Join us for church on September 21, 2025!

• 9:00am Religious Education

• 11:00am Sunday Service

• 12:00pm Coffee Hour

“Hurricane Helene Remembrance”

In late September of 2024, Hurricane Helene changed the landscape of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina forever. A year later, we gather to contemplate our interconnectedness with the land, the weather, each other, and our wider community of East Tennesseans in a service that will make space for grief and gratitude. Rev. Tiffany will facilitate our experience.

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!

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

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 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.