I think attitudes like your quilt guild has is why I won't join one. I personally think that machine quilted quilts are just at beautiful as hand quilted. So much time, work and love go into both kinds that it seems so wrong to judge one less than another.
I mainly machine piece and quilt (most STID, very little FMQ) my quilts. I am giving hand piecing and quilting a try and find that I really enjoy it.