🌉 The Bridge Weekly — July 26, 2026, 9:30-10:45AM, REZ Building
🌱 Religious Education is now Religious Exploration
🎨Summer All-Ages RE: Expressing Emotions Through Art
🧘 All Ages, All In — Healers
🎬 Family Movie Night Fundraiser
🌟 Wonder Worship Task Force
🌈 26'-27' RE Registrations Open This Sunday!
👶 Nursery
🌼 K–2: Flourishing Hearts
🌎 Grades 3–5: My Mindfulness Passport
🎲 Grades 6–12: The Journeys of Deeper Joy RPG
☕ Adult 1 Discussion Group
🌿 Adult 2: The Journey Home to YoUU
💜 Volunteers Make the Magic Happen
👶 Caregiver Substitute Opportunity
On Sunday August 2nd, we will be blessing backpacks, notebooks, or favorite school supplies for both our Students and Teachers for the beginning of the school year. They will be blessed by the congregation during our August 2nd worship service, to celebrate our interdependence and send all our good energies to school with our students. Bring your backpack to church on August 2nd!
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 July 19, 2026.
9:30 am Religious Education
11:00am Service
12:00pm Coffee Hour
Life is short, so eat the strawberry! Rev. Tiffany shares one of her favorite stories from the Buddhist tradition and we all explore the gifts that the present moment has to offer us.
MUSIC LOVERS: Donnie Barnett's Bad Cats Brass Band will be bringing us several special music pieces on this day!
Please save the date for a Memorial Service to honor the life of our own Ray Hatch, for Sunday March 29th at 4:00pm, with reception to follow.
Help with reception setup and food is always appreciated, please contact memorialreception@hvuuc.org to volunteer.
I hope this note finds you well. It is that time of the year when the Stewardship Trustee asks all our church members and friends how much they intend to pledge to the church for our next fiscal year, June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2027. I will then take this amount to the Board of Trustees to develop next year’s budget. The budget that the Board proposes will be voted on at our annual congregational meeting on April 26.
We have so much to celebrate this past year! It is through your generous pledges that we have been able to afford the Church Services in person and on YouTube, Religious Classes by Rev Tiffany, Covenant Groups, Religious Ed for our Adults and Children, Wednesday Night Suppers, the Giving Tree, Special Interest Groups and more!
The present preliminary budget is up 33% from last year. We have an increase in our preliminary budget because: 1) Increase of Training Budgets for members. In the past only members of means, could go to training classes. We need to pay for training for our up-and-coming leaders. With our growth in membership we have needs to hire new people or increase hours of existing employees.
Please mail to PO Box 8383 Gray, TN 37615
OR email your pledge to pledge@hvuuc.org.
Join us for church on February 22, 2026.
9:30am Religious Education
11:00am Service
12:00pm Coffee Hour
The Unitarian Universalist commitment to love, empathy, and the inherent worth and dignity of all is always drawing the circle wider. Many of us understand that these values are for more than just humans, but all living beings who call this Earth home. Today, guest musicians PossumTrot Road and Rev. Tiffany reflect on our relationship with the rest of the natural world in this very special service, "Songs for the Animals".
Hello You Gorgeous Souls!
Our Religious Education program is seeking two volunteers to help facilitate the K–5 class this Sunday, and this is a beautiful opportunity to step into shared ministry with our youngest community members!
One of our beloved facilitators is currently taking time to heal following the passing of her husband, and several of our regular volunteers will be attending the Guardian Orientation for the upcoming Stellar Sex Health (RISE) program. This creates an opening for others in our community to step forward and help hold this meaningful space.
If you have already completed a background check, wonderful — we would be so grateful for your support!
If you have not yet completed a background check, but have been attending HVUUC for three months or more, we can get that process started lickety-split! This includes a simple background screening and a brief discernment conversation with Rev. Tiffany and Jess. Our goal is always to create a safe, welcoming, and well-supported experience for both our volunteers and our youth.
You would not be stepping into this alone — curriculum and guidance are provided, and support is always nearby. What matters most is your presence, care, and willingness to be part of the whole that nurtures our children.
If you feel called to help this Sunday, or would like to begin the volunteer process, please contact Jess Ox, Director of Religious Education, at dre@hvuuc.org
Thank you for helping create a space where our children — and our entire community — can continue to grow, connect, and thrive together!
Jess Ox, DRE
Last year there was the first Women's Retreat since COVID. It was a great event and fully subscribed. Is it time to do this again? If so, where/when? May 29-31? This is a call for those interested to join a planning committee hosted by Noel.
Interested parties should email president@hvuuc.org for more information.
HVUUC is sending four individuals to UUA's virtual General Assembly this year, June 14-21! If you are interested in leadership development and building connections with other HVUUC folks as well as the wider UU community then please submit your application here: https://tinyurl.com/HVUUC-GA2026
Learn more about UUA's General Assembly here: https://www.uua.org/ga
Email vp@hvuuc.org with questions
Please join the Tennessee Unitarian Universalist Community Action Network (TUUCAN) Safety and Security Workshop at Westside Unitarian Universalist Church at 616 Fretz Rd, Knoxville, TN 37934 on Saturday, February 21st. It will also be on Zoom. The program will start with a section to reflect on individual risk assessment and then shift to conversations and best practices around protest safety, digital safety, and congregational safety.
The event runs from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM ET, with a potluck lunch and childcare provided. Home hospitality is available if needed. Registration is required to attend, and you can do so using this link-https://tinyurl.com/yc7ts8cp
Schedule of events:
9:30 AM ET- Coffee and conversation
10:00-12:00 PM ET- Spiritual grounding and discussion of risk assessment
12:00-12:45 PM ET- Potluck lunch
1:00- 3:00 PM ET- Discussions around protest, digital, and congregational safety- includes Q&A opportunity
Families/Couples attending: Please complete one form for each adult attending. If childcare is required, only complete that information on one form.
Registration link-https://tinyurl.com/yc7ts8cp
Join us for church on February 15, 2026.
9:30am Religious Education
11:00am Service
12:00pm Youth Baked Potato Fundraiser
1:00pm Risk Assessment Workshop
To live our lives is to engage with risk. Which risks are worth taking for you personally, and which aren't? How does taking risks change when we're talking about taking risks as a community in order to live our values? Join Rev. Tiffany to begin addressing this vital topic for congregational life, and then stay for a meal and the Risk Discernment workshop that will be held after the Sunday Service.
Make your wishes known as the congregation discerns which risks we want to take together as a community to transform ourselves, our community and our world!
On Sunday February 15th after church, Rev. Tiffany and team of our church leaders will be facilitating a Risk Discernment workshop sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist's social justice organization Side with Love.
This workshop is designed specifically for us to gauge the risk tolerances of congregation members so that we can make better decisions about what is worth doing and what is too risky for our congregation when it comes to social justice matters. But we can't do that unless you come and let us know where you're at. We hope this workshop will be very well attended to help us get a clear sample of congregational values, hopes, and boundaries.
The youth group will be providing lunch as a fundraiser right after church, and the workshop itself will go from 1-3pm.
Please use the sign up sheet on the back table of the sanctuary, or email risk@hvuuc.org to let us know you're coming (and to help the youth prepare enough food).
Join us for church on February 8, 2026.
9:30am Religious Education
11:00am Service
12:00pm Potluck
What do the visual arts offer us when it comes to our shared quest for truth and meaning? This Sunday Rev. Tiffany explores how art through the ages has reflected the human experience, and our yearning for the sublime.
As many of you know, First Presbyterian Johnson City, 105 S Boone St, operates a warming center during the winter for our neighbors who are homeless. Whenever they have "white flag" conditions, that is when the temperature drops to 35 or below, First Presbyterian opens its fellowship hall for those who need a safe, warm place to be. Because First Pres also operates a preschool, the warming center is only open on weekends, holidays, and when Johnson City Schools are closed for inclement weather (because the preschools is also closed then,) but with the recent pattern of weather, they've been open every weekend and holiday recently.
Running the warming center relies on volunteers, which is where you can help. They need people to help with the following:
• Providing food (they offer breakfast and lunch as much as possible)
• Kitchen assistance with prepping and serving food, and cleaning up
• Guest sign-in when people arrive
• Set up and/or clean up of the space before guests arrive and after they leave
• Guest engagement
• General help wherever needed
The warming center is open 8am to 4pm on days it's open. Volunteers usually work in shifts of about two hours, although you are welcome to come for longer or shorter as your schedule allows.
If you are interested in learning more, or to be added to the volunteer roster to be contacted as needed, please reach out to Lynnea Hunter Salinas at 828.266.1917 or at LynneaSalinas@gmail.com.
The Bridge is our monthly Religious Education newsletter reflecting the life, love, and shared ministry of our RE community.
Each issue shares reflections from our Director of Religious Education, gratitude shared by members of all ages, volunteer spotlights, and updates on upcoming classes, gatherings, and opportunities to connect.
Whether you’re deeply involved in RE or simply curious about what’s blooming, you’re invited to step onto the bridge with us — connecting where we are now with where we’re growing together.
Read the first issue by clicking here.
With deep sadness we share that Ray Hatch died suddenly at his home on Thursday January 29th.
Even those who did not meet Ray personally may know him as the smiling man who was often seen doing yard work around the church accompanied by his dog Scout.
We hold Cyndi and their family in our hearts.
When we have additional information to share about a memorial service or other arrangements we will send out an additional ENews.
Headlines .…
• UU History Group
• Chili Cook Off
• Imbolc Ritual
• Women’s Night
• Baked Potato Fundraiser
• SOUUL Summit
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
