The Nominating Committee, consisting of Joy Boyd, Cynthia Goodman, Tish Kashdan, Lance Klosterman, and Judy Tucker (Chair), began working in January to ensure the strong history of HVUUC Board Governance.

The nominees to be presented at the annual meeting on April 24, 2022 are:

Past President: Dave Kashdan
Vice President: Dottie Blades
Secretary: Michele Markstrom-Frisch (serving one year to fill in for Dottie Blades, current secretary)
Treasurer: Deb Helmer
Facilities: Doug Chaffin
Membership: Cynthia Goodman

Nominating Committee:

Joy Boyd (Chair)
Tish Kashdan ( returning member )
Linda McCoy ( serving a one-year term to
replace Cynthia Goodman)
Josh Beckett ( new member two-year term)
Alicia Culbertson (new member two-year term)

Thank you to the current Board of Trustees for working so diligently these past two years to help our church community navigate a global pandemic.

Religious Education is thrilled to announce that Adult RE 1 has resumed!

The group will meet from 9:30-10:45 n the first floor of the REZ, second room on the right.

Some important things to know about this:

• The curriculum is The Great Courses. The group will watch a short video related to religions, science, philosophy, etc and follow it with a group discussion.

• The facilitation will rotate among the group members. This means that each week someone is responsible for unlocking the building, turning on the DVD, encouraging discussion from the provided guide, taking attendance, and locking the building back up.

Please contact Sarah White at DRE@hvuuc.org if you have any questions!
We are so happy to be in person with our community!

A new playground structure was ordered and was shipped Thursday March 10th. A workday will be called as soon as the playground comes in. The area where the playground was removed and with some minor work ready to install the playground.

The risk assessment team is happy to announce that this Sunday we will be operating under level 2 or “medium” risk. Here is what you need to know.

Level 2 (Medium)

• Everyone wears a mask inside on Sunday

• Vaccinated folks don’t need to wear a mask outdoors (or indoors for small groups)

• No temperature taking

• Unvaccinated folks still need to socially distance

• Colored wrist bands to indicate comfort levels

• We can sing indoors WITH MASKS ON

Wristbands

Color-coded armbands will indicate your level of contact comfort. These will reduce awkward & repeated questions about comfort levels. Choose the appropriate band as you enter, to let folks know how much close interaction you’re comfortable with.

• Red=Maintain 6’ distance

• Yellow=Talking OK, no touch

• Green=Appropriate touch OK -- just ask.

There will be bins at the door & on the deck to deposit wristbands for cleaning after the service.

Click here to read more about Level 2.

Our Signs of Spring is a non-traditional outdoor Sunday Service experience.

What does that mean?

Click to read more.

March 5th workday was a big success. We removed the play structure and swings. Time has not been kind to these old favorites. We raked a bunch of leaves and worked on our gardens and flower beds. I want to thank everyone for their help.

News and Events

To submit an event or news item to our website click “News and Events Submission” under the “News and Events” menu heading at the top of the site. Or go to hvuuc.org/submissions

Submit an event for occasions with a physical date and time that you would like to promote publicly such as a small gathering. Submit a news item for general messages such as the announcement of an upcoming covenant group.

Reservations

If you would like to reserve a room in the church for an event first check the calendar here to be sure there is not a scheduling conflict, then email the office administrator at office@hvuuc.org with the details of your reservation.

Members and friends of HVUUC and several other local justice-based organizations are heading to Washington, DC, on June 18 to join thousands of people of conscience gathering on the National Mall. Join us for The Mass Poor People’s & Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly & Moral March on Washington.

To our wonderful Holston Valley UU families,

Religious Education and Rev. Tiffany want to hear from you. We are offering two Listening Circles in April to give you an opportunity to share what you would like to see in our future Religious Education programming.

• Friday, April 15th from 6-7:30

• Saturday, April 23rd from 10-11:30

Both of these will be hosted on Zoom. Please mark your calendar and get registered!

Once on the event page, pick the time slot you would prefer and then click "RSVP".

Informational slides on the preliminary budget and pledge target referenced on February 27th and in the pledge letter are now available in the members area of the church website.

Please see the file titled "2022 Preliminary Budget and Pledge Info". This will provide context for how the pledge target was calculated and some information on determining a pledge amount.

The link is here:
https://hvuuc.org/members-area

If you need the password, email office@hvuuc.org.

The Vision that Guides Us

"We work together as a church to transform ourselves, our community, and our world by sharing love, pursuing justice, and seeking wonder" That's our church's vision statement. How are we living it?

Join us for in-person church on Sunday, March 13 at 11:00 a.m.!!!

Click for for more info.

Hello, church family! As you know, our first indoor in-person service in two years is happening this Sunday, March 13.

Here are some important things to know if you plan to come.

Click to read more.

Sunday, March 13 daylight savings time begins! Don’t forget to “spring forward” so you don’t miss our big reopening service this week!

Help take care of our future! HVUUC is in need of Childcare Providers on Sunday mornings. Generally, hours range from 1.5 to 4 per Sunday with additional hours requested for special events. If you or someone you know LOVES kids, this is the job for them. Contact vp@hvuuc.org for more information.

Your Social Justice committee is working diligently to roll out our second quarter's topic, Climate Change. Acknowledging that there is much work to be done to secure the future of our planet, committee members decided that our March focus will be "Trees". We can't think of a more fitting monthly topic since March is typically a month of rebirth in nature's realm. Following are a few "Tree" items of interest.

"The Overstory" by Richard Powers - novel about nine Americans whose unique life experiences with trees bring them together to address the destruction of forests.

Tennessee Tree Program: www.tectn.org. Program's goal is to plant and care for one million native trees in Tennessee by 2025.

Thinking of planting trees? Here is a list of trees native to Tennessee. https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/documents/sp515.pdf

You could provide snacks for Robinson Middle School's new GSA! There are four more meetings before the end of the year. Schedule your giving here: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/z247qd

Join us for LIVE ZOOM church on Sunday, March 6 at 11:00 a.m. Pre-register for Zoom at this link:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkdumhpjMrHNWOlvBVrPnuIOWj-gtHtock

Know anyone who plays piano? Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church (Gray, TN) is searching for a pianist. The position is available immediately. Hourly rate commensurate with experience. Up to 4 hours per week. Must have ability to read music. Come join us in ALL types of music: hymns, folk, rock and choral.

Email vp@hvuuc.org with inquiries.

March 2022 nUUsletter highlights:

• Message from the Minister

• Religious Education Updates

• Fellowship Art Pop Up

• Social Justice News

• Reopening Plan

Click here to read the full newsletter.

Click here for past newsletters.

Up to date church info is always available at www.hvuuc.org