Spiritual State of the Meeting – 2009

Posted on April 4, 2011 by bymrsf

Roanoke Monthly Meeting and Lynchburg Indulged Meeting

The following report is a composite of Friends’ responses to the three Baltimore Yearly Meeting queries.

General Participation in the Life of the Meeting
Our average attendance for Meeting for Worship is growing, and many who visit have returned. We are a young meeting in terms of total years in Quaker life. Most of us have come from other traditions. Our Meeting itself does not have as lengthy a history as some, and yet we do often manifest intensity of purpose in both our individual & communal strivings. Continue reading →

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Spiritual State of the Meeting – 2010

Posted on March 31, 2011 by bymrsf

Roanoke Monthly Meeting and Lynchburg Indulged Meeting

If God/Spirit is love, the Spirit is prospering among us. Spirit manifests in our lives individually as well as communally. No matter what issues we face and sometimes wrangle with, we find openings, messages, and guidance to hold steady and see our way through to better clearness and unity. We not only listen and remain open to Spirit, but the sharings and teachings and awareness of Spirit continue to inform us. As a community our sense of continuity continues across weeks and months as well as geographical distance, nourishing us, and allowing us to nourish the Meeting and one another. We are attracting new attenders. Our Meetings for Worship and for Business are well attended, and our work together is energizing. Our various committees are made effective by wonderful dedication and collaboration. Some Friends have had to serve on more than one committee but more newcomers are being asked and stepping forward to participate. Increasingly, Friends are involved in the wider Quaker world as well as locally, so we are looking beyond ourselves to widen our experiences and service.

Continue reading →

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Interchange – Fall 2010

Posted on October 14, 2010 by bymrsf

The 2010 Blue Ridge Gathering, the get-together for southwest Virginia Quakers, met on May 23 at the new Blacksburg Meetinghouse. The weather was sunny and cool, with some clouds. Sixty-five Friends from Abingdon, Blacksburg, Floyd, Lynchburg, Maury River and Roanoke Meetings were present. Regrets that he couldn’t attend were also sent by Tony Lowe, pastor of the Fancy Gap Fellowship of Friends.

In the morning, Friends gathered for Meeting for Worship in the spacious Meeting Room that overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains while young Friends, after joining us briefly, attended First Day School. A tasty potluck, then an enjoyable period of singing followed. In the afternoon, Roger Golden of Abingdon Meeting spoke about his leading for area Meetings to sponsor a Christian Peacemakers Team worker. Bob McGahey of Celo Meeting then delivered a talk on “Friends and the Environment: the southwest Virginia version”, ending with worship-sharing about our favorite places in the wild when we were young and what we can do to preserve them now. Child care was offered for young Friends.

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Interchange – Winter 2010

Posted on January 26, 2010 by bymrsf

Roanoke Monthly Meeting continues at the Alexander/ Gish House in Highland Park in Roanoke. Several events are upcoming. On February 14, from noon to 1 pm, Lauri Perman, Executive Director of Pendle Hill will give a talk for area meetings on Opportunities at Pendle Hill. Mike Heller is facilitating this and we hope friends from other meetings in SW Virginia will attend. The following month, on March 14 at rise of meeting, David Hurt will share in more detail the FGC ‘09 workshop he attended. And on February 28, regional Meeting representatives will gather at Blacksburg’s new Meeting House to plan the next Blue Ridge Gathering. This gathering, initiated by Gary Sandman, has carried on for four years. Last year Riley Robinson came to speak with us.

Our meeting for healing occurs once a month and prayer requests are taken up. At the moment, one of our members, Letty Collins, is serving in Kabul as an auditor. We are holding her in the Light.

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