apply to daily life. Through sharing personal spiritual experiences with others, our own insights are clarified and our convictions undergirded. Meetings can help each of us to gain spiritual strength for the good ordering of our lives and the right direction of our energies.
We must be concerned about the welfare of every member of the Meeting community. While Friends need to guard against prying or invasion of privacy, it is nevertheless essential that Meetings be aware of the spiritual and material needs of members of the community and express caring concern in appropriate ways. Many Meetings have found that specially formed support or clearness groups, either appointed by the Meeting or informally gathered, are a helpful way to minister to special needs within the Meeting.
Voices
“Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness, and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another — and helping one another up with a tender hand, if there has been any slip or fall.”
— Isaac Penington, 1667
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are. my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
— John 13:34-35 (NRSV)
“When the members of a fellowship know one another, care for one another, visit one another in their homes, consult one another, hold one another up in the silence and feel responsibility before God for one another, then when they meet together for worship they are truly open as a corporate group for the deepest working of the Spirit.”
— Douglas Steere, 1940
“In a true community we will not choose our companions, for our choices are so often limited by self-serving motives. Instead, our companions will be given to us by grace. Often they will be persons who will upset our settled view of self and world. In fact, we might define true community as the place where the person you least want to lives with always lives!”
— Parker J. Palmer, 1977
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
Sign up to provide refreshments following Meeting for Worship.
Sunday, March 1
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
Wednesday, March 4
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Sunday, March 8
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Second Hour: American Friends Service Committee presentation followed by soup & bread lunch.
Friday, March 13
10:00 a.m. Coffee & Quakerism (at the home of Chuck Hedges)
Wednesday, March 11
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Sunday, March 15
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Wednesday, March 18
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Thursday, March 19
7:30 p.m. Online guided nature meditation
Saturday, March 21
10:30 a.m. Reading group: An Invitation to Quaker Eldering byElaine Emily and Mary Kay Glazer
Sunday, March 22
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Wednesday, March 25
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Sunday, March 29
Regional gathering at Goose Creek!
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Coffee & music
Noon. Potluck lunch and inter-meeting group discussions
Wednesday, April 1
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Sunday, April 5
8:00 a.m. Easter breakfast
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Wednesday, April 8
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Friday, April 10
10:00 a.m. Coffee & Quakerism
Sunday, April 12
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
Wednesday, April 15
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Thursday, April 16
7:30 p.m. Online guided nature meditation
Saturday, April 18
10:30 a.m. Reading group
Sunday, April 19
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Wednesday, April 22
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Sunday, April 26
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Ministry & Worship Committee meeting
Wednesday, April 29
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
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
