Exploring the Biblical Wilderness At St. Andrew’s Church

From email announcement:

In 1873, St. Andrew’s Church started as a bible class in the Oregon Hill neighborhood. Starting this Thursday, all are invited to a new gathering called Exploring the Biblical Wilderness. We will begin our study on January 14 with Gospel of Matthew (chapters 1-14), and our time together may include studies of historical and cultural context, theological themes, contemplative approaches to scripture, and biblical storytelling. 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm in St. Andrew’s House (236 S. Laurel Street). If interested, please email abailey@standrewsoregonhill.org or just show up! This class will occur on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month and is open to everyone!

Burger’s Bernie Belly Crawl Challenge

Ahhh politics…and in particular the U.S. Presidential race. A lot of people will look down their noses at my forthcoming expression of opinion. Some will rightly say that a community news site should concentrate on local level politics that have more of an immediate impact on the community it represents, while others will disdain any local opinion whatsoever based on their notions of propriety or something. I disregard them, in part because I agree with the adage that all politics is local, and in part because I desire MORE community engagement with politics in general. It should be obvious, but here I insert a disclaimer that I do not portend to represent ALL of Oregon Hill residents’ opinion on anything (unless, perhaps, when I am wearing my crown).

Anyway…so yeah, currently one of the big questions is if Senator Bernie Sanders can successfully upstage Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Now, like a lot of people, I have been a fan of Bernie for a long time for many of his stands as an “Independent” in Congress (though not all of them). However, I am betting that he will not gain the nomination for a couple of different reasons. Bernie Sanders will not be on the ballot in November. I would love to be proven wrong. So much so that I am willing to make a friendly wager/challenge on this- I hereby announce that if Senator Bernie Sanders does become the Democratic Party nominee for President, I, Scott Burger, promise to crawl on my belly south from Idlewood Avenue down to the James River. (In the unlikely circumstance that I lose this bet, I will concede my loss on a date of my choosing, and upon losing, and I will fulfill my promise to do this crawl on a time and date of my choosing.)

So, if you want to help Bernie or would enjoy seeing me punished and brought low for my political thoughts, I urge you to vote in the Democratic Primary on March 1st and see if you can help prove me wrong. (By the way, I am certainly not alone in this crude speculation and if you would like to bet real money, there are already websites that will cater to this.)

Having issued this challenge, who then am I supporting in the Presidential election? Click for more… Continue reading

Burglary and Hit & Run and DUI

From RAIDSonline.com:

BURGLARY/B and E/OUTBUILDING
3XX S CHERRY ST
Jan 7, 2016 at 12:00 pm
Data provided by Richmond Police Department

HIT AND RUN
8XX W MAIN ST
Jan 7, 2016 at 9:30 pm
Data provided by Virginia Commonwealth University Police Department

DUI, ALCOHOL
7XX CUMBERLAND ST
Jan 7, 2016 at 10:06 pm
Data provided by Virginia Commonwealth University Police Department

New Congressional District

From Times Dispatch article:

A three-judge panel in Richmond on Thursday imposed a new Virginia congressional map that could give blacks a chance to elect candidates of their choice in two districts, not just one.
Unless the U.S. Supreme Court halts implementation of the new map, the reconfiguration will lower the black voting age population in the 3rd District, represented by Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, a Democrat, from 56.3 percent to 45.3 percent.

It looks like this will most likely move Oregon Hill from the 3rd District into the 4th District, represented by Rep. J. Randy Forbes, a Republican.

Epiphany Lessons and Carols @ St. Andrew’s Church

From email announcement:

On Sunday, January 10 at 5:00 pm, St. Andrew’s will hold its annual celebration of Epiphany Lessons and Carols with a reception following. Child care is available.

The St. Andrew’s Choristers will be joined by special guests from area congregations to sing anthems and carols, both old and new. All are invited for this evening of stunning music and sacred story.

Check out this video about our service of Epiphany Lessons and Carols service on FaceBook or our website. Feel free to share with others.