Social Justice Initiatives at HVUUC

Please contact the social justice committee at: sjchair@hvuuc.org if you are interested in volunteering, donating, developing a social justice initiative, or serving on the committee. We can get you connected!

Economic Justice

Click here to go to HVUUC Statement of Support for Economic Justice.

Hunger in Our Neighborhood

  • Food offerings benefit Hunger First in Kingsport. To participate, simply bring nonperishable food to the Sunday Service and place it in the bin in the lobby.

  • Kitchen of Hope—Volunteers prepare and serve supper for up to 150-200 people at the Kitchen of Hope in Kingsport the first Monday and first Tuesday of every month.

  • Jonesborough Food Pantry—Volunteers stock shelves and help distribute food regularly.

  • Panera Bread’s Day-end Dough-Nation program—Congregants pick up day-old bread from Panera in Kingsport and deliver it to Kitchen of Hope and other needy organizations.

Kiva Microloans: The Gift That Keeps Giving—Since 2007, HVUUC has made loans to more than 55 small businesses around the world, primarily to women who farm or own tiny businesses.

Civil and Religious Justice

Click here to go to HVUUC Statement of Support for MLK subpage.

Click here to go to HVUUC Statement of Support for TriPride subpage.

Click here to go to HVUUC Statement of Support for Women’s March subpage.

Click here to go to HVUUC Statement of Support for Gun Safety subpage.

Black Lives Matter - In addition to HVUUC’s Statement in Support of Black Lives, the church has offered White Supremacy Teach Ins, book study of the UUA 8th Principle  The church is a regular participant in local Martin Luther King Day events and several congregants also have participated in local Black Lives Matter events.

Welcoming Congregation - At the annual congregational meeting in 2010, Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church voted to become an intentionally “Welcoming Congregation.” We welcome all who come for fellowship in the spirit of love and mutual respect.

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense - Several of our congregants are highly involved in the local chapter of Moms Demand Action, which demands action from state and federal legislators, companies, and educational institutions to establish common-sense gun reform.

Transgender Day of Visibility - For several years, HVUUC has celebrated Transgender Day of Visibility with a Sunday Service focus.

HVUUC regularly staffs a booth at the Rainbow Festival and TriPride.

Reproductive Justice

Click here to go to HVUUC Statement of Support for Reproductive Freedom and Sexual Health subpage.

Comprehensive sexuality education - The church offers the Our Whole Lives (OWL) comprehensive sexuality education program for grades 7–12 and grades 4-6. OWL equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture.

Incubating the nonprofit RISE: Healthy for Life, which grew out of the church’s OWL program. The organization began formation in 2017 and received independent 501(c)3 status in March of 2020. HVUUC held grants provided by the UUA Funding Program and still provides space and assistance for some RISE events.

Programs and Calls to Action

The Social Justice Committee provides programming and calls to action in response to current events, legislation, and social justice issues in our world. For example, we have facilitated:

  • Annual Social Justice Sunday focusing Sunday Service on social justice issues and activities.

  • Designation of a special Sunday collection for a local charity to support their mission of social justice.

  • Screening conscious movies and conducting workshops on social justice matters.

  • Regular participation in rallies and protests related to existing HVUUC Statements of Support.

  • Creation of Holiday Festival “HVUUC Giving Tree” in Johnson City, providing personal items for area un-housed citizens.

  • Regular postcards-to-voter event – encouraging citizens to vote.

  • Membership in American Civil Liberties Union, Southern Poverty Law Centr and NAACP.

  • Regular participation in area river clean-ups.

  • Distribution location for annual Tennessee Environmental Council’s “Tree Day.”

  • Supporting Church recycling and coffee grounds composting program.

  • Past designation as a UUA “Green Sanctuary” program participant.

  • Hosting annual Green Arts Festival, which offers local vendors an opportunity to sell independently produced gifts before the winter holidays and raises money to help support green initiatives on our campus.

  • Many church members support and participate in the following local organizations: