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Tom Cardarella (left), Charles Phinizy (center) and Lou Boden (right) gather for a meeting of the Staunton Secular Humanists at Crucible Coffee on Nov. 3, 2019.(Photo: Rilyn Eischens/The News Leader)

STAUNTON Kim Newton spent Thanksgiving weekend last year constructing a display for Staunton's annual Celebration of Holiday Lights. She painted the Earth on a huge sign, strung lights around it and set it up at Gypsy Hill Park with a few friends.

Newton was gladto see heridentity as a secular humanist represented in the festive display andhoped the sign would raise awareness of the newly established group Staunton Secular Humanists. Several people stopped to ask questions about humanism and group meetings, which Newton took as a positivesign.

Then in December, the group was distressed to see the display's lightsunplugged several times. Member Charles Phinizy started driving through Gypsy HillPark every night to see if it was still lit.

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Undeterred by the tension, Staunton Secular Humanistsis gearing up to post another holiday displayand to host its second winter solstice celebration next month. The group has grown since last year and now holds weekly meetings for residents toenjoy the company and communityreligious people might find at churches, mosques and synagogues.

"It's important to me that non-religious identities have equal treatment and are seen and treated with respect in our community," Newton said. "That was a big part of the impetus for wanting to have a public group."

The Staunton Secular Humanists posted their first display in Staunton's Celebration of Lights in 2018.(Photo: Courtesy of Kim Newton)

The share of United States adults who say they aren't affiliated with any religion has increased in recent years, and the percentage of those who identify as Christian has declined. The trend is especially pronounced among people ages 23 to 38, of whom 40% identify as religiously unaffiliated, according to Pew Research Center.

Newton identifies as a secular humanist a philosophy that, broadly, teaches theuse of compassion and critical thinking to do good but the Staunton group is intended to serve all religiously unaffiliated, secular and spiritual residents. Newton and Phinizy explained thatnon-Christians can often feel isolated or even ostracized intraditional regions like the Shenandoah Valley.

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Phinizy said he's experienced this ostracism firsthand. Before he moved to the Valley, many of his coworkers stopped socializing with him and his family when they learned he wasn't Christian, he said. He no longer advertises his identity at work and was eager to learn about the brand-new Staunton group last winter.

"Anything outside of the norm of traditional Christianity is stigmatized," Newton said. "Being more public with your secular identity, being more public with the ideals that you hold and the values that you hold, I think, is actually a good way to help overcome [stereotypes]."

For the last several months, the group has held meetings at Staunton cafesevery Sunday morning. The number of attendees varies week to week, but at least a handful always come to sip coffee and chat, Newton and Phinizy said. The group rarely discusses religion newcomers are more likely to find members talking about weekend plans, hobbies and issues they're passionate about.

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Going forward, members plan to shift the group's focus toward community service. They'd also like to see it expand and reachmore local families. Newton, a new mom, said they'vehoped to find a child-friendly space for meetingsbut struggle to find a facility willing to host the secular organization.

"A lot of families get that community support they need from their church, but not everyone has that, and not everyone wants that type of community, so it's important to me to try to make that space for kids and for my kid," Newton said.

On a recent bright Sunday morning, Phinizy and local artists Tom Cardarella and Lou Boden camped out at the end of a long table in Crucible Coffee.They drank hot coffee from white to-go cups and talked about the Staunton art scene, among other topics.

Boden, a retired interfaith minister who said he believes strongly in God,explained thatthe prospect of good conversation with open-minded people drew him to the group.

"No matter what your belief or opinion, you're welcome as long as you respect everyone else's beliefs, and that's what interests me," Boden said.

More information about the group is available on its Facebook page.

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These Staunton residents struggled to find a secular community so they made their own - The News Leader