Goose Creek Friends

Newsletter July-August 2017

Goose Creek Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Lincoln, Virginia

Queries for Seventh Month: Membership

How can I actively support the Meeting community?
How can I support the Clerk of Meeting and clerks of committees?
How am I maturing into the fullness of membership in this spiritual community?
How does the Meeting community nurture my spiritual growth and transformation?
In what ways does the Meeting make its needs clear to each of us?

Queries for Eighth Month: Outreach

How does my life witness to my Quaker faith?
In what ways do I reach out to new attenders and encourage their exploration of Quakerism as a spiritual path?
How does our Meeting convey Quaker faith and practice to the wider community?

Monthly Meeting for Worship with a

Concern for Business, Seventh Month:
Martha Cotter, Executive Director and co-founder of The Community Music School of the Piedmont, spoke to
Friends about the school, a non-profit organization. By keeping overhead low, they are able to offer generous
scholarships to their students. To this end, they have developed a model of sharing space with churches in the
area. Meeting approved use of the Meeting House by the school for private music lessons on two afternoons a
week after school. This is to be on a trial basis for the coming school year.
Sheila Kryston and Suellen Beverly will host a soup lunch after the rise of Meeting on October 15. They will
share their experiences at the Friends General Conference Annual Gathering this summer.
Friends approved with thanks the annual report of the Meeting Cares Committee. Committee members reach
out to Friends through sending cards, flowers, meals, and snacks; visiting Friends in hospital and rehabilitation
centers and in their homes; offering rides to physical therapy and medical appointments; and setting up meal
donations and occasionally baby-sitting for small children.
On behalf of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee, Chuck Hedges reported on his and Will McCabes
unsuccessful efforts to meet with Representative Barbara Comstock, as encouraged by the Friends Committee
on National Legislations advocacy program.
Meeting approved a one-time donation to the Friends Wilderness Center for renovations needed there.
Annie Carlson and Jed Shilling spoke about Baltimore Yearly Meetings proposed new apportionment
procedure. The new process would not have much effect on Goose Creeks annual donation amount.

Continued on next page g

Goose Creek Friends Newsletter | July-August 2017 | Page 2
SPICES at BYM!
Attending Baltimore Yearly Meetings Annual
Session is a good idea anyway. Attending on August
3 this summer is a particularly good idea, as our own
SPICES Traveling Peace Troupe will be performing
and talking about their mission. Heres the description
from the Session website:
T2 Creating a SPICES Traveling Peace Troupe:
sowing love within ourselves and the community:
Debbi Sudduth and Maria Nicklin (Goose Creek):
Come see a puppet show in action and find out whats
involved in creating a Troupe like this through a
Q&A and crafts. Created around Quaker testimonies
of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality
and stewardship. This has been our antidote to the
negativity and stress of our current world. www.
goosecreekfriends.org/s.p.i.c.e.s.-peace-troup.html
Debbi is a recently retired social worker with 40
years experience working with adolescents, and
never thought she would be in a puppet troupe;
Maria is a commercial artist working in Western
Loudoun County.
Dont forget that the Annual Session is held at Hood
College in Frederick, MD, only a forty-five-minute
drive from Lincoln. You can register for the day, the
week, or just a single event here: https://www.bym-rsf.
org/events/annualsession/registration.htm/
Quakerism Sessions beginning
this fall
Friends are invited to the first in a series of monthly
sessions on Quakerism, to be held on September 10
after the rise of Meeting. Our first two gatherings will
focus on Meeting for Worship and vocal ministry.
Subsequent sessions will be held on the second First
Day of each month.
We will follow the format and orientation of Douglas
Gwyns book A Sustainable Life: Quaker Faith and
Practice in the Renewal of Creation. According
to Gwyn, throughout its history Quakerism has
emphasized love for God, for ones neighbor, and for
the created order. Examining early Quaker history,
Friends manner of worship, and the testimonies, we
will explore together ways to create sustainable lives
of spiritual practice and service. Sessions will include
opportunities for discussion and personal responses.
Reading Gwyns book is not required, though
familiarity with it will enrich readers as well as our
discussions. You may attend some sessions without
committing to be present every month. We hope you
will plan to participate.
Loudoun Quakers, Abolitionism,
& the Underground Railroad
August 6, 2:00
Goose Creek Meeting House
The speaker on this interesting topic will be Dr.
Glenn Crothers, of the University of Louisville.
Eric Lawson of the County archives at the Loudoun
County Courthouse in Leesburg will also be present,
with copies of the arrest warrants for Yardley Taylor,
arrested for helping a fugitive slave escape to
freedom, and the arrest papers for Samuel M. Janney,
arrested for his abolitionist newspaper articles. After
the talk and visit at the Meeting House, the program
will move to Springdale for a tour of Samuel and
Elizabeth Janneys home.
This event is being held as a fundraiser for the
Mosby Heritage Area Association, and tickets are
$30 for MHAA members, $40 for non-members.
The money earned from this program goes to fund
history programs and field trips for public school
students in Loudoun, Fauquier, Clarke and Prince
William counties.
The Religious Education Committee
presents a free, one-day
STOP-MOTION ANIMATION
WORKSHOP
Saturday, August 19 from 10:00 to 3:00
at the Meeting House
For ages 8-11 | Class size 8
For more information, please contact
Maria Nicklin at (703) 508-0816
marianicklin@gmail.com
 Goose Creek Friends Newsletter | July-August 2017 | Page 3

Friends Wilderness Center: Goose Creek Meeting Picnic

Writing in the Midst of Nature On the lawn
With Caroline Pelton on July 15
Caroline will use passages of poetry and prose to
provide a spiritual context within which participants
can explore how they experience Spirit in Nature, and
take the time to reflect on the richness of what Wendell
Berry calls the Peace of Wild Things. Please RSVP
to Sheila Bach to aid her in determining how many August 27 at 4:00
will be having a tasty home-cooked lunch (304-728- Barbeque and drinks provided
4820 or snbach#earthlink.net). Directions to the FWC Please bring a side dish
can be found at http://www.friendswilderness.org/ or dessert to share
directions0.aspx/ Help with setup and cleanup is
[Originally scheduled for May, the program was always appreciated
rescheduled because of inclement weather.]

Baltimore Yearly Meeting Annual

Session: Growing Towards
Justice Acting on Faith
August 1-6, 2017 (Pre-session Retreat begins
July 31) at Hood College in Frederick, MD

Goose Creek News:

Theres no newsletter in August, so stay tuned to the
listserv (or watch for emails from Frannie Taylor) if
theres breaking news. Dont forget to come to the
Meeting picnic on August 27! You might give Rich
Weidner a shout if you can help with setup or cleanup
that day.
This, from Goose Creek attender Bobbi Blok:
Over 23 hours, dozens of activists of diverse faith
backgrounds gathered together on the Capitol Lawn
to protest health care cuts. Bobbi answered a call
from the Friends Committee on National Legislation
to participate, and share stories from Junes Interfaith
Vigil for Health Care on the Goose Creek listserv.

PHOTO AT RIGHT The persimmon tree that was

planted in memory of Ed Leggett is doing well. Eric
Carlson took this photo; he has been checking in on
the tree and put up the protective fence around it.
Page 4 | July-August 2017 | Goose Creek Friends Newsletter

Sundays Facing Bench

Meeting for worship at 9:45 a.m. JULY
First Day School at 10:00 a.m. Richard Weidner
Fellowship at 10:45 a.m. AUGUST
Caroline Unger
Calendar SEPTEMBER
Catherine Cox
JULY
7.30 Sunday 11 am Ministry & Oversight Committee meeting First Day
AUGUST School
8.6 Sunday 11 am Meeting for Worship 07/02/17
with a Concern for Business No First Day School
8.19 Saturday 10-3 Stop-Motion Animation Workshop (ages 8-11)
07/09/17
8.27 Sunday 11 am Ministry & Oversight Committee meeting Mindfulness &
4 pm Goose Creek picnic Finding Stillness
SEPTEMBER 07/16, 23, 30/17
9.3 Sunday 11 am Meeting for Worship Summer Reading & Crafts
with a Concern for Business
9.10 Sunday 11 am Quakerism discussion
OCTOBER
10.15 Sunday 11 am Soup lunch: Come and talk with Sheila and
Suellen about their experiences at the FGC
Annual Gathering
NEWSLETTER
First Day School, July 2017 The Goose Creek Friends Newsletter
is published monthly by the
July 2: HOLIDAY Goose Creek Friends Meeting,
18204 Lincoln Road, P.O. Box 105,
Holiday weekend! There will be no First Day School lesson July 2nd. Lincoln, VA 20160.
July 9: MINDFULNESS CLERK
Debbi Sudduth, 540.338.3363
Debbi will lead the students in a lesson on mindfulness and finding stillness. dfsud@comcast.net
July 16, 23 & 30: SUMMER READING ASSISTANT CLERK
Patricia Barber, 301.432.5706
This First Day kicks off our summer reading program. We will start with the patloubar@gmail.com
book, The Arrow Over the Door, by Joseph Bruchac and illustrated by James
TREASURER
Watling. The lessons will include reading, discussions, and craft activities. Annie Carlson

Teen Discussion Group goose.creek.treasurer@gmail.com

NEWSLETTER EDITOR
If three or more teens (ages 13-17) are present, they are welcome to go to Catherine Cox, 301-471-5330
blycox@comcast.net
Allens shop next door for a youth-led discussion group. Students and FAPs
WEBSITE & FACEBOOK
are encouraged to make sure the conversation stays related to Quakerism. www.goosecreekfriends.org
https://www.facebook.com/
Goose-Creek-Friends-Meeting-
Outreach is simply the process of making Quakerism available 150892438287560/?rc=p
to those who are seeking, to those who may find value in VOICE MAIL
its process. Whether these people become Quaker is of no 540.751.0323
consequence to the person who conducts true outreach. True DONATIONS
Please direct donations for
outreach is an act of spiritual hospitality. Barry Crossno, 2005 Goose Creek Friends Meeting to
Annie Carlson, P.O. Box 105
Lincoln, Virginia 20160