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.
Queries: Third Month
Education
- How can we most effectively foster a spirit of inquiry with a loving and understanding attitude?
- What effort ae we making to be better acquainted with Quaker faith and practices and the beliefs of other faiths?
- Do we take an active and supportive interest in schools, libraries, and other educational resources in our communities and elsewhere?
- Do we also see nature as a teacher and a guide?
- Do I strive to develop my spiritual, emotional and mental capacities toward reaching my divinely given potential?
- How do we prepare ourselves and our children to play active roles in a changing world?
From Baltimore Yearly Meeting “Advices.”
See for ourselves and for our children the full development of God’s gifts, which is true education. Education continues throughout life; our communities are strengthened when we all share its opportunities and privileges. Be ready at all times to receive fresh light from whatever quarter it may come; approach new theories with discernment.
Voices
“The last reaches of religious education are not attained by carefully planned and externally applied lessons, taught to people through the outward ears. The fundamental religious education of the soul is conducted by the Holy Spirit, the living voice of God within us. He is the last and greatest teacher of the soul. All else is but pointings to the inward Teacher; the Spirit of that indwelling Christ. Until life is lived in the presence of this Teacher, we are apt to confuse knowledge of Church history and Biblical backgrounds with the true education of the soul that takes place in the listening life of prayer.”
— Thomas R. Kelly, 1942
“The belief that there is ‘that of God in each person’ is the foundation of the Quaker approach to education. Education cultivates the fullness of the human spirit through both openness and discipline. We are open to the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom that come from history, from our own life experience of God, and from the works and lives of others. We recognize all of life as an educational enterprise, that we are all teachers as well as learners.”
— Northern Yearly Meeting, 2006
“How is the Inward Teacher known? In joy and health, but also in loneliness and alienation; in the deepest encounters with other people and in dialogue with great ideas and works; in love but also in emptiness; in hunger but also in plenitude; in solitude but also in community. Wherever we are is the starting place for encountering the voice which can speak to our condition. We cannot compel the inner voice to speak, we can only try to practice openness and attention, and when we hear the voice we can only practice minding and answering.”
— Paul A. Lacey, 1988
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.
Saturday, March 1
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Salamander Shuffle and Pondside Picnic – Friends Wilderness Center
Sunday, March 2
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
Sunday, March 9
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Second Hour: Finding the Sense of the Meeting. Soup & bread lunch to follow.
Tuesday, March 11
7:30 a.m. Rolling Ridge Bird Walk – Friends Wilderness Center
Saturday, March 15
11:00 a.m. – 3:– p.m. Pi Day: Oven-building & Pizza-making Workshop – Friends Wilderness Center
Sunday, March 16
8:45 a.m. Unity with Nature Committee meeting
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Thursday, March 20
7:30 p.m. Unity with Nature online monthly guided nature meditation
Sunday, March 23
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Sunday, March 23
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Saturday, March 29
8:30 a.m. — Noon: Interfaith Spiritual Retreat — Hopewell Friends Meeting, Winchester
Sunday, March 30
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Ministry & Worship Committee meeting
Saturday, April 5
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Picnic with Wildflowers at the Waterfall – Friends Wilderness Center
Sunday, April 6
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
Tuesday, April 8
7:30 a.m. Rolling Ridge Bird Walk – Friends Wilderness Center
Sunday, April 13
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 a.m. Second Hour: Antiracism Committee
Thursday, April 17
7:30 p.m. Unity with Nature online monthly guided nature meditation
Saturday, April 19
9:00 a.m. Unity with Nature ONLINE virtual creative writing workshop — Friends Wilderness Center
12 noon – 2:00 p.m. Easter Picnic: Egg Hunt with the “Kids” — Friends Wilderness Center
Sunday, April 20
8:00 a.m. Easter breakfast
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
Saturday, April 26
12 noon – 3:00 p.m. Forest Therapy: Embracing our Mother — Friends Wilderness Center
Sunday, April 27
9:45 a.m. Meeting for Worship
11:15 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
