Visioning Retreat

In 2025, Sandy Spring Friends Meeting contracted with consultant Jennifer Shropshire to engage Meeting members and attenders in a process to help us identify and articulate our shared aspirations and needs, and to inform our next steps in developing a mission and vision for the Meeting today.

In Fall of 2025, the Visioning Committee, working with our consultant, circulated a wide-ranging survey to assess members and attenders thoughts about topics pertinent to the present and future of our Meeting, including: climate and culture; Quaker process; service and witness; engagement and growth; and stewardship. To read the results of the survey, CLICK HERE. To watch a recording of the report on the survey, CLICK HERE.

The results of this survey have helped Jennifer and the Visioning Committee develop a retreat, an opportunity for members of our community to speak and listen to one another as we seek a Spirit-led discernment of our Meeting’s priorities and future. The visioning retreat is scheduled for Saturday, January 10, 2026 from 10:00 am-3:00 pm and will be offered both in-person in the Community House Lyceum and online via Zoom. A snow date of January 24 has been reserved in case of inclement weather on the 10th.

Check this space for more details as the retreat takes shape. The Visioning Committee asks participants to consider the following query: At Sandy Spring Friends Meeting, what does deepening spiritual focus mean to you?

The Visioning Committee welcomes all who consider Sandy Spring Friends Meeting their spiritual home to participate, especially children and families. Childcare will be provided by the Meeting. In order that the committee may prepare to offer lunch, childcare, and organize small group exercises, registration is required. To register, CLICK HERE.