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by Rev. Janet Onnie August 17, 2025 Back in 1978 Alban Institute consultant, Roy Oswald, wrote a 19-page treatise on how to leave a congregation called “Running Through the Thistles.” In it he suggests that styles of saying ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ are learned very early. He relates his own childhood experience of being run through a patch of thistles by his older brothers. It was a significant shortcut on their way home from school. He said, “I can still vividly remember th

by Rev. Janet Onnie August 10, 2025 For those of you who like courtroom dramas, this is your day. I’ve been intrigued by this story since I heard it in seminary, and it has informed much of the way I think about the tension between individuals and their institutions. The setting is Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century. This was not a period of history known for its tranquility. In the rest of Europe at this time blood was flowing freely over religious dispute

By Rev. Janet Onnie July 20, 2025 Well, my friends, life in this not-so-United States has not gotten better for those of us who center our values in love. I admit I am suffering with the realization that it’s likely that we’re not who I thought we were. I imagine I’m not alone in this disillusionment no matter where you fit on the political spectrum. For the past five months or so we have been whip-lashed from one catastrophe to another. Chaos and uncertainty i

By Rev Janet Onnie July 13, 2025 The Shenandoah Valley is in mid-summer. So are the mountain towns in the Blue Ridge. I know this because the Farmers Markets are brimming with produce and flowers, there’s a smell of charcoal and sunscreen in the air, and I read email messages from friends in far-flung places. I know that many of you are no longer confined to summer to indulge in your wanderlust, but the rhythms of childhood are hard to break. July in America – at least th

by Dianne Davis-Meadow June 29, 2025 I'm sure you already figured it out and won't be shocked by what I'm about to say because you've already seen the Order of Service. I am an atheist. It feels strange, honestly, to be standing inside a church and saying that out loud. As an atheist, walking into a church feels a little like going to a costume party where I’m the only one not in costume… and I’m afraid they might hand me a Bible instead of a drink. But for the first time in