![]() Jamestown, N.Y. – When Ruby Wiles speaks at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown’s (UUCJ) 10:30 a.m. hybrid service on Sunday, October 20, her topic will be “Rebuilding Our Once Civil And Civic-Minded Society.” Wiles will share the results of her experiment of building bridges and civic engagement with her high school classmates at their 50th class reunion in Warren in late September. She will also reflect on public figures who have been working to rebuild our once civil and civic-minded way of life and how people's life stories affect their decisions and viewpoints. Wiles received the UUCJ 2017 Richard T. Parker Award for Social Justice for founding and directing Free Books for Kids Town, which has provided thousands of free books to children in Warren County, Pa. Inspired by her passion to encourage kids’ reading by having books that belong to them, the church’s Social Justice Committee gives books to Jamestown’s Fletcher Elementary School kindergarteners, has free book boxes for both adults and children in their front yard, and hosts book give-aways on Halloween and Memorial Day. Wiles graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, interned at Community of Christ in Washington, D.C., while a student at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California, and completed work in Clinical Pastoral Education at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her first call at a two-point parish in North Dakota was followed by 12 years at Calvary Lutheran Church in the Bronx. Returning to her roots in rural Pennsylvania, she served Tabor Lutheran Church in Kane before founding Free Books for Kids Town in 2013. Pianist Julie Anderson provides the music for the service, and all are welcome to the potluck that follows. Participation can be in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community. Comments are closed.
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