Saturn and Jupiter as seen from Shenandoah National Park near Luray on Dec. 13 as they head towards a “great conjunction” on the Winter Solstice (NASA/Bill Ingalls photo) At the end of a year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, protests and conflict over racism and social justice, and turmoil over the presidential election, we can…

“Tree of Light”(1845 painting by Shaker artist Hannah Cohoon) SimpliRural by Jay Allen Today we are looking at Simplicity through the perspective of the Shakers and laughter. The Shakers began in England as an offspring of the Quakers and were first known as “Shaking Quakers.” Their name came from the practice of dancing and shaking…

Social Justice “Nonviolent Protests in the Disinformation Age”: This online event is being hosted by the Page County Public Forum at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday October 28. Information on logging into Zoom for the forum can be found here. The Front Royal Chapter of Coming to the Table, which several of our members belong to, has designated the…

Election Day – November 3, 2020 The 5th Principle of Unitarian Universalism is the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large. The election this year will decide the presidential contest between President Donald J. Trump and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden. Virginia voters also…

Racial Healing “I believe this is a time when healing can actually take place.” Rev. Audre King On August 26, the Page County Public Forum presented an online webinar “Racial Healing—Making our Community Stronger through Racial Harmony.” Moderated by Clyde Humphrey, it attracted 55 people, including other UUBRidge members. The deaths of Black citizens at the…

Amid Twin Crises, Two Milestones for Clean Energy and Climate Justice In the midst of both health and social crises, how might we assess our progress toward greater climate justice and a clean energy economy? We have needed to make the fast-moving pandemic and the urgency of justice reforms in the wake of George Floyd’s…

The ESJ Committee salutes longtime UUBRidge member Ira Chaleff for his years of leadership in community healing and racial reconciliation as co-chair of the Northern Shenandoah Chapter of Coming to the Table (CTTT), located in a region of Virginia that has been a tinderbox of racial strife for more than 250 years. Especially as we reexamine…

Lobby Day participants on steps of the state capitol in Richmond The UUBRidge Environment and Social Justice committee (ESJ for short) is launching this web page and blog to focus on what we can do about climate change and social injustice. Through our worship services, celebrations, religious education, and our day-to-day activities, all of us…