Sunday Service
November 2
Ruth Micklem
Meeting This Moment
Ruth will share her reflections on how we can meet this moment while holding fast to a vision of a thriving world for all. What everyday actions can we take to move toward that horizon? How can we care for ourselves and one another so that we not only endure these challenging times, but live fully within them—creating a better world for everyone?
Ruth Micklem is a recently retired activist who has dedicated her life to supporting survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence. Over the past forty years, she has worked with the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, The Haven in Warsaw, and several other organizations serving survivors. During her tenure at the Action Alliance, Ruth lobbied for legislation to protect survivors at both the state and federal levels, trained advocates across Virginia, and worked directly with incarcerated and criminally charged survivors. Through this work, she has gained countless life lessons from the many remarkable people she has met along the way.
A founding member of our Fellowship, Ruth has also served as a board member and past president of UUFR. She now lives with her best friend, life partner, and spouse, Kristi Van Audenhove, along with their four dogs and two cats, in a cozy cottage on the beautiful Rappahannock River. Ruth is a proud mother of four and grandmother of five exceptional grandchildren. In retirement, she has been enjoying time to travel, catch up on long-postponed projects, and explore what comes next in this new chapter of life.
Join us for Sunday services at 10:30 a.m.
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Who We Are
As the Rappahannock River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, it draws strength and beauty from many sources. So, too, our UU Fellowship of the Rappahannock draws on the strength of its members to offer a community of caring, a celebration for our joys, a refuge in times of need, a space to reflect on religious journeys, and a forum for the exchange of ideas. We are a liberal spiritual community on the Northern Neck. Each week, we have inspiring and provocative speakers fostering engaging conversations on spirituality, community, and social justice issues.
Unitarian Universalist
Fellowship of the Rappahannock
366 James Wharf Road
White Stone, VA
Mailing Address
PO Box 1266, White Stone, VA 22578-1266
What We Believe
Unitarian Universalist beliefs are diverse and inclusive. We have no doctrine or creed. Our shared covenant of Seven Principles supports “the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” This responsible search has led us to embrace diverse teachings from Eastern and Western religions and philosophies.
The Seven Principles
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
- Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth;
- A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
- The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process;
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
What’s a UU?
UUs are people of all ages, people of many backgrounds, and many beliefs. We are brave, curious, and compassionate thinkers and doers. We create spirituality and community beyond boundaries, working for more justice and love in our lives and the world.
Unitarian Universalism affirms and promotes Seven Principles grounded in the humanistic teachings of the world’s religions. Our spirituality is unbounded, drawing from scripture and science, nature and philosophy, personal experience, and ancient traditions.
UU Shared Values
- Equity. We respect the inherent worthiness and dignity of every person and build inclusive communities.
- Generosity. We practice gratitude and share our presence and resources.
- Interdependence. We honor, protect, and heal the interdependent web of all existence.
- Justice. We work to dismantle racism and oppression, co-creating a socially just world that works for everyone.
- Pluralism. We celebrate and learn from diverse cultures, theologies, and experiences in our free, responsible search for meaning.
- Transformation. We are open to experience and grow.
What We Do
Members of our fellowship engage in a variety of activities, including weekly fellowship, spiritual exploration, social events, community service, and justice work. The navigation menu on this website will guide you to more specific details.
Everyone Is Welcome In Our Fellowship
The UUFR welcomes all people as friends and members of the fellowship. We strive to be accessible. We are a place of fellowship, caring, and community for those seeking a home that is accepting and comfortable for people of any age, gender identity, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. People from all faith traditions are welcome, as are humanists and atheists, and others seeking community outside of the traditional approach on Sunday mornings.
We are a “Welcoming Congregation” recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association. This means we affirm and include people who are two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer at every level of congregational life ~ in worship, in programs, and on social occasions ~ welcoming all as whole people.
As a Welcoming Congregation, we have pledged to:
- Honor the lives of all people and equally affirm displays of caring and affection without regard for sexual orientation.
- Celebrate diversity by using inclusive language and content in worship.
- Incorporate and understanding of the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and non-binary persons throughout all of our programs, including our children’s programming.
- Affirm and celebrate two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues, and history.
- Affirm marriage equality for all, celebrating ceremonies as they are designed by the people choosing marriage.
- Advocate for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, promoting justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society. We speak out when the rights and dignity of people are at stake.
To learn more about UUFR’s commitment to social justice, contact Ruth Micklem.
