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.

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.

Join us in the parade and visit our booth at TriPride on October 11th at Founder Parks in Johnson City.

We need volunteers for both the parade and the booth. Anyone wanting to volunteer can reach out to tripride@hvuuc.org. Booth volunteering will be for 1 hour slots. We also need 2 volunteers for set up at 7 am, and 2 volunteers to take down at 7pm.

For anyone wanting to just attend the festival for fun, it is a free event. See more information at https://www.tripridetn.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.

Poems and song lyrics can bring profound meaning and provide calm and understanding for our busy lives. A Poetry and Song Lyrics Covenant Group will explore poems and lyrics to be selected by the leaders and participants.

The initial gathering will be held at 1:00 – 2:45 p.m. Sunday, October 12 in the R1 on the first floor of the REZ. The final three sessions are scheduled via Zoom on Monday nights, October 20, 27, and November 3 at 6:30 p.m.

Covenant Group Co-leaders Linda Good and Beth Calvert will choose the selections for the initial meeting, and participants will select for Zoom meetings.

After each reading, members will have some time for journaling, then voluntarily share thoughts and personal impact of the selection with the group.

Linda and Beth can be reached at poetry@hvuuc.org for questions and sign-ups.

Join us for church on September 7, 2025!

• 9:00am Religious Education

• 11:00am Sunday Service

• 12:00pm Coffee Hour

“Mary Oliver”

This Sunday, American poet Mary Oliver will be preaching, though Beth, Sarah and Rev. Tiffany are the ones who will be bringing life to her voice. Join us for exploring selected poems interspersed with times for contemplation. If you haven't heard her earth-centered, contemplative style before, you are in for a treat!

Registration is now open for RISE: Healthy For Life's Adult Stellar Sex Ed Workshop hosted at HVUCC from September through November 2025.

Class Dates are:

Sunday, September 14
Sunday, September 28
Sunday, October 19
Sunday, October 26
Sunday, November 2
Sunday, November 9

Time: 9:30 - 10:45 am (during Religious Education)

Location: HVUUC Religious Education Zone (REZ); upstairs in the Meditation Hall (R6)

For more information on Stellar Sex Ed please visit this site: https://risehfl.org/our-whole-lives-comprehensive-sexuality-education-for-youth-and-adults

Register Here: https://forms.gle/k2hhKRdktXAYh1cR6

For questions please contact our DRE, Justin Ridley, dre@hvuuc.org

Do you enjoy reading and sharing what’s on your bookshelf—or on your nightstand? Our congregation is starting a new, low-pressure book club called Chapters.

Unlike traditional book clubs, Chapters is designed to be flexible and welcoming. Each month, participants can share what they’re currently reading and make recommendations to others. If there’s interest in reading the same book, wonderful—but there’s no expectation that everyone will be on the same page (literally!).

We’ll also need to decide on the best location for our gatherings, and folks are welcome to bring snacks to share as we chat. We will meet one evening a month. This is a space to connect over stories, ideas, and perspectives, while honoring our varied interests. Whether you’re an avid reader or someone who just enjoys the occasional good book, Chapters offers a relaxed and friendly way to build community. 

Interested? Please email chapters@hvuuc.org about your interest and what nights work best for you. Let us know—you might just discover your next favorite read!

Short term 7-week Covenant Group forming:  Heart to Heart, (sessions #8 – 14), based on the book by the same title. 

No requirement to have attended the Part 1 sessions (#1-7) to attend Part 2.

Group will meet every Wednesday morning from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon in the REZ, beginning on October 1 and ending on November 12, 2025. 

Subjects vary per week (Nature, Success/failure, Friendship, Endings, etc.).

Facilitator: Wanda Earp

Enroll via heartsgm@hvuuc.org no later than Thursday, Sept 25th  .Limit of 10 members. (Book can be purchased from Wanda for $5 or you can obtain your own copy).

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 August 31, 2025!

• NO RE THIS WEEK

• 11:00am Sunday Service

• 12:00pm Coffee Hour

“General Assembly Reports”

How will our church meet the calling of this moment in history? That was the question that drove programming at this year's General Assembly, the annual international meeting of Unitarian Universalists. Our delegates, Noel, Dana and Alesha report on what they saw and learned at General Assembly.

Headlines

• New Book Club

  Wendy Hearl and the Chaos Crew Concert

  Church Dance Party

  Dream Covenant Group

  Mabon Ritual

  Path to Membership

Click here to read the entire newsletter.

Click here for past newsletters.

You can also find a few printed copies at our visitors table in the sanctuary.

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

It is super easy for someone who has our church's directory, or is just accessing our group hvuuc emails from our website, to create a fake email account, steal pictures from our website, and pretend to be the minister or other staff members.  The best thing we can do is just ignore these things, since after you reply they then know that your email is a valid email and may target you in other ways.

Please keep the following things in mind:

1. We will NEVER ask for financial assistance via gift cards

2. We will NEVER reach out to individuals by email for financial assistance like this

3. Check the email that it's coming from, if it's not tiffanysappuu@gmail.com or tiffanyfaeanderson@gmail.com, it is not the minister!

Thanks you all, hang in there and I'll see you soon!
Rev. Tiffany

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 August 24, 2025!

• 9:30am RE

• 11:00am Sunday Service

• 12:00pm Coffee Hour

“Intimate Strangers”

This sermon looks at the Good Samaritan story alongside real-life moments from hospital chaplaincy and wisdom from many faiths. It’s about how even short, unexpected encounters with strangers can become sacred when we choose to show up with compassion. In a world of passing strangers, we are called to be neighbors.

Please email all submissions for the September newsletter by Wednesday August 27th to newsletter@hvuuc.org.

Our 5th Sunday Aug 31st is the Stateline Abortion Access Partners. They kindly requested that we collect menstrual supplies that they can give to women in needs. So far the response has been very poor. PLEASE DONATE to help this worthy cause! Bin is in the entrance to the Sanctuary. THANK YOU!

SLAAP is run entirely by volunteers and relies on donations to carry out our work. Your support will help us meet the needs of patients who seek abortion care in Southwest Virginia, overcome "period poverty" in our region, work for comprehensive reproductive health care education, and fight for improved abortion access for all.

Email president@hvuuc.org with any questions.

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.

Our office manager Jessica will be out of the office Thursday August 21. If you have any important news or events to submit please do so by Tuesday August 19.

Join us for church on August 17, 2025!

• 9:30am RE

• 11:00am Sunday Service

• 12:00pm Coffee Hour

• 4:00pm Youth Group

“Water Communion”

Our annual interactive and intergenerational Water Communion service where we celebrate our interconnectivity. Many people bring water from their travels throughout the year, or from another water source that holds meaning for them.