Lots of info incoming for Tri-Pride!

The parade itself starts at 11:00 am sharp on Saturday, October 12th at Cumberland Park in Bristol. We will line up in the Bristol TN City Hall/Court House parking lot off of Anderson St and encourage everyone to be there no later than 10:45 am, since they will start without you if you aren't there!

We will not have a float this year, but we will be passing out candy! 

The festival is from 12 pm - 7 pm. We need volunteers to sit at the booth throughout the day for 1 hour at a time, anyone wanting to volunteer can reach out to lgbtqia@hvuuc.org. We also need 2 volunteers for set up at 7 am, and for take down at the end of the festival. 

For anyone wanting to just attend the festival for fun, it is a free event. 

Shuttles for patrons attending the TriPride Parade and Festival will run from Virginia High School. The shuttles will drop off at the corner of Cumberland St. and Lee St. Patron shuttles will begin at 10:00 a.m. and run every hour until 8:00 p.m. 

The municipal parking lot at the corner of Cumberland Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (WCYB) will be open to the public and designated as accessible parking on a first-come first-served basis. Although this is at the end point of the parade, it may make it easier later in the day for you!

The Auction seems to be a long way off (11/16), but we will stop taking in items by the 1st. So we have only the month of October to submit items. I'm sure everyone is busy and concerned about Hurricane Helene relief and concerned about Milton.

If you have an questions you can email auction@hvuuc.org

Please use the following Auctria link to submit your items:
https://auctria.events/2024HVUUCauction

Upcoming News and Events

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Join us for church on October 6, 2024!

• 9:30am Religious Education

• 11:00am Sunday Service and New Member Ceremony

• 12:00pm Coffee Hour

• Voter Postcard Writing Campaign

“National Coming Out Day”

On this Sunday, before Tri-Pride, we celebrate National Coming Out Day with the story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag. Whoever you love, however you love, however you understand your gender, whether you're questioning, or certain or still in the closet. The love of this community is broad enough to hold you and your experiences.

Many of you have been asking how you can help, and one of the simplest ways you can help right now is to donate supplies specifically requested by some of our area disaster relief shelters.

These are the items that are most needed at this moment:

• · Cleaning supplies

• · Socks

• · Underwear

• · Toilet Paper

• · Baby formula

• · Diapers and wipes

• · Feminine hygiene products

• · Shampoo

• · Soap

• · Lotion

• · Shovels

• · Rakes

The MVP items are currently: socks, underwear, rakes and shovels. 

Bring your donations by the church on Sunday, or during office hours (Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to 2:30pm), or if you have key access bring them by anytime.  

We would also LOVE a few volunteers to organize the donated supplies and deliver them to the shelters we know of in Elizabethton, Hampton and Roan Mountain.

Please bring your donations in boxes so that we can repack for distribution!

Please email relief@hvuuc.org for more information, or to volunteer.

With regrets, we will be postponing Saturday's (10/5) Astronomy and Geology Event.  Please be watching for rescheduling information.

Upcoming News and Events

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Join us for church on September 29, 2024!

• 9:30am Religious Education

• 11:00am Sunday Service

• 12:00pm Coffee Hour

“Climate Justice Revival”

The UU Climate Justice Revival, “Reimagine Together: From an Extractive Age to a New Era” is a project of the UU Climate Justice Coalition and Friends. The Revival builds on decades of faithful and visionary UU climate and environmental leadership and is designed to encourage collaboration amongst congregational teams and break down silos. Together, we can move past systems and cultures of extraction to usher in a new era with love and justice at the center of our climate actions.

Please email all submissions for the October newsletter by Monday September 30th to newsletter@hvuuc.org.

The Owning Your Religious Past Covenant Group will be starting on October 14, 2024. In this group we will get to know each other by sharing memories about significant points in our religious journey.

The group will meet from 7pm-9pm on the second and fourth Mondays of October and November. There are a limited number of slots available, so please sign up to reserve your place by contacting either Wendy H. or George C. As this is a short-term group, the expectation is that if you sign up, you commit to coming to all four meetings.

Email owningcg@hvuuc.org to sign up or with any questions.

We will devote a segment of the service on October 6 to the induction and welcoming of new members.  If you have taken the Path to Membership classes (recently or in the past) and would like to sign the book, become a member, and participate in this ceremony, please contact PTM@hvuuc.org by or before Oct. 1. Please include a brief 50-word biography (written in 3rd person) which will be read aloud to introduce you to the congregation. 

With great sorrow we report that Wayne Johnson passed away early this week at home.  Wayne has experiencing decline for some time and was on hospice at the time of his passing.

A member of Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church since 2019, Wayne was a vital part of the Religious Services Committee. He especially loved our church's music, and the outdoors, and always had a positive encouraging word for the people he would meet.

Save the date for Saturday October 26th at 1pm for a memorial service and reception.  Wayne's ashes will be scattered here at HVUUC privately after the service.

Upcoming News and Events

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Join us for church on September 22, 2024!

• 9:30am Religious Education

• 11:00am Sunday Service

• 12:00pm Coffee Hour

• 12:15pm Choir Rehearsal

“Repentance, Repair, and Peace”

How can we create and preserve a meaningful peace that goes beyond silencing opposition, but is rooted in justice? This International Peace Day we explore the wisdom of "Repentance and Repair" by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg to understand a path toward lasting and authentic peace, and the hard work it takes to get there.

Our congregation is celebrating National Coming Out Day on Sunday October 6th and we are looking for some help for the service.

If you are part of the LGBTQIA+ community in any way, and would like to help with the service, we are looking for readers and candle lighters.

Rev Tiffany has a variety of poetry, readings and reflections you could choose from to read during the service or you could even suggest your own favorite piece for the service.

Email minister@hvuuc.org to join in the celebration, no later than 9/29, but sooner would be better as this is a first-come-first-serving opportunity

Volunteers are needed to host coffee hour on October 20 and October 27.  If you can help, please sign the calendar posted beside the large coffee urn in the kitchen.  If you want to learn how to set up coffee hour, please contact coffeehour@hvuuc.org.

It’s your turn to have fun at the Service Auction! The Auctria Website is up and running, so you can add your items to the auction.  You can go to https://auctria.events/2024HVUUCauction! The first page has a DONATE button, click on it. You will be asked to fill in information about your item and you.

Please choose a date for your activity, it is impossible to get everyone who bids on your item to agree on a date after they purchase it. We accept items for silent auctions as well as a paper items (the bidding). If you’re not sure call Greg Kramer or email auction@hvuuc.org.

Pool parties, game nights, specialty meals, movie nights, and the sky is the limit, it’s your turn to make the service auction fun!

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 September 15, 2024!

• 9:30am Religious Education

• 11:00am Sunday Service

• 12:00pm Coffee Hour

• 4:00PM Youth Group

“We Belong”

The Unitarian Universalist value of Equity invites us to contemplate how we can create an environment where people of all backgrounds and identities to thrive. While we are doing this in our congregation, our local DEI Alliance is doing it in our wider community. Explore the diverse faces and stories of East Tennessee with us today.

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.