2006 Mini-Tour: Oregon

This was a wonderful experience and groundbreaking territory for the FFD, our first-ever program hosted by an Evangelical Friends group. The LaGrande Friends Meeting is a New Works Movement of Northwest Yearly Meeting (Evangelical Friends). This innovative “new works” program allows meetings to grow organically, outside the usual “church” paradigm, and music and dance are at the center of the inspiration for LaGrande Friends. Carla Arnold found out about the FFD via the Web back in 2000 and has been looking for a chance to bring us to visit ever since.

A number of us were in Washington State for the FGC gathering and other matters, so we made the trek down to LaGrande immediately following the Gathering. Carla and two other local LaGrande folk dancers joined us to bring our numbers to 9, including 5 first-time performers with the FFD. We shared potlucks, fellowship and unprogrammed worship (they asked us to help them hold a completely unprogrammed worship, in contrast to their usual practice) in addition to all the dancing, and left feeling enriched and blessed by our newfound Friends.