We embrace diversity within the congregation’s membership and in theology. We are committed to being a vital and growing progressive congregation within our larger community. And we promote spiritual growth, religious freedom, and ethical action.
We hope you will visit our church. Our worship services are at 11:00am; children’s and adult religious education classes are at 9:30am.
Sunday Schedule
9:30 a.m. Religious Education Classes
11:00 a.m. Sunday Worship Service
12:00 p.m. Coffee Hour
Past Services: HVUUC YouTube
Upcoming Services (Sundays @ 11 a.m.)
Unitarian Universalists love asking the big questions! At the Question Box service, you get to submit your questions to Rev. Tiffany ahead of time, and at the service she will answer as many questions as she can during the allotted time. Serious or silly, simple or complex, submit your questions to minister@hvuuc.org.
This is a yearly tradition in which a handful of your very own friends volunteer to "get up on their soapbox" to speak to us about something they feel is of great importance to them. This is our church's nod to the 1st amendment rights of the people of this country.
A service about bugs, spiders, and snakes. What can we learn from these little creepy crawlies that inspire fear in so many people?
Come learn about the life and work of Charles Francis Potter, a pivotal figure in Unitarianism, Universalism, Humanism, and early religious debates about Darwin's theory of natural selection. Rev. Tiffany hits the highlights of this figure's important contributions to modern thought and theology.
Historians pine about the ancient knowledge lost in the Library of Alexandria, but how much is legend and how much is fact? Guest speaker Bradley discusses the history of the library, why people like it so much, and whether or not its reverence is justified.
We have enough people interested in Circle Suppers to begin making plans! Circle Suppers are simply potlucks held at the home of the host (or at the church if needed). Circle Suppers are a UU tradition that has fostered many friendships over the years.
Our first Circle Supper will be in September. If you have signed up as being interested in participating, expect more detailed information in August. If you have not signed up, you may still do so. Simply email Peggy at circlesuppers@hvuuc.org.
There are two fun services coming up that need your input!
Sunday June 29th - Question Box Service
Unitarian Universalists love asking the big questions! At the Question Box service, you get to submit your questions to Rev. Tiffany ahead of time, and at the service she will answer as many questions as she can during the allotted time. Serious or silly, simple or complex, submit your questions to minister@hvuuc.org.
Rev. Tiffany needs your questions ASAP so get those to her as soon as possible!
Sunday July 6 - Soapbox Service
Our annual Soapbox Sunday is coming up on July 6th. We need speakers to give a 3-5 minute talk about a topic important to your heart. You are "getting up on your soapbox" to tell it like it is. Our youth are invited to participate, as well!
Soapbox Sunday is a long-standing annual tradition where we - friends and members of HVUUC - exercise our freedom of speech. This right is not to be taken for granted.
If you have questions or want to run a topic by me, or explore a creative method of delivering your Soapbox talk, please contact Rosemary at soapboxsunday@hvuuc.org
Please email all submissions for the July newsletter by Monday June 30th to newsletter@hvuuc.org.
Upcoming News and Events
Click through for a collection of upcoming news and events at HVUUC. Click the images to be directed to more information.
Join us for church on June 22, 2025!
9:30am Religious Education
11:00am Sunday Service
12:00pm Coffee Hour
“What do you get when you combine different spiritualities?”
As Gary Mongillo has traveled down several spiritual paths, he has come to a realization that the foundation of these spiritual paths is really the same: the quote from Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong, “To live fully, love wastefully and be all we were created to be."
The HVUUC Social Justice Committee is seeking volunteers for the 4th annual Rainbow Festival in Johnson City to celebrate Pride!
The Pride Community Center will host its 4th Annual Rainbow Festival this year to celebrate Pride Month at Founders Park in Johnson City, TN.
The Social Justice Committee at HVUU will have a table and crafts available for the community. Volunteers will be needed for 2-hour shifts throughout the event to manage the table and engage with the community.
Please use this form to sign up for shifts: https://forms.gle/QN5SVP9gumAn47Vq7
Email lgbtqia@hvuuc.org with any questions.
Unitarian Universalists love asking the big questions!
At the Question Box service on June 29th, you get to submit your questions to Rev. Tiffany ahead of time, and at the service she will answer as many questions as she can during the allotted time.
Serious or silly, simple or complex, submit your questions to minister@hvuuc.org
Upcoming News and Events
Click through for a collection of upcoming news and events at HVUUC. Click the images to be directed to more information.
Join us for church on June 15, 2025!
9:30am Religious Education
11:00am Sunday Service
12:00pm Coffee Hour
4:00pm Youth Group
“Who do you think you are?”
Marina Munjal, co-founder of Appalachian Dharma & Meditation Center in Johnson City and long-time HVUUC member invites us to consider the possibility that who we think we are is merely a product of our history and environment, and not a fixed unchangeable self to protect, defend, and hold onto tightly. What is behind the carefully crafted mask we wear to meet the expectations of those around us? Can we find the space to let go of the tight grip and relax into the liberating flow of life?
The Music Committee and the Facilities Team have worked together to transform the music room into a dual purpose hospitality room for people who need it. The glass window plus a speaker inside the room makes it possible for folks with a higher needs kid, or adults with sensory overwhelm, or anyone who might find it useful, to tend to their needs with a little more privacy, should they wish it.
In our desire to be hospitable and inclusive, Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church has a variety of tools to support families:
The nursery is available with two childcare professionals during services for ages 6 and under.
Our new fidget station has a variety of quiet fidgets for people of all ages who need something to do with their hands while they are in the service.
And we have this hospitality room!
Interested in participating in a Circle Supper? If so, please send your name to circlesuppers@hvuuc.org. Interested participants will meet, probably via Zoom, to discuss details and procedures. Details and procedures will naturally depend on the number of interested participants.
Suppers, if we get enough interest, will start in September. You are expressing your interest, not your commitment!
What's a Circle Supper?
It is a group of 4, 5, or 6 people who select a date within a month to meet for dinner. The entire group, not just the group that eats together, will decide if each person brings something or if the host supplies the food. You may be able to use the church occasionally if hosting is a problem. The next month the people eating together will be changed (Couples will stay together unless they choose to separate), so that by the end of the cycle, you have met many new friends. A cycle may include three, four, or five months, depending on how many participants there are. At the beginning of the cycle, you will receive an email listing who meets with whom and when.
If interested email circlesuppers@hvuuc.org.
Upcoming News and Events
Click through for a collection of upcoming news and events at HVUUC. Click the images to be directed to more information.
Join us for church on June 8, 2025!
9:30am Religious Education
11:00am Sunday Service
12:00pm Potluck
12:15pm Music Committee
“Barbara Gittings: From Learning Alone to Teaching the World”
After a lifetime of activism, Barbara Gittings' last action for the LGBTQ+ movement was to come out in her nursing home newsletter: "As a teenager, I had to struggle alone to learn about myself and what it meant to be gay. Now for 48 years I've had the satisfaction of working with other gay people all across the country to get the bigots off our backs, to oil the closet door hinges, to change prejudiced hearts and minds, and to show that gay love is good for us and for the rest of the world too. It's hard work — but it's vital, and it's gratifying, and it's often fun!" This Sunday Rev. Tiffany kicks off Pride month with an exploration of this incredible woman's life, and we commission our newly elected Board into their year of service.
As part of the Music Room/Hospitality Room clean up, we discovered a few dozen old CDs of music created by members and friends of HVUUC.
We don't know how old the CDs are and don't recognize a few of the names on the CDs, but this music is worth celebrating! (rather than just collecting dust and taking up space)
They are on a table in the Fred Ball Room, please take one next time you're at church!
Join us for church on June 1, 2025!
9:30am Religious Education
11:00am Sunday Service
12:00pm Coffee Hour
12:15pm Choir Rehearsal
“A View from the Barber's Chair”
Everyone we meet has a different perspective. How do we seek out these perspectives, and what do we learn when we search beyond our own comfort zones and echo chambers? This Sunday Rev Tiffany explores the people we meet on our quest for truth and meaning, with some help from Steven Roberts who will be reflecting on his practice of getting haircuts in foreign countries.