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.
Have you noticed that our congregation is growing? While Sunday attendance varies from week to week, our official membership number has increased and our average Sunday attendance is up by about 10%!
It is a unique challenge to try to get to know everyone at this point, and that is true for member and minister alike! Dunbar's number says it's difficult to make a meaningful connection with more than 150 people in your life at one time, and the church's official membership is now at 146!
Whether you're an official member of the church, a friend of the church, or you are just visiting and considering how involved you want to be, Rev. Tiffany would love a chance to get to know you.
She has a convenient meeting scheduling app that tracks her availability. You can sign up for an hour or half an hour, and can indicate whether you want to meet at the office or on the phone or zoom.
Click here to schedule some time:
https://calendly.com/tiffanysappuu
We have a friend of the church who has lost their work phone. Her name is Nancy, and it's very important for her to get her phone, otherwise she could lose her job. If you found it, please email office@hvuuc.org.
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 February 9, 2025!
9:30am Religious Education
11:00am Sunday Service
12:00pm Potluck
The Genesis Creation and Fall stories in the bible are foundational to our Unitarian Universalist Heritage. What does this 3000 year old myth mean to Unitarian Universalists today? Longtime member George Cross shares some of his thoughts about the Adam and Eve story.
BEYOND THE CHURCH WALLS: REIMAGINING THE BOUNDARIES OF RELIGION IN APPALACHIA
PRESENTED BY DR. JENNIFER AXSOM ADLER
Saturday, February 15th, 10:00 a.m. First Presbyterian Church Elizabethton 119 West F Street, Elizabethton, TN
First Presbyterian Church Elizabethton is sponsoring a free lecture on Sat , February 15, by Dr. Jennifer Axsom Adler, titled "Beyond the Church Walls: Reimagining the Boundaries of Religion in Appalachia." This event will be conducted at the church and also streamed live from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Refreshments will be offered. For a head count, please register by going to fpcelizabethton.org. Thanks go to the Christian Education Committee for coordinating the program.
According to Adler, religion in Appalachia is much more complicated than is commonly recognized. "It is often imagined as predominantly Christian, with Baptists playing a particularly central role," she asserts. "But a thorough examination of the history reveals a much more complex and diverse narrative. For church groups, this exploration could offer a fresh perspective related to their own congregations histories.
A native of Bloomington, Indiana, Adler is currently an assistant professor of history at ETSU. She holds a bachelor's degree in government from Harvard College and a master's and doctorate in religion from Vanderbilt University. From the lecture, Adler would like attendees to gain deeper- appreciation for the rich diversity of religious practices and identities in the region. In addition, she plans to introduce the concept of 'vernacular religion," which scholars define as "religion as it is lived: as human beings encounter, understand, and interpret it." This concept offers a valuable framework for examining the lived experience of religion in Appalachia .
Join us for church on Sunday June 25, 2023
9:30 Religious Education
11:00 Sunday Service
What is Evil? Where did it come from? How does it manifest in the world about us? How do we recognize in others and in ourselves? Can we do anything to stop it, or even avoid it? These are questions that have confounded us since the beginning of time. Let’s explore them using sacred writings, story, and art.
Soapbox Sunday is coming soon! If you have something you'd like to talk about on July 2nd, please talk to Bradley or email him at rscchair@hvuuc.org.
Ever since the Typhoon Mawar devastated the people of Guam, we have been hearing from people who want to help. This page is FULL of ways you can help. Please keep in mind that money donations are the most needed and most appreciated in these situations:
https://guamrecovery.com/how-you-can-help-typhoon-mawar-disaster-relief-efforts/
Rev. Tiffany will be out of the office from Sunday June 18th until Monday June 26th for professional development
Justin will be out of the office from Saturday June 24 until Tuesday July 4 for vacation time
Please note that scammers and spoofers and hackers LOVE to target us while our minister is away. If someone reaches out to you by email during these times claiming to be Rev. Tiffany or Justin, they are NOT. You can reach out to the office at office@hvuuc.org if you have any concerns about this.
Join us for church on Sunday June 18, 2023
9:30 Religious Education
11:00 Sunday Service
As Unitarian Universalists, we share an ethical framework in our principles. Our individual moral stances may vary yet they converge in a democratic process to this common ground. Presumably the purpose of the 4th principle, how we search for truth and meaning, is to inform how we should act in the world. Yet knowing a truth or finding meaning in a narrative does not directly provide a moral direction. How do we bridge the gap from narrative to a personal moral? One must acknowledge a feedback loop from our communal ethic back to the individual. I’d like to introduce the concept of moral constructivism as a framework for investigating this question. The outcome should provide interesting questions for the individual to wrestle.
Join us for church on Sunday June 11, 2023
A Transcendentalist and an Abolitionist, Theodore Parker was a Unitarian minister in the 1800s that inspired a wide gamut of thinkers and writers including Martin Luther King Jr and Abraham Lincoln. Today we learn a little something about this important figure in Unitarian Universalist History
Please be warned that there is an email scam that uses a fake email address impersonating the minister or other staff to request membership information, urgent assistance with an unspecified task, and/or financial assistance - often in the form of gift cards. These messages are not generated by a HACKED email address or account, they use fake or SPOOFED email addresses. That means that there is nothing HVUUC or any individual can directly do to stop this - a password or account change does not help.
If you receive a message that seems like a scam, here is what you can do to ensure that the scam does not spread further:
DO NOT reply to these messages.
REPORT the email as spam and BLOCK the sender.
If you aren't sure and want to check the message's veracity, call the HVUUC office, or start a NEW email using the correct email address (minister@hvuuc.org or office@hvuuc.org), and ask.
NEVER send gift card numbers or financial information via email or otherwise.
Many email programs like gmail and outlook automatically save new email addresses to your account, so you may need to go into your comments and confirm that you have the correct email address, deleting any others you have on file so that future emails don't get lost to the scammers.
Links to more info about this type of scam:
https://www.cmu.edu/iso/news/2020/email-spoofing.html
Here is my solemn promise to you: If I ever need help, or am ever trying to help someone else, it will never be in the form of asking you to buy and send gift cards electronically. If for some reason that I cannot fathom right now I do need such a thing, I will reach out to you in a way other than email.
Special thank you to Caring ❤ Team member Alicia C. for her dedication as May coordinator.
The June coordinator is Joy B. along with newest member Judy T.
The Caring ❤ Team cares about you!
New members always welcome in this very worthy committee serving church members and friends.
If you are interested in joining us or just have questions email
caring@hvuuc.org
Thank you! ❤
The new 2023-2024 Board of Trustees will be meeting on June 10th at 3:00pm at the Church. Our meetings normally take place on Zoom, but this meeting is in person following the BOT Annual Retreat. The date has been changed only for June due to some Board members and congregants participating in General Assembly which is during the week of our usual meeting date. Please contact Dottie Blades at President@hvuuc.org if you have questions about this change, or would like to be present for the monthly Board meeting.
Headlines
Minister’s Note
Summer RE Activities
Social Justice
Scam Alert
General Assembly Feedback
Click here to read the entire newsletter.
Click here for past newsletters.
Up to date church info is always available at www.hvuuc.org
We have some great Summer RE classes lined up for June! Take a look at the list below and come join us when you are able!
June 4 - Nature Play w/Susan Cadwallader
June 11 - Geology w/George Cross
June 18 - Dutch Oven Cooking w/Greg Kramer
June 25 - Sacred Spirals: The Math of Nature, Art, and Balance w/Cindi Huss
Don't miss out on these great opportunities!
For questions and inquiries contact Justin Ridley, DRE.
On Tuesday, June 13th at 7:00pm you can meet with Rev. Tiffany and our General Assembly Delegates to hear about upcoming votes at General Assembly and give your feedback about them. During this zoom meeting we will cover:
The contested Nominations Committee vote
A Business Agenda item about the UUA divesting from fossil fuels investments
During this time we will not discuss the Article 2 Revision Process as we have already spent quite a bit of time doing that this year. If you want to give feedback to your Delegates about Article 2, please use this Google form instead by June 5th.
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEpdeyqpjstE9ZuwUfsjJoBZvTgdc_45HT4
Please use the google form below to give feedback and indicate your voting preferences to the people who will be representing you at General Assembly this year. Deadline is June 5.
To see the full Article 2 Study Commission Report click here: https://www.uua.org/files/2023-02/article-II-study-report-2021-23.pdf
If you missed the workshops, you can find the Q&A by clicking here for more info.