Goose Creek Friends

Newsletter May 2023

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

Queries for Fifth Month – Fifth Month Meeting for

Community Worship with a Concern
• Are love and unity maintained among you? for Business
• What helps our Meeting build trust in Friends approved with thanks the annual report
one another? of the Property Committee. Their biggest projects
• How do we get to know one another in over the past year have been replacement of
our spiritual community and in other part of the roof on the stone meeting house and
religious communities? removal of some large trees. They have made
repairs of our stone walkways and porch railings
• How do we make time in our lives for and plan to upgrade all of our stonework over
our Meeting? the coming years. They’ve been working with
• How do our conflicts have the potential the Tech Subcommittee on hearing enhancement
to enrich the life of our community? technology in the Meeting Room and will repair
the stone meeting house’s roof, as well as make
some changes to our property to improve the
Meeting House’s inclusivity and accessibility.
Continued on next page g

Goose Creek Friends Meeting, Easter 2023

Photograph by Sarah Huntington
Goose Creek Friends Newsletter | May 2023 | Page 2
Continued from page 1

Friends approved with thanks the annual report of Book Sunday!

the Archive Committee. They continue work on
updating/revising our trifold meeting brochure;
they supported Miriam Westervelt’s Quaker history 
display at the Waterford Fair; they have been
making some revisions of our land acknowledgment
statement; and they have been researching Samuel
Janney’s work with American Indians in the
Midwest in the 19th century. In addition, they are
figuring out how to create digital backup of the
archive’s documents.
Friends approved holding a second discussion
about inclusivity and accessibility at Goose Creek May 21: Book Sunday and
during Second Hour on June 25.
Ice Cream Social at the
Friends approved the Publication Committee’s
suggestion that we make a donation to Graffiti and
Rise of Meeting
Silk, which is part of Mobile Hope. Graffiti and Silk A book will be presented to each
holds classes for homeless and at-risk young people First Day School & Nursery student.
(aged 18-24) in sewing, knitting, crocheting, and
other textile arts. Their goals are to teach skills and
provide community. Friendly Adult Volunteers for
First Day Day School and the
What do Quakers believe? Via Nursery Needed
Zoom on May 31 – 7:00-8:30 pm Sign up to be a Friendly Adult Volunteer for First
Day School or the Nursery today – it’s a great way
Join us via Zoom for a conversation about Quaker to get to know the students! Teachers prepare the
beliefs as outlined by Arthur Larrabee in his lessons; FAV’s get to share the fun. You can sign up
QuakerSpeak video “9 Core Quaker Beliefs” via SignUpGenius (https://www.signupgenius.com/
(https://quakerspeak.com/video/9-core-quaker- go/409044eaea62ba2f58-first#/), or contact Maria
beliefs/). May’s discussion will focus on Larrabee’s Nicklin at marianicklin@gmail.com
Core Belief #4, which echoes our Fifth Month
queries: “Our understanding and experience of God
is nurtured and enlarged in community. When we
come together in community, each of us brings our
own manifestation of the divine energy. When we
come together in community, we experience and
embrace our diversity; we experience a much larger
understanding and vision of God.”
Please join the conversation! The sessions will be
recorded for those Friends not able to attend.
June dates for your calendar:
June 11, Second Hour – Discussion among
committee clerks and co-clerks – all Friends invited!
June 25, Second Hour – 2nd discussion about
inclusivity and accessibility at Goose Creek

Good news from Kenya
This school year, seven young Maasai girls
continued their formal education in rural southern
Kenya because of Goose Creek's renewed
partnership with Entashata Community Based
Organization. Entashata's mission is to improve
education opportunities for Loita Maasai girls
and sensitize families to abandoning female
circumcision and forced early marriage practices.
Goose Creek sponsorship of these girls, as well
as women’s beekeeping projects, begun four
years ago when Miriam Westervelt  returned
from her doctoral fieldwork there and explained
to us the challenges of this pastoralist indigenous
community. They face severe climate disruption,
food insecurity, and a high teenage pregnancy rate
(40%). This is a photo of Grace Napelel Sonkoi
(second from left) who has graduated because of
Goose Creek's generous support.
Grace recently wrote “Goose Creek friends, I want
to appreciate you for your support that helped me.
When I received your sponsorship that was the be-
ginning of relief for our family. I was not sent home
for school fees anymore. May God bless you and
give you strength.”
If you are interested in the women's beekeeping
project, go to https://www.mobilejournalism.co.ke/
women-in-beekeeping-to-conserve-loita-forest/ 
Goose Creek Friends Newsletter | May 2023 | Page 3
From Baltimore Yearly Meeting:
• Interim Meeting will take place on June 10th
online via Zoom and in-person at Tandem Friends
School in Charlottesville. Charlottesville Friends
Meeting will provide lunchtime hospitality before
Meeting for Worship for the Conduct of Business
begins at 12:30pm. We hope to see you there.
For details and to register: https://www.bym-rsf.org/
events/businessmeet/
• The spring issue of Way Opens, the BYM
Camps newsletter is now available online. The
issue features reflections from Camping Program
Manager Brian Massey, the new strategic plan for
the camps, and information about small gatherings
this spring that will bring together incoming
campers and their families with other campers &
families in their area... and with local camp alumni!
Here’s the link:
https://mailchi.mp/1bec060a3159/way-opens-
the-bym-camps-community-newsletter-
10369609?e=064c925887
Goose Creek News
Miriam Westervelt’s daughter, Olivia Henry, and
Olivia’s husband, Devin McCutchen, welcomed
their baby daughter on April 12. Her name is Una
Jubilee McCutchen; Una means “little lamb” in
Irish. Congratulations!
Our sympathy to Friend Jean Wilson on the death
of Michael Gideon Wiedenmann, the grandson
of Jean’s late husband, Janney Wilson. We are
holding in the Light Jeannette Wilson Wiedenmann
(Janney’s daughter/Michael’s mother) as well as the
rest of his family. Michael’s ashes will be interred
in the Goose Creek Burying Ground at noon on
June 3; Jeannette has invited Goose Creek Friends
to attend.
Page 4 | May 2023 | Goose Creek Friends Newsletter

Sundays Facing Bench

Zoom Meeting for Worship at 9:45 a.m. In-person MAY
Meeting for Worship at 9:45 a.m. For the weekly Zoom link, Catherine Cox
contact Chuck at chuck.hough@gmail.com
june
First Day School & Oakdale Nursery, 10:00 a.m.
Rich Weidner
Wednesdays zoom
Discussion Group at 7:00 (Zoom). For more information, Chuck Hough
contact Chuck Hough: chuck.hough@gmail.com ***

Calendar
MAY Mud Club
1st saturdays
05.06 Sat. 10:00 am Mud Club (10:00-12:00)
05.07 Sun. 11:00 am Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business 10:00 to 12:00
05.12 Fri. 5:00 pm Religious Education Committee Meeting (Zoom) 3rd sundays
05.14 Sun. 9:00 am Unity with Nature Committee meeting 11:00 to 1:00
05.21 Sun. 11:00 am BOOK SUNDAY and ice cream social At the Meeting House
with Mud Club following
05.28 Sun. 11:00 am Ministry & Worship Committee meeting
05.31 Wed 7:00 pm Zoom conversation: What do Quakers believe?
JUNE
06.03 Sat. 10:00 am Mud Club (10:00-12:00)
06.04 Sun. 11:00 am Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business
06.11 Sun. 11:00 am Second Hour: Clerks and co-clerks’ discussion
06.25 Sun. 11:00 am 2nd discussion about inclusivity and accessibility
at Goose Creek
NEWSLETTER
The Goose Creek Friends Newsletter
FIRST DAY SCHOOL & OAKDALE NURSERY is published monthly by the
Goose Creek Friends Meeting,
05/07 (grades 6-12) Quakers in America, Part 1 (grades K-5) SPICES 18204 Lincoln Road, P.O. Box 105,
05/14 (grades 6-12) Quakers in America, Part 2 (grades K-5) SPICES Lincoln, VA 20160.
CLERK
05/21 (grades 6-12) Book Discussion, Measure (grades K-5) SPICES
Allen Cochran, 540.338.6485
05/28 (grades 6-12) Quaker Committees, Part 3 (grades K-5) SPICES Cochransstone@aol.com
TREASURER
OAKDALE NURSERY: Each week there are games, stories, crafts, and play.
Brian Burgher
goose.creek.treasurer@gmail.com
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
“The life of a religious society consists in something more Catherine Cox, 301-471-5330
than the body of principles it professes and the outer blycox@comcast.net
garments of organization which it wears. These things WEBSITE & FACEBOOK
have their own importance: they embody the society to www.goosecreekfriends.org
https://www.facebook.com/
the world, and protect it from the chance and change of Goose-Creek-Friends-Meeting-
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escape recognition. They are to be found in the vital union DONATIONS
of the members of the society with God and with one Please direct donations for
another, a union which allows the free flowing through the Goose Creek Friends Meeting to
Brian Burgher, P.O. Box 105
society of a spiritual life which is its strength.” Lincoln, Virginia 20160 - OR -
donate online: http://www.goose-
– William Charles Braithwaite, 1905 creekfriends.org/please-support-
goose-creek/