Are you new here? Interested in learning more about our congregation or becoming a member of the church? The New Member Class on Saturday, Sept. 7, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the social hall is a great opportunity to learn more and meet interesting people. Join Assistant Minister Denise Gyauch and others for an orientation to Unitarian Universalism and First UU Church of Nashville. Brunch, childcare, and good company provided. Those who attend this class may choose to sign our membership book in New Member Celebrations during Sunday services on Sept. 22. Please email Denise at assistantminister@firstuunash.org to register by Wed. Sept. 4.

 

Guided look at our new website and optional tutorial 

Aug. 21, 7-8:30 p.m., social hall

Join our Director of Communication for one or both parts of this class. The first part (7-7:30 p.m.) is a guided look at our new website (firstuunash.org). Hear firsthand about our communication strategy (for seekers and current members) and the fabulous options now available to our community leaders on this site such as blog pages, categorized post displays, and interactive, animated additions. 

Part two is a behind the scenes tutorial on our user-friendly (Divi Builder) website featuring real-time changes, layout and design options which enable easy updates to your pages (no prior knowledge of WordPress is required). Even if you do not wish to update your own website information, understanding how it works better enables you to work with the Director of Communication who values your input and is here to meet your communication needs.  Childcare is available.

Our lead minister Gail Seavey will be retiring in about a year and the Board will be hiring a Developmental Minister. The Board will soon be in the process of considering candidates to serve on the Developmental Minister Task Force which will present a candidate to the Board for consideration. We hope that this task force will be representative of the diverse groups in our church. If you are interested in serving on the Developmental Minister Task Force, please watch here where we will post an application.

The office will be closed Thursday, July 4 for Independence Day. Have a safe and fun holiday.

Everyone welcome! Bring a snack to share; kids and instruments encouraged. Gather & set up at 7 p.m., opening circle at 7:30, then lots of drumming and dancing in the social hall. The Hot Moon is all about what happens when we turn up the heat. If our lives are expanding up to a boil, what transformations, intentions, or other changes are emerging? What are we releasing and what are we hoping for?

The Book Group meets on the third Tuesday, noon-1:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room. All are welcome.

Please join us on June 18 when we discuss Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Aug. 20 when we discuss A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.

Our Sept. selection is Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.

                      –Liz Schneider

 

This is a very exciting time for our congregation.  At the January congregation meeting a decision was made to build a new church facility at our current location.  To achieve that goal, the Building For our Future (BFF) Task Force was created by the board with the job of coming up with a plan for a capital campaign to accomplish this, and staged architectural plans for constructing a new facility and dramatically reforming the grounds to properly support it.

As you can imagine, this project will be the work of the entire congregation – over the next year our task force plans to work hard at soliciting input from many directions.  We will try to communicate in a variety of ways to make sure people know what is happening, and also to hear their voices.

Our initial step has been to contact a capital campaign consultant to help determine a realistic fundraising goal, and how to proceed with that campaign.  A grant from the Endowment Trust will make that consultation possible.

Over the next few months we will start trying to identify architects that are interested and appropriate to help us with this project.  As that progresses, we hope to share potential visions of our church-to-be with you.

Our charge from the board is to present a plan for a capital campaign and staged construction plan by next June 1.  That is an aggressive time line, but we will try to meet it.

If you wish to discuss this project, please look for announcements of community meetings or reach out to a member of the task force to share your thoughts and questions.

 

-Building For our Future Task Force

Mike Bolds – Chairman

Rob Connor

Christopher Cotton

Jacob Hathaway

Phyllis Salter

Chas Sisk

Vicky Tataryn

Dear Beloveds, As a nonbinary, queer seminarian who only officially became a Unitarian Universalist four years ago, I've had to navigate a wide array of relationships and communities in which I've felt varying levels of acceptance. While Unitarian Universalism's welcoming stance on LGBTQ+ issues was one of the aspects that drew me to the denomination, I would be lying if I said I've always felt fully accepted as a nonbinary person in UU spaces. This year, I joined TRUUsT, a group for trans* UU religious professionals, and I was fortunate enough to attend the annual TRUUsT retreat. The feeling of being surrounded by other trans and nonbinary folks who are called to be religious professionals was a mixture of relief, joy, and determination. While it was amazing to meet and befriend these powerful, beautiful individuals and to share common experiences, I was struck by how many of us had had similar ambivalent or downright negative experiences within UUism. It was clear that while a lot of progress had been made, Unitarian Universalism as a whole has a long way to go to be fully welcoming of trans people. TRUUsT recently released a Report on the Experiences of Trans Unitarian Universalists. This report was based on a 2018 survey that TRUUsT conducted along with the UUA’s Multicultural Ministries office. You can read the full report here and TRUUsT’s Executive Summary HERE. I'm hopeful that uplifting these findings will help the UUA and UU congregations to do the work to become more completely welcoming. Amen & Blessed Be, Jade Let’s Get to Work! These results show that Unitarian Universalism still has a ways to go to be a fully welcoming faith. However, TRUUsT also points the way forward, and lists....
Five Concrete Ways to Support Trans UUs starting now. Learn more here. The UUA and TRUUsT will engage in a strategic conversation about where the UUA’s work over the next 5 years could help lead to different outcomes and impacts for trans UUs. Likewise, we urge you to read TRUUsT’s Executive Summary and full report and consider its immediate and long range implications on trans persons in your congregation and throughout Unitarian Universalism. Thanks to this informative report, we can now begin to truly move forward. Jade (they/them/theirs) Jade Sylvan, TRUUsT Member
LGBTQ+ Ministries Intern
Unitarian Universalist Association <!--

 The Trans Affirming Collective (TAC) is June’s Share the Plate recipient.

 TAC is a Social Justice Action Team at FUUN formed in 2017 and dedicated to creating community through activities that let our transgender and gender nonbinary siblings feel welcomed and needed at FUUN.

In March, we worked with Rev. Denise Gyauch on the Transgender Day of Visibility service, which was the only such event in Nashville this year. We were grateful to celebrate the importance and beauty of our trans and nonbinary friends at FUUN and throughout metro Nashville.

On June 16, TAC and Chalice Fire hosted a Rainbow Tent, a space to gather for communal healing and Nurture Spiritual Growth. Intentionally inclusive of folx of all ages and across the gender spectrum, the Rainbow Tent included energy healers, pet therapy, and readings from inclusive children’s books.

Thanks to a grant from the LGBT Action Team, we are excited to offer coursework beginning Fall 2019 that will help our congregants and TAC create a wholly inclusive community at FUUN.

Part of the donations you make through the Share the Plate during June will go towards providing tasty treats to participants, future education, and community building efforts. Thank you.

 

 

Are you looking for ways to get involved?  Maybe looking for an opportunity to help support the church? Our Staff always welcomes your time and talents!

Office relies heavily on our amazing volunteers to help out by answer the phone, greeting guests and assist with easy special projects. We are looking to add to our team! Volunteers serve one day a week – either morning or afternoon shift. If interested please contact Mary in the office at 615-383-5760 or office@firstuunash.org

Here are a few more details:

These positions are usually filled during weekday hours, in the FUUN Office and are ideal for adults and young people who are able to work in an office setting with little or no supervision

• Weekly: Our committed and busy staff appreciate some helping hands. Volunteers use their time as our smiling faces greeting guests and answering phones as well as assisting with a variety of business office related tasks and projects as needed.

          Time commitment: 4 weekday hours, once a week.

• Bi-Monthly: Volunteers are needed to join the team assembling the bi-monthly newsletter.  Treats and drinks are provided along with lots of appreciation!

          Time commitment: 2-4 weekday hours, 3^rdThursday of May, July, Sept., Nov., Jan., and March

• As-Needed: Occasionally our regular weekly office volunteers need a day off and office subs are needed to support the office.  Also, from time to time large office projects come up where many hands are needed.

         Time commitment: 1-4 weekday hours, monthly