Spiritual Formation Program
Gunpowder Friends participate each year in the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Spiritual Formation Program, which fosters our deepening relationships with one another. The program creates space for Gunpowder Friends to share stories of our spiritual journeys, to learn together through readings and discussion and to enjoy the fellowship of monthly potluck meals. Friends may also participate in a small group meeting each month, in support of one another’s chosen spiritual practices and spiritual journey.
We are also welcome to join in twice-annual retreats (in the Fall and Spring) with Quakers from across the region. The retreats draw us to a beautiful natural setting (at retreat centers not far from Baltimore), and allow us to step back from the daily routines of life to reflect on how Spirit is at work in our lives.
Through this program, we come to know one another in what Quaker founder George Fox called “that which is eternal.”
"When I first came to Gunpowder, I was looking for a spiritual community where I could be accepted as I was at the time. I had lost my religion, and was looking for a way to ground my spirit. I even had trouble with the use of the word God, which conjured up for me ideas and concepts I could no longer accept. I found in Gunpowder a community that was welcoming, and in Spiritual Formation, an opportunity to read, to hear from others about their interactions with the text, and to be deeply listened to. Attending both the large and small group provides a real opportunity to learn to know others. The readings and reflections that are shared are enriching. And the shared meals are really, really good!!"
~ Gunpowder Friend
For more information about the Spiritual Formation Program at Gunpowder, contact its facilitators Amy Schmaljohn amy@schmaljohn.com or Rebecca Richards rebeccaruth48@comcast.net.