Jessica Bowman
Potluck and Coffee Hour Volunteers Needed for ...

First of all, thanks to the Let's Chat Covenant group for hosting coffee hour on September 7.  Much appreciated.


Secondly, a coordinator(s) is/are needed for the October 13 potluck,  If you can help or have questions, please contact fellowship@hvuuc.org. THANKS!


And, finally, coffee hour hosts are needed for Sunday, October 19.  Please sign up on the calendar beside the large coffee urn in the Fred Ball room or email coffeehour@hvuuc.org.
Thank you for all the help!

Potluck and Coffee Hour Volunteers Needed for October
Jessica Bowman
TUUCAN Fall Flock

The Tennessee Unitarian Universalist Community Action Network (TUUCAN) invites all Tennessee UUs to Nashville for the Fall Flock on Saturday, October 18th, at First UU Church of Nashville (FUUN) from 9 am to 4 pm (Central Time)

We will share food, fellowship, and support each other during these difficult times in our cities, state, and country. We will learn how UU State Action Networks across the United States turn UU values into positive action. We will nurture deeper relationships, strengthen our social justice ecosystem, and create plans for a world with love at the center.

We hope to represent - in person or via Zoom - each of our 14 UU communities in Tennessee and beyond. Register at https://bit.ly/tuucan25 or email sjchair@hvuuc.org for questions or assistance.

If attending via zoom, keep in mind that the event will be 10:00-5:00 Eastern Standard Time

TUUCAN Fall Flock
Jessica Bowman
MACHO BBQ, Competitive Authoritarianism, ...

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.

MACHO BBQ, Competitive Authoritarianism, Tri-Pride, and More!
Jessica Bowman
Small Group Ministries

Join us for church on September 14, 2025!

  • 9:00am Religious Education

  • 11:00am Sunday Service

  • 12:00pm Potluck

“Small Group Ministries”

In this service, Covenant Groups will be defined and demonstrated by our trained Facilitators. Selected former Covenant Group members will also offer a brief testimonial about the benefits of being in a Covenant Group. Congregation will have an opportunity to participate in a mini session lead by Facilitators in order to experience how a Covenant Group works. Following the service, congregants will have the opportunity to enroll in several upcoming Groups.

Small Group Ministries
Jessica Bowman
Service Auction Donations Needed

Believe it or not. It's time to think about the Service Auction on November 8th.

If you’re new to HVUUC, our Service Auction is a much anticipated event every fall. Yes, it’s a fundraiser but really it’s more of a FUN raiser, where you and other congregants get together to offer a service, event, or item.

There’s no limit to the activities or the items you can “auction” off. You can offer handyman services, teach a paint party, host a dinner, auction off baked goods, original art, and more! Wherever your passion and talents lie, there’s room for it at the service auction.

Want to provide a meal but don't have the room? Use the churches kitchen for your event! You can check the church calendar on our website and reserve time and space by emailing office@hvuuc.org.

We would encourage you to donate items that can be redeemed any time during the next year.

Donate your services, event, or items using the Auctria website using the link below. Email auction@hvuuc.org with any questions.

Click here to donate now.

Service Auction Donations Needed

Question Box Service vs Soapbox Sunday

Question Box Service vs Soapbox Sunday

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

What do you get when you combine different spiritualities?

What do you get when you combine different spiritualities?

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."

Rainbow Festival (Volunteers Needed)

Rainbow Festival (Volunteers Needed)

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.

Who do you think you are?

Who do you think you are?

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?

Hospitality Room now open on Sunday mornings!

Hospitality Room now open on Sunday mornings!

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!

Circle Suppers

Circle Suppers

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.

Barbara Gittings: From Learning Alone to Teaching the World

Barbara Gittings: From Learning Alone to Teaching the World

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.

Free CDs from our UU Musical Artists

Free CDs from our UU Musical Artists

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!

A View from the Barber's Chair

A View from the Barber's Chair

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.

A Wild and Holy Vision - NO RE This Week

A Wild and Holy Vision - NO RE This Week

Join us for church on May 25th, 2025!

  • NO RE this week

  • 11:00am Sunday Service

  • 12:00pm Coffee Hour

“A Wild and Holy Vision”

As a prophetic people, Unitarian Universalists have often been at the front of transformation and liberal change. But what the heck does it mean to be prophetic? What is prophesy? Is this about the end of the world? And don’t we have enough doomsayers? Let’s explore the idea of faithfully imagining the kind of world we long to see with Shawn Gibson, UU Ministerial candidate.

Dates to Remember for Summer

Dates to Remember for Summer

Things are always a little different in the summer. Here are a few things you may want to keep in mind as we move into a slightly different rhythm.

Dates Reverend Tiffany will be out:

  • Sunday 6/15 through 6/22: Ministry Days & General Assembly, Professional Development

  • Monday 6/30 through 7/6: Vacation Week

  • Monday 7/21 through 7/27: Vacation Week

When Rev. Tiffany is out she is available by cell phone in the case of emergencies to church staff and board leaders. Be aware that this is a time when a lot of scammers target the church, we will never ask for sensitive information, money or gift cards via email.

No RE:

  • May 25th

  • July 6th

All kids and youth will participate in combined Summer RE on the back deck at the regular time at 9:30. Lots of fun topics and activities are planned! Email DRE@hvuuc.org with any questions or to volunteer.

Fall RE resumes on August 10th.

Office closed:

The office will be closed Thursday July 3rd.

Church Picnic:

Our annual church picnic will be Saturday August 23rd at 5:00pm. The Church will supply the burgers, hot dogs, buns, drinks, and condiments. Please bring a snack, side dish, salad, or dessert! Email fellowship@hvuuc.org with any questions.