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: First Month
Meeting for Worship
- Do I prepare my heart and mind to receive the power of God’s presence and love?
- How does worship deepen my relationship with the Divine? How is this inspiration carried over into my daily life?
- Are our Meetings for Worship held in expectant waiting for Divine guidance?
- How does our worship inspire our Meeting’s activities?
From Baltimore Yearly Meeting “Advices.”
The heart of the Religious Society of Friends is the Meeting for Worship. In worship we are called to seek God’s will with our entire being: body, mind, and soul.
Worship is the adoring response of the heart and mind to the influences of the Spirit of God. It stands neither in forms nor in the formal disuse of forms. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24 NRSV)
In our Meetings for Worship, we are called to listen with prayerful obedience to God, with a willingness to give as well as to receive. In speech or in silence, each person contributes to the Meeting. Worshiping God together, we can strengthen one another, and our bodies and minds can be refreshed in the life of the Spirit. As Britain Yearly Meeting said in 1999: “Let Meet for Worship nourish you whole life.
Give adequate time for study, meditation, and prayer, and other ways of preparing for worship. Be mindful that worship is the fusion of individual and collective waiting to experience the love of God. come regularly to Meeting for Worship, even when you are angry, depressed, tired, or spiritually cold. In the silence ask for and accept the prayerful support of others joined with you in worship.
Voices
“Friends meet together and know one another in that which is eternal, which was before the world was.”
— George Fox, 1657
“For, when I came into the silent assemblies of God’s people I felt a secret power among them which touched my heart; and as I gave away unto it I found the evil weakening in me and the good raised up; and so I became thus knit and united unto them, hungering more and more after the increase of this power and life.”
— Robert Barclay, 1678
“In worship we have our neighbors to right and left, before and behind, ye the Eternal Presence is over all and beneath all. Worship does not consist in achieving a mental state of concentrated isolation from one’s fellows. But in the depth of common worship it is as if we found our separate lives were all one life, within whom we live and move and have our being.”
— Thomas R. Kelly, 1938
“Finally, remember that our manner of worship is ultimately a mystery under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Each Meeting for Worship is a spiritual adventure, unique and unpredictable. Let us remember in humility that ‘the end of words is to bring us to the knowledge of things beyond what words can utter.”
— Isaac Penington, 1670
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, January 4
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
Wednesday, January 7
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Friday, January 9
10:00 a.m. Coffee & Quakerism (Jocelen Pearson’s home.)
Sunday, January 11
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Second Hour: Spiritual State of the Meeting + soup & bread lunch
Wednesday, January 14
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Thursday, January 15
7:30 p.m. Unity with Nature monthly online guided meditation
Saturday, January 17
10:30 a.m. Reading group (Listening the Light by Jim Pym)
Sunday, January 18
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Wednesday, January 21
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Sunday, January 25
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Ministry & Worship Committee meeting
Wednesday, January 28
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Sunday, February 1
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
Wednesday, February 4
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Sunday, February 8
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Second Hour: Antiracism Committee book discussion
Wednesday, February 11
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Friday, February 13
10:00 a.m. Coffee & Quakerism
Sunday, February 15
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Wednesday, February 18
7:00 p.m. Worship gathering/discussion
Thursday, February 19
7:30 p.m. Unity with Nature monthly online guided meditation
Saturday, February 21
10:30 a.m. Reading group
Sunday, February 22
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Ministry & Worship Committee meeting
Wednesday, February 25
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
