AFSC Love as Action initiative: American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) offers opportunities for silent worship in public places bringing to light the authoritarianism and oppression in the United States as well as modeling the Quaker values peace, equality, integrity, and community. The next planned Love as Action events are scheduled April 25-26, 2026. We are looking at the weekend of May 16 & 17 to host a gathering with other local Quaker meetings. For more information visit the AFSC website: https://afsc.org/love-action
Immigration and ICE Issues in Loudoun County: Father Daniel of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church has offered to meet with Goose Creek via Zoom on Tuesday, April 28 at 7 p.m. Father Daniel has been working with the immigrant community in Loudoun for many years, and will share his perspective and offer suggestions on how our community can help. Zoom link will be provided by Goose Creek.
Saving the Circle Documentary:
This documentary it is about Indigenous women in history. The Anti Racism Committee is preparing for a presentation of this documentary sometime in September be on the lookout for dates. For more information visit: Saving the Circle – SAVING THE CIRCLE
Grace Church Update: The upper windows are scheduled to be replaced at the end of March 2026 and completed in June or July 2026. The Friends of Grace will be planning an open house sometime after that. So be on the look out for that date!
About us
Our Mission: We aspire to live into our testimony of equality by recognizing our legacy of racism and working to make a more equitable and just community.
Who we are: This committee was founded at Goose Creek shortly after the killing of George Floyd, on July 15, 2020. The committee has met regularly since its inception, and continues to do so on every other Wednesday at 7:00 pm via zoom. Please feel free to join us! Email committee clerk LisaColburn@gmail.com for the zoom link.
Land Acknowledgement Statement: Let us recognize those who were here before us. We honor the Manahoac and Monacan (Mahock) people who were on the land where Goose Creek Meeting House now stands. This land was a trade route as well as seasonal hunting grounds for the Iroquoian, Algonkian, and Siouan language groups. We recognize their legacy.
Queries We aspire to be mindful of the role of privilege as it impacts our experiences and decisions. Quakers have long used queries as a means to test our decisions, thus we seek to use the following queries at Goose Creek:
- How could this decision impact those who have been affected by racist practices?
- Will this decision promote equity, diversity, inclusiveness, and economic justice- enabling us to be more friendly and whole?
- Are there ways we can actively provide opportunities to promote equity, diversity, inclusiveness and economic justice?
Our work includes:
- Arranged to have a sign made to support immigrants that is displayed prominently outside our Meetinghouse.
- In February we held a meeting-wide discussion of Life and Death of the American Worker by Alice Driver, which discusses the plight of workers at a Tysons chicken processing plant in Arkansas, many of whom are undocumented immigrants.
- Compiled a community resource list for ESL, food, and housing.
- Brian Blackmore of AFSC visited and spoke with us in March about AFSC’s immigrant justice and other work. He also spoke to our teens.
- A member of our committee serves on the Thomas Balch Library Black History Committee, and provides information about presentations.
- Held a committee retreat at the end of January 2026 and discerned on what to focus in the coming year.
Our continuing goals:
- Provide opportunities for discussion and discernment within our spiritual and wider community;
- Work to become aware of own biases as they impact our decisions, both personally and as a spiritual community;
- Acknowledge the native land upon which our meeting house stands and seek ways to support Indigenous people in our area;
- Seek to engage with diverse people in our wider community, fostering relationship