Goose Creek Friends
Newsletter December 2023
Goose Creek Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Lincoln, Virginia
Queries for Twelfth Month –
Meeting for Business
• Are our Meetings for Worship with a Concern
for Business held in the spirit of worship,
understanding and forbearance?
• In what ways do we each take our right share of
responsibility in the service of the meeting?
• Do we humbly set aside our own preconceived
notions as to proper action, seeking instead
Divine guidance as to the right course?
• When direction seems lacking, is this seen as a
challenge to a more prayerful search for truth?
• Is the Meeting aware that it speaks not only
through its actions but also through its failure
to act?
Twelfth Month Monthly
Meeting for Worship with
a Concern for Business
Lark Mason’s memorial meeting will be held under
the care of Meeting on January 13, 2024, at 1 pm.
Friends heard a first reading of committee
appointments for 2024. This was a draft, not a final
document. Allen Cochran will remain as Meeting
Clerk and Judy Ross will be Assistant Clerk.
Catherine Cox will continue as Recording Clerk and
John Unger will be the new Meeting Recorder. Brian
Burgher will remain as Treasurer. A corrected draft
of committee members will be sent to Friends via
email and a more final version will be presented for
approval next month.
Adam Robinson presented the Tech Subcommittee’s
recommendation for a hearing assistance system in
the Meeting House. They have received valuable
advice from a Friend at Herndon Meeting who is an
expert in this field. Friends expressed their gratitude
to Adam and to Chuck Hough for all their research
and accepted their recommendation as appropriate
for Goose Creek. However, Meeting is facing
some heavy capital costs this year and we need to
proceed prayerfully as we consider an investment
in a hearing-assistance system at this time. We will
be making some big decisions about our budget and
our spending in the early part of the New Year, and
about taking care of health and safety issues; hearing
assistance should be folded into those discussions. It
is important that we allow ourselves to be led by the
Spirit as we go forward.
We will invite the Mount Olive Baptist and Agape
Church communities to our Christmas activities on
December 17.
Friends approved June 9, 2024, as the date for our
next Book Sunday.
Since there will be morning worship on Christmas
Eve this year, a Meeting for Worship will not be held
in the evening.
We must have two adults present with each group of
our children for every occasion on which they gather.
For Second Hours, the committee sponsoring that
month’s gathering have responsibility for providing a
FAV. The Clerk offered to help out with finding FAVs
for business meetings.
Continued on next page ☞
Goose Creek Friends Newsletter | December 2023 | Page 2
December 10: Second Hour
– Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s
Camping Program
Please join Religious Education’s Subcommittee
on Camping for a short video and informational
session about Baltimore Yearly Meeting's wonderful
camping program. For many of our children, their
camping experiences are among the most important
of their young lives, introducing them to Quaker
values in action and in nature. Plus, camp is really,
really fun. The camps are also great places for
adults to volunteer, even if you don't have kids or
yours have grown up. As an extra incentive, Goose
Creek has long maintained a practice of paying for
one week of camp for the children of our members
and attenders.
Even if your children are not yet old enough to
attend one of the four BYM camps (ages 9-17), they
can still get a taste of what they have to look forward
to. All children, regardless of age, are encouraged to
attend with their parents.
You can check out more information about BYM
camps with this link (https://bymcamps.org) here.
Wednesday evening, December
20 (via Zoom): The significance
of Christmas is …
This will be a time for Goose Creek Friends to
share with one another a thought, poem, song,
or short passage about what Christmas means to
them. Chuck Hough and Catherine Cox will open
the sharing. You will receive a Zoom invitation via
email closer to the date.
From the Nominating
Committee:
You’ll soon be receiving an email with the names of
Goose Creek Friends who have agreed to serve in
various positions and on various committees in 2024.
Please read it and check to make sure that you are
correctly listed. If you see an error, you’re asked to
respond to the email with your correction.
Annual Reflection Hike at the
Friends Wilderness Center
Wednesday, December 27, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Hike in silent contemplation through the
Appalachian woods.
• To make a reservation for this event, go to https://
bit.ly/47INNXc
• From Friends Wilderness Center: “All programs are
offered free of charge although some programs might
request reimbursement for specific materials. While
we honor this ‘no cost’ pledge, we rely on individual
donations to ensure that we can cover operating costs
and continue to offer services. Participants are asked
to consider a minimum donation of $10 per person
for program attendance. Your generosity is always
appreciated and will be paid forward. Cost should
not be a barrier to participation or access to nature.”
Did you know?
Presented by the Anti-racism committee
Wallace Thurman (1902-1934) worked as a
magazine editor, publisher, ghostwriter, and writer.
He was best known for the novel The Blacker
The Berry: A Novel of Negro Life and the play
Harlem. Wallace became the first Black man to read
manuscripts for a major New York publishing house.
– Excerpt from the book Mightier Than The Sword:
Rebels, Reformers & Revolutionaries Who Changed
The World Through Writing by Rochelle Melander

December 17 – Christmas
Celebrations at Goose Creek!
4:30 Bonfire and tree trimming
6:00 Potluck dinner
Mark your calendar for our annual
Goose Creek Christmas celebration!
The festivities kick off at 4:30 pm with the lighting
of a bonfire and tree-trimming by the children.
The potluck will begin at 6:00 pm and
will be followed by our gift exchange,
carol sing, and candle lighting.
A reminder: All gifts should be simple and
homemade. If you wish to participate in the gift
exchange, please place your name and those of
family members (including “adult” or a child’s age)
in the box on the table at the back of the meeting
room and withdraw the same number of names from
the box ASAP! When you’ve made your gift, tag it
with the recipient’s name (and yours).
Hope to see you on the 17th!
Goose Creek Friends Newsletter | December 2023 | Page 3
Meeting News
Were you able to be present when Viktoriia, Adam
and Amy Robinson’s foster daughter from Ukraine,
spoke beautifully after Meeting about what she
and her sister Yuliia experienced in Ukraine after
the Russian invasion, and about what it’s been like
adjusting to life in the US? This was only the first
of the presentations Viktoriia has given in the area,
and now she and Yuliia have been interviewed for
a wider audience. Adam Robinson writes: “This
is the news story about Viktoriia and Yuliia I
mentioned in Meeting today. It aired on all Sinclair
Broadcast Media properties in 90 markets across 40+
states. We’re super proud of these girls. Please feel
free to share it however you like. The main purpose
in creating it is to raise awareness of the ongoing
Ukraine situation.” – See the story on WJLA ABC
News’ website: https://bit.ly/3Tce0sW
Indya Kincannon has written to say that her mother,
Claire Kincannon, died this past August. Claire
attended Goose Creek Meeting for many years, and
Indya was married under care of the Meeting. Our
sympathy to Indya and to the rest of Claire’s family.
Kelsey Parris and Greg Argarten, with their son, Ellis,
welcome the arrival of baby, Hazel, on November 2,
2023 in New Orleans, LA. Hazel is the granddaughter
of Eleanor “Dody” Welsh and the great granddaughter
of Sara Welsh.
Page 4 | December 2023 | Goose Creek Friends Newsletter

Sundays Facing Bench

Zoom Meeting for Worship at 9:45 a.m. In-person december
Meeting for Worship at 9:45 a.m. For the weekly Zoom link, Ann Travell, Carolyn Unger,
contact Chuck at chuck.hough@gmail.com Chuck Hough, Catherine Cox,
First Day School & Oakdale Nursery, 10:00 a.m. Allen Cochran
january
Wednesdays Patricia Barber
Discussion Group at 7:00 (Zoom). For more information,
contact Chuck Hough: chuck.hough@gmail.com zoom
Chuck Hough,
Calendar Patricia Barber
DECEMBER ***
12/01 Fri. 5:00 pm Religious Education Committee meeting via Zoom
12/03 Sun. 11:00 am Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
12/10 Sun. 8:30 am Peace & Social Concerns Committee meeting
11:00 am BYM Camps presentation for families and Friends
12/17 Sun. 4:30 pm Bonfire and Christmas tree trimming
6:00 pm Christmas potluck dinner and carol sing
12/31 Sun. 11:00 am Ministry & Worship Committee meeting NEWSLETTER
The Goose Creek Friends Newsletter
JANUARY is published monthly by the
01.07 Sun. 11:00 am Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business Goose Creek Friends Meeting,
18204 Lincoln Road, P.O. Box 105,
01.14 Sun. 8:30 am Peace & Social Concerns Committee meeting
Lincoln, VA 20160.
11:00 am Second Hour
01.28 Sun. 11:00 am Meeting Ministry & Worship Committee meeting CLERK
Allen Cochran, 540.338.6485
FIRST DAY SCHOOL Cochransstone@aol.com

12/03 (Grades 6-12) Thinking for yourself TREASURER

(Grades PreK-5) The E in SPICES – Equality, Part 1 of 2 Brian Burgher
12/10 (Combined Groups) Holiday Activities, Part 1 of 2. The middle and older goose.creek.treasurer@gmail.com
groups will be combined to discuss the story of the Nativity. We’ll read the rendition
from the gospel of Luke. Then we will talk about presenting a short pageant at the NEWSLETTER
rise of Meeting on the 24th. Stay for the BYM Camps presentation at the rise of EDITOR
Meeting for Friends and Families. Catherine Cox, 301-471-5330
blycox@comcast.net
12/17 (Grades PreK-12) Game Day!
12/24 (Combined Groups) Holiday Activities, Part 2 of 2 WEBSITE &
12/31 (Grades 6-12) Money and Meaning FACEBOOK
(Grades PreK-5) The E in SPICES – Equality, Part 2 of 2 www.goosecreekfriends.org
https://www.facebook.com/
OAKDALE NURSERY Goose-Creek-Friends-Meeting-
(Infant - PreK) Each week children enjoy games, stories, crafts, and play. 150892438287560/?rc=p

DONATIONS
Please direct donations for
Consensus – a secular method, involving a rational process and Goose Creek Friends Meeting to
producing general agreement. The authority is the group. Sense of Brian Burgher, P.O. Box 105
Lincoln, Virginia 20160 - OR -
the Meeting – a religious method involving a spiritual process and
donate online: http://www.goose-
producing a spirit-led decision. The authority is God as discerned by creekfriends.org/please-support-
the group in worship. – Arthur Larabee, 2002 goose-creek/