Goose Creek Friends
Newsletter January 2018
Goose Creek Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Lincoln, Virginia
Queries for First Month:
Vocal Ministry
• How do I discern when to speak and when not to
speak, both in Meeting and elsewhere?
• How do we encourage Friends to allow ample time
to absorb the previous message before speaking?
• How do I practice listening to the Truth which
may be revealed by others?
Monthly Meeting for Worship
with a Concern for Business:
First Month
Meeting approved a request from the Lincoln
Preservation Foundation and Grace Heritage/
Multicultural Center to host the Lewinsville Church
at our Meeting House on April 12 at 5pm.
The Nominating Committee’s report was presented
and approved with thanks to committee members
Brian Burgher, Martha Mason Semmes, Rich
Weidner, Suellen Beverly, and Ed Devinney. Debbi
Sudduth has agreed to stay on as Clerk for another
year while Rich Weidner prepares to step into the
clerkship. The new Nominating Committee will
consist of Ed Devinney (convener), Martha Mason
Semmes, Rich Weidner, Fred Bishopp, and Allen
Cochran.
The Peace and Social Concerns Committee’s
annual report was read and approved with thanks.
Its members were very active in a wide variety
of organizations and activities relevant to their
mission. The Committee is also charged with making
suggestions to Meeting about what groups will best
benefit from our donations. When considering this,
the Committee looks first at organizations in which
Goose Creek Friends are active.
Quakerism Sessions
The December 10 session will be based on Chapter
4 of Douglas Gwyn’s book A Sustainable Life. The
title of this chapter is “Equality and Community:
Testimony in Conversation.”
These Quakerism sessions take place after the rise
of Meeting on second First Days of the month, and
include opportunities for discussion and personal
responses. Reading Gwyn’s book is not required.
Come when you can – you don’t have to commit to
being there every month.
From the Camping Committee
Annual Quaker Camps
Presentation January 14th
Please join us on January 14th during First Day
School to learn about the wonderful camping
programs of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. There
are four summer BYM camps, serving children
ages 9-16.  You will be given information about
the camps and the wonderful opportunities
that are provided through living in nature with
Friends. You will also hear from past campers
and counselors about personal experiences. 
This camping information session
is open to children and adults. 
We hope to see you there!
Continued on next page g
Goose Creek Friends Newsletter | January 2018 | Page 2
Continued from page 1
The Spiritual State of
the Meeting 2017: January 21
We will gather after the rise of Meeting on January
21 to talk about our perceptions of the spiritual state
of the Meeting during the last year. This discussion
will give rise to the written report that is requested
by Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Please join Friends for
this discussion.
You might want to prepare by thinking about these
queries:
• Many Quakers see this as a period of many
challenges in the history of our country and the
world.  Do we feel the support and connection that
helps us move forward as we are led to witness
our testimonies?
• Does Meeting help us move and act from a
spiritual base?
• How is this reflected in our Meetings for
Worship?  Our vocal ministry? Our committee
work?
• Are we able to listen deeply in order to move from
places of division to places of unity?
Please do not leave the Meeting
House doors open!
Some of the doors need a good push to close fully.
And when you are among the last to leave the
Meeting House, please check to see that interior
doors between rooms are closed.
Thank you!
From Peace and Social Concerns
On January 23, some Friends from Goose Creek
will join in the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public
Policy’s “Day for All People” advocacy day. This
will be an opportunity to meet with our lawmakers
to discuss important issues, including the expansion
of Medicare. There will be a carpool to the event
in Richmond. If you are interested in going, please
contact Sheila Kryston or Will McCabe (skryston@
mac.com or willevanmccabe@gmail.com).
From the Friends
Wilderness Center
Looking for a chance to reconnect with the simplicity
of nature after the holiday rush? Come to Friends
Wilderness Center on January 13th for a day of arts
and crafting in a cozy cabin in the woods. Bring your
own project or come and learn a new skill. There
will be plenty of room for sewing, spinning, knitting,
crocheting, drawing, and painting.  There will be
spinning wheel and weaving demonstrations, as well
as knitting and crochet lessons. Event starts at 10am
and ends at 5pm. Accommodations are available for
those wishing to stay the night, but you must make a
reservation ahead of time.
Costs: Program fee is by donation (suggested
donation $15 to cover materials); lunch costs
$10. Please RSVP to Sheila Bach (snbach@earthlink.
net) to reserve a spot for this program and let her
know at that time whether you would like to have a
prepared lunch.  Note: If this will be your first time
visiting FWC, please be sure to read the introductory
material AND the Directions Page on the FWC
website (www.friendswilderness.org) to avoid
getting lost or arriving later than intended
From the Religious Education Committee
Become an Official FAP!
February 3, 10:00 to 4:00 at
the Meeting House
Jossie Dowling, Youth Programs Manager, and
trainers from BYM will lead f/Friends to become
certified FAPs (Friendly Adult Presence). This
training will allow you to serve as FAPs at Junior
Young Friends and Young Friends Conferences
The staff and volunteers of Baltimore Yearly
Meeting (BYM) intend to provide a safe and
secure environment for children and youth
entrusted to our care.
Please join us for this free and fun day!
For more information and to sign up,
please contact marianicklin@gmail.com
or call (703) 508-0816.
 Goose Creek Friends Newsletter | January 2018 | Page 3

First Day School Schedule | January 2018

JANUARY 7
Putting SPICES to use every day
As a teaser to our special SPICES Traveling Peace
Troupe workshop on the 28th ... the students
will figure out ways to use one of the SPICES in
challenges that often arise in our day-to-day lives by
way of creative brainstorming. There will also be a
related craft activity and singing.
JANUARY 14
BYM Camping Program Open House!
Please join us to learn about the wonderful camping
programs of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. There are
four summer BYM camps, which serve children ages
9-16. You will be given information about the camps
and the wonderful opportunities that are provided
through living in nature with Friends. You will
also hear from past campers and counselors about
personal experiences.
Article of the Week: If you have an article that you
think the teens would like to read as a discussion
starter, please send to cameron247@hotmail.com
JANUARY 21
Money? The Meeting
Needs Money?
Friend Ed Devinney, who has
been our treasurer in the past,
will lead a discussion with the
students about how money
plays a role in our Meeting --
and how the students can participate
in the shaping of our budget.
JANUARY 28
SPICES Traveling Peace Troupe Workshop
The students will engage in a very fun interactive
and improvisational workshop with our beloved
SPICES characters!
Teen Discussion Group
If three or more teens (ages 13-17) are present,
they are welcome to head over to Allen's shop next
door for a youth-led discussion group. NOTE: no
matter what the topic, the students and FAPs are
encouraged to make sure the conversation stays
related to Quakerism.

Harping for Harmony Foundation and

Goose Creek Friends Meeting present

PARAGUAYAN HARPIST
NICOLAS CARTER
Sunday, March 25, 2018
3:00 PM
Goose Creek Friends Meeting House
18204 Lincoln Road, Purcellville, VA
Admission by free-will donation benefits
Harping for Harmony Foundation and
the Baqueanos Program presenting
Latin American Harp Traditions
to New Audiences
NICOLAS CARTER

Harping for Harmony Foundation is a 501(c)(3) exempt charity in the State of West Virginia, established in 1994.
Donations are tax-deductable. FEIN 55-0746741. Address: 345 Virginia Avenue, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA.
Page 4 | January 2018 | Goose Creek Friends Newsletter

Sundays Facing Bench

Meeting for worship at 9:45 a.m. January
First Day School at 10:00 a.m. Caroline Pelton
Fellowship at 10:45 a.m. FEBRUARY
Martha Mason Semmes
Calendar
First Day
JANUARY
1.14 Sunday 11 am Quakerism discussion
School
1.17 Wednesday 5:30 pm SPICES Traveling Peace Troupe Meeting 01/07/18
6:30 pm Religious Education Committee Meeting Using SPICES
1.21 Sunday 11 am Discussion: Spiritual State of the Meeting 2017 Every Day
1.28 Sunday 11 am Ministry and Oversight Committee Meeting 01/14/18
BYM Camping
FEBRUARY Presentation
2.4 Sunday 11 am Meeting for Worship
01/21/18
with a Concern for Business Meeting Needs Money?
2.25 Sunday 11 am Ministry and Oversight Committee Meeting
01/28/18
Change of address: Peggy King and Fred Bishopp SPICES Traveling Peace
19385 Cypress Ridge Terrace # 711, Leesburg, VA 20176 Troupe Activities!

“Near evening I was at [a meeting with

Indians], where the pure Gospel love was
felt, to the tendering some of our hearts; and
NEWSLETTER
the interpreters endeavoring to acquaint the The Goose Creek Friends Newsletter
people with what I said, in short sentences, is published monthly by the
Goose Creek Friends Meeting,
found some difficulty, as none of them were 18204 Lincoln Road, P.O. Box 105,
Lincoln, VA 20160.
quite perfect in the English and Delaware CLERK
tongues, so they helped one another and Debbi Sudduth, 540.338.3363
dfsud@comcast.net
we laboured along, Divine love attending. ASSISTANT CLERK
Afterward, feeling my mind covered with Rich Weidner, 540.554.2747
richard_weidner@hotmail.com
the spirit of prayer, I told the interpreters that TREASURER
I found it in my heart to pray to God, and Annie Carlson
goose.creek.treasurer@gmail.com
believed if I prayed aright, he would hear me, NEWSLETTER EDITOR
and expressed my willingness for them to Catherine Cox, 301-471-5330
blycox@comcast.net
omit interpreting; so our meeting ended with WEBSITE & FACEBOOK
a degree of divine love. Before the people www.goosecreekfriends.org
https://www.facebook.com/
went out I observed Papunechang…spoke to Goose-Creek-Friends-Meeting-
one of the interpreters; and I was afterward 150892438287560/?rc=p
DONATIONS
told that he said in substance; ‘I love to feel Please direct donations for
where words come from.’” Goose Creek Friends Meeting to
Annie Carlson, P.O. Box 105
– John Woolman, c. 1760 Lincoln, Virginia 20160