Click pictures for larger images.
All singers past, present, and future, are welcome to join our Music Ministry team on Thursdays starting June 4. Jaie and Holling are teaming up to provide educational programming, sing-a-longs, discussion, and rehearsal for distance-sings. Ever want to be in choir but too shy to try? Join us, and sing and learn from your own home!
https://zoom.us/j/91081865539
password: music
or email Jaie at music@firstuunash.org for full ZOOM links.
All ages are welcome to participate with a parent present. No commitment necessary, but weekly attendance is encouraged.
FUUN Church is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Summer Choir at FUUN Online
Time: Every week on Thursdays, 7 p.m. (CT) June 4 until July 30, 2020
June 4, 11, 18, and 25
July 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Weekly: https://zoom.us/meeting/tJUtf-igqD4vGd0ukf6rCvKGLauGDMGqjhAn/ics?icsToken=98tyKuCprjMrEtKQtRqORowcAoqgd_zwpiVYjacNiRTjVTJwdCjRGuNXFZZSN8na
Join Zoom Meeting: click here.
Password: music
Dial by your location: +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 910 8186 5539
Password: 246052
Dinner in the Twilight Zone
Wednesdays, July 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29
6-7:30 p.m. on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81910948911
Have dinner at home while watching a Twilight Zone episode with our FUUN community, after which we’ll have a conversation about the Unitarian Universalist sensibilities and values reflected in the episode. Did you know that Rod Serling (1924-1975), creator of the Twilight Zone, was Unitarian Universalist? He was known as the “angry young man” of Hollywood who clashed with television industry leaders over issues that we hold near and dear to our hearts today. We’ll start with The Monsters are Due on Maple Street, and future episode choices will be made by participants. This is a multigenerational evening that the whole family can share.
If you are interested in learning the broad strokes of Unitarian Universalist history and getting a quick overview of the history of our own congregation, join Revs. Gail and Denise for a 75-minute online class, Friday, May 29 at 1 p.m.
The class will be held on Zoom and open by registration only, with preference given to prospective members. (It is one of the prerequisites to church membership!)
Please email Denise (assistantminister@firstuunash.org) for more information or to sign up.
There will be a memorial service for Jean Smartt on Saturday, May 16, 2020 at 1 pm here on WebinarJam, followed by a Zoom reception at 2 p.m.
Links and instructions to join in for both online events will be posted here shortly. The re-play video will also be posted to our YouTube channel after the service.
To join the Celebration of Life on WebinarJam:
Step 1: If you are joining us live, you simply click the event url here.
Final step: Wait until the service begins. The picture below shows what it will look like as you are waiting, if you join before 1 p.m. (which is recommended to test your speakers).
Message from our Director of Music Ministries
May 5, 2020
Dear Friends,
I have heard this question more than once in the past month: What are we going to do about Music Sunday? I have been pondering this for at least a month, and rest assured, it will be as special a UU holiday as it has ever been. We are richly blessed in this congregation with professional musicians, and I am pleased to announce that they will bring us Music Sunday from their homes.
I programmed our theme of Circles and Cycles last year as we looked ahead to Rev. Gail’s retirement and the prelude to our now delayed capital campaign. With the wisdom of your Board of Directors and the Transition Task Force, this congregation has skillfully navigated the past few years of transition that began before I arrived. It felt like the perfect theme then, and it is still exactly the right theme today.
I’ve asked our violin duo, Amberly and Lauren, to bring us their musical magic remotely, and Rev. Gail, Holling, and I will tie it up with hymns and homily. I look forward to programming a worshipful musical morning for us, to reflect on the consistent cycles of life, and provide us with some hope that this too, shall pass.
I know that you have seen composite videos, “virtual choirs” and “distance-sings” on the internet. Some of them look convincingly like ZOOM meetings, but there is no way to buffer all those streams together to create a live choir. These are works of video art created by folks, some professional, some just learning, through dozens of hours of video editing. It is a different challenge for the singers.
Even though this year’s Music Sunday will be different, it will be incredibly special. You will get to hear some voices you may not have heard before, some songs you have never heard before. Mark your calendar for May 31, and be sure to catch the service at #WithYouWorship.
Yours in Song,
Jaie Tiefenbrunn
Director of Music Ministries
We may not be able to gather together to say goodbye to Rev. Gail, but we’re still going to wish her well before she retires this summer. The Lead Minister’s Advisory Committee is organizing a physically distanced farewell for Rev. Gail.
Please start gathering your photos and thinking of your favorite stories to post on our digital scrapbook (link coming soon!), and save the date for our farewell Zoom: June 7 (after church and the all-ages activity). Details to follow.
This year we missed our annual gathering, Dining Out For Life, that supports Nashville CARES by dining at a participating restaurant. That’s a lot of good times, good food, and fundraising dollars that became one of the many casualties of the pandemic and safer-at-home practices.
It was 35 years ago when Nashville CARES began caring for those affected by another new and mysterious pandemic that eventually became known as HIV. In light of the novel COVID-19 virus, the mission of Nashville CARES is as important as ever – to care for the most vulnerable in our community through education, advocacy and service.
In an effort to recoup some of the lost donations that would have been raised during DOFL, Nashville CARES is participating in The Big Payback, Middle Tennessee’s 24-hour day of giving from 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, through 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 7. Please consider donating the amount that you would have spent at dinner by giving here (thebigpayback.org/FUUN-DIFL). But you don’t have to wait – donations can be made beginning Wednesday, April 29.
Richard Bird
2020 Vision: Stewardship Campaign Update: Thank you to our 247 pledgers! We have reached a RECORD TOTAL of $611,371!! We have now heard from almost everyone and will no longer be doing any follow-up. If you have not yet pledged, please do so now using the online here, or by sending an email to stewardship@thefuun.org.
-Bob Day, Stewardship Chair
Visit our Stewardship Page
if you need more information before making your pledge.
April 17-26 is Faith Climate Action Week and Wednesday, April 22 is also Earth Day. Activities we had hoped to carry out, as well as those of other groups, have had to be changed due to COVID-19, but many are still happening, just in different forms. Some 1500 congregations are coming together online through Interfaith Power and Light to act to protect the Earth and all the people who live on our planet.Prayers are held at noon local each day of the week. By the time you receive this message there will still be four days of possibilities.
Also, of potential interest is a documentary, The Human Element by environmental photographer and filmmaker James Balog and the Earth Vision Institute. According to IPL, the film “captures the lives of everyday Americans on the front lines of climate change. With rare compassion and heart, The Human Element relays captivating stories from coast-to-coast, inspiring us to reevaluate our relationship with the natural world.” The form to request the link, which can be emailed to you up to April 26, can be found at faithclimateactionweek.org/organizers-kit/join-the-nationwide-climate-prayer/.
Additional activities offered by IFPL are described at faithclimateactionweek.org/about/.
Finally, in support of increasing the population of monarch butterflies, packets of milkweed seeds, plants that are their favorite food, with be available to you for free, with pickup available from outside the church, date TBA. If interested please email kathyaganske@gmail.com.
-Kathy Ganske
What: Online Family Friendly Party Games
When: Sunday, April 26, 3:00 pm
Where: Zoom (get the link by emailing us at trans@thefuun.org)
Why: Family-Friendly Fun and Fellowship!
The Trans Affirming Collective had so much fun hosting you at our first online party game last Saturday that we decided we must do it again! So, Sunday, April 26, at 3 pm, please join us via Zoom for Round 2!
We’ll play games like Fibbage, Bidiots, and Quiplash XL (check them out here). Up to 8 people can play at a time with everyone else able to participate as audience members. Bring your pandemic pantry snacks and join us for some family fun!
Email us at trans@thefuun.org for the Zoom link.
There will be a free screening of American Heretics on April 25, 3 p.m. (CST), hosted by All Soul’s Church with a Q&A zoom to follow with Bishop Carlton Pearson, Rev. Marlin and others from the UU community.
This documentary explores the intersection between race, politics, religion, and current polarization of people and communities. We will provide more information once we have it, in the meantime watch the trailer in the link below: and watch for updates as we get them.
American Heretics (2019)In the heartland, messages of love and kindness are embraced when they come from the pulpit, but not politicians. Why?Please join us for a free screening of American Heretics on 4/25 at 3:00(CST)/4:00(EST) followed by a filmmaker Q&A via zoom. To learn more and share with your community contact Trish@abramorama.com for sharing details and spreading the word.
Posted by American Heretics on Wednesday, July 3, 2019
There will be a free screening of American Heretics on April 25, 3 p.m. (CST), hosted by All Soul’s Church with a Q&A zoom to follow with Bishop Carlton Pearson, Rev. Marlin and others from the UU community.
This documentary explores the intersection between race, politics, religion, and current polarization of people and communities. We will provide more information once we have it, in the meantime watch the trailer in the link below: and watch for updates as we get them.
In the heartland, messages of love and kindness are embraced when they come from the pulpit, but not politicians. Why?Please join us for a free screening of American Heretics on 4/25 at 3:00(CST)/4:00(EST) followed by a filmmaker Q&A via zoom. To learn more and share with your community contact Trish@abramorama.com for sharing details and spreading the word.
Posted by American Heretics on Wednesday, July 3, 2019
April 10, 2020
Dear Treasured Health Care Providers and your families,
We wanted to reach out to you to assure you that your community at First UU Church is here to support you as you move through these incredibly complex, uncharted days of being a health-care worker during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been written that many health-care workers are suffering from something akin to anxiety, but rooted much deeper, more disturbing and altogether less about excessive worry and more about what lies ahead. Dr. Alison Block of San Francisco has termed this “pre-traumatic stress disorder.” It’s a sense of knowing that psychological distress lies just ahead. It’s as if one begins to experience the impact of the trauma informed by the knowledge of how the onslaught of COVID-19 has played out for colleagues not only in New York City, but also around the world.
If this finds you in such a place, please know that pastoral care is available for the asking. Additionally, members of First UU have offered a few services to support those who might need them. Please let us know how we may be of service to you as you selflessly serve our community during these extraordinary times. It may be that you need one thing this week and something totally different two weeks from now.
First thoughts of possible support include:
With many blessings,
Rev. Laurel Cassidy, RN— affiliated.laurel@thefuun.org, 615-74-0462.
Rev. Gail Seavey – leadminister@firstuunash.org, 615-973-2203
The Melodic Minors, First UU’s Children’s Choir, is on winter break. Rehearsals resume Sunday, Jan. 12, for singers in grades 3-8. Questions? email Karina at fuunyouthchoir@gmail.com .
Working for Affordable Housing: Wednesday, Jan. 22, 7-8:30 p.m., Social Hall (main building). The Affordable Housing Task Force of Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH) has a mission of identifying ways to organize and advocate for low and middle income Nashvillians to obtain and retain quality affordable housing. They pursue this mission by educating the community about the need, advocating with elected government officials, and engaging with other stakeholders who provide or impact affordable housing. Join Susie Ries and Monica Rainey, co-chairs of the task force, and Carleen Dowell, leader of the FUUN NOAH team to learn more about strategies that will ensure Nashville neighborhoods continue to be vibrant; and to work toward a vision of equitable, inclusive, and sensible affordable housing for all.
Books from the UUA bookstore, Inspirit, are still available and make great gifts. Please visit the sale between services on Dec. 15. We’ll have lots of children’s books, including picture books and books of stories from Hindu, Buddhist, Chinese and Islamic traditions. Committee chairs might enjoy a small ($8) book of meditations for their opening and closing readings. Books on parenting, spiritual practices and social justice might inspire you or a loved one in the coming year.
Our second session of Our Whole Lives for Adults begins Jan. 19. This session of OWL is open to those 18 years old and above, and will delve into spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. Please contact Religious Education Coordinator Jonah Eller-Isaacs if you’d like to participate.
Our Whole Lives, or OWL, is our UU lifespan sexuality education curriculum. This remarkable program, integrated with faith but based on facts, begins in Kindergarten and goes all the way up to courses for Adults. This year, because of the generous response to a special ask at our 2018 auction, FUUN can offer OWL for Adults. Thank you to the many donors who made the return of this class possible!
We’re offering Adult OWL in three sessions of five classes each. Our first session wrapped up in late November and our next sessions will start after the new year. You CAN attend one session without attending the others, though we do ask that you commit to all five classes. Apart from the introductions, none of the workshops repeat; each session is almost entirely new material.
Session Two
Jan. 19 – Intro to OWL/Sexual Attraction & Early Relationships
Jan. 26 – Sexuality & Developing Relationships
Feb. 3 – no class
Feb. 9 – Sexuality & Committed Relationships
Feb. 16 – Sexual Diversity
Feb. 23 – Sexuality & Family
Mar. 9 – Flex/make-up date
Session Three
Mar. 29 – Intro to OWL/Sexuality & Communication
Apr. 5 – no class
Apr. 12 – Discovering the Sexual Self
Apr. 19 – Experiencing the Sexual Other
Apr. 26 – Sexuality & Aging
May 3 – no class
May 10 – Sexual Health
May 17 – Flex/make-up date
Classes are on Sundays, 10:30 AM to noon in the Morgan House (room TBD). Adult OWL is open to anyone eighteen years and older. If you’d like to participate in the Winter and Spring sessions or have questions about the program, please email Religious Education Coordinator Jonah Eller-Isaacs at RECoordinator@firstuunash.org. You can also talk to either of our excellent Adult OWL co-Facilitators, longtime FUUN Members Keith Wilson and Debrina Dills. Childcare for children ten and under is available upon request; if needed, please include name(s) and age(s).
Wednesday Night Dinners (WND)- 6 p.m. in the social hall on all the but 5th Wednesdays of the month.
The last catered meal will be Jan. 8. To help cover expenses, the catered meal will be $10 for an adult and $5 for a child. Families are encouraged to attend, and will pay a reduced fee depending on family size.
The rest of the year until May, the dinners will be potluck. There is no charge for the Potluck and beverages are provided.
Join us for our long-standing Wednesday Night Dinners. We have about 35 people who regularly attend our dinners, so come sit down with us.
Due to holidays, there will be no dinners Dec. 18 and 25, or Jan. 1 and 8.
There will be no dinners on fifth Wednesdays (Jan. 29, or Apr. 29).
Questions? Email wnd@thefuun.org.
We could really use your help with our Wednesday night dinners. If you can volunteer, please sign up below! Thank you!
Financial contributions can be made online, by mail, or during our services before the end of the year. Contributions received before or on Tuesday, Dec. 31 will be treated as 2019 gifts. Contributions received on Wednesday, Jan.1 or after will be treated as 2020 gifts.
5:30 p.m. Family Celebration:
Every child and adult will receive masks and props to help us tell the Christmas story, sing carols, reverently re-dedicate ourselves to caring for our children, and light candles in the silent night. If you would like to participate in the child dedication during this celebration, please let Rev. Gail Seavey know by Dec. 14.
9 p.m. Lessons and Carols:
Music and Storytelling carry us through the dark night as we make our hearts ready to receive the promise of peace through carols and candlelight.
Please see our welcome team announcement if you can usher either of these services.
The Church Office will be closed for the Holidays Wednesday, Dec. 25 through Jan. 1, 2019. Office hours will resume on Thursday, Jan. 2.
Reminder, the office is always closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays.
Non-Holiday Office Hours
Monday: Closed
Tuesday-Thursday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
P. 615-383-5760 | F. 615-383-5785
administrator@firstuunash.org
The FUUN staff wishes everyone a very Happy Holiday!
Want to see a thoughtful movie with friends from FUUN?
Join us for a look at the more interesting films coming to Nashville on selected Sundays at around 7 p.m. We will see a movie with options for dinner ahead or coffee/drinks afterwards. No firm date set for our first film, but we are forming a text/email group so we can plan quickly!.
When we find a film of interest, we will circulate an invitation and invite everyone on the email list. Dinner before the film and coffee or drinks afterward are options. If you would like to join us or help chose the films, join the email list! No obligation to attend. Just good conversations and a chance to spend time with thought-provoking people.
Contact Susan Warner at moviegroup@thefuun.org to get on the email list
The Nominating Committee would like your help identifying people for some current and future opportunities for service in elected positions. If you, or someone that you know, would like to discuss one of these opportunities, please contact the Chair, Susan Warner (her contact information is available in Breeze).
Nominating Committee:
We seek individuals who are willing to get to know a wide array of members, can objectively assess others’ strengths and weaknesses, and who can keep committee work confidential. This committee generally meets once a month to discuss our church leadership. We have one opening now and two more will be available in July.
Safe Congregation Panel:
We will have one opening on the SCP in July for a 2- year term. This elected committee enforces the Honoring the Children Policy and investigates and makes decisions when a formal grievance is filed. SCP meets a minimum of quarterly and more often when a concern requires consideration. It is helpful if individuals have experience with non-violent communication, mediation, or restorative justice.
Vice President of the Board:
We will have an opening in July for a VP, a 3- year term. This person serves as president- elect for 1 year, president for 1 year and as past- president for one year. As VP, they serve as the liaison between the Board and Elected Committees (Endowment Trust, Nominating, Safe Congregation Panel) and oversee the Church Council Chairs. As a Board Officer, they attend monthly Board meetings.
Treasurer of the Board:
We will have an opening for Treasurer in July, a 2- years term. The Treasurer receives and disburses all church funds and keeps complete records of all the financial affairs of the Church. They are a member of the Finance Committee and serve as the primary contact on behalf of FUUN with financial institutions with which FUUN does business. They supervise the Bookkeeper. As a Board Officer, they attend monthly Board Meetings.
The 20s and 30s group is meeting for lunch after the second service in Classroom A, right off the social area. Come join us for food and fellowship!
After several productive meetings, and a lot of homework, we are pleased to report being nearly finished preparing our congregational profile. This has involved assembling detailed data describing our congregation—our history, leadership, finances, programs, etc. The profile data will be posted through a secure portal at UUA.org and will be immediately available for searching ministers. We’ll send updates on the process in December when we’ve completed this step and let you know what’s next.
Task force members are Colin Guerrette, Vicky Tataryn, Chelsea Henry, Gail Sphar, David Dickinson, and Dariel Mayer, chair.
Please feel free to email us: DevMinTaskForce@mail.com
Join us this holiday season as we gather for an evening of community, music and celebration. This show will feature a lively mix of holiday-themed favorites and not-so-holiday tunes, so swing by and bring in the season with your chosen family. As FUUN started this choral group, it’s very meaningful when FUUN members attend the concerts.
Details: Hearts Aglow, A Holiday Show, Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m., Langford Auditorium, 2209 Garland Avenue
Nashville TN 37232
Tickets: $30 ($20 students but – there is a discount code for FUUN folks is FirstUU. There is also a discount if you buy tickets on Black Friday.)
More details
Please note our issues with thefuun.org have been intermittent since Oct. 30 and are still not resolved. I have been on and off the phone with Bluehost many times during this period and today they assured me that it will start working regularly again after this final fix. It takes 24-48 hours to propagate the changes to a url so emails should be working again soon.
The ”good” news is that if you use these emails, you will get a notification that they are not working and hopefully will contact folks another way or try to re-send your emails later.
This issue also effects the redirect on our website urls which means if you type in thefuun.org it currently will not redirect to firstuunash.org so please use the direct firstuunash.org to access our website.
Our @firstuunash.org staff email addresses are working, this only effects the forwarders with @thefuun.org.
-Director of Communication
Are you new here? Interested in learning more about our congregation or becoming a member of the church? The New Member Class on Saturday, Jan. 11, 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 soon after. Please email Denise at assistantminister@firstuunash.org to register by Thursday. Jan. 2.
Join us for our 9th annual Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 7, 9 – 4 pm.
Start your holiday shopping with thoughtful and unique gifts. The Craft Fair offers a range of items made by local artists, including baked goods, fiber arts, pressed flower art, and handmade soaps, candles, jewelry, and home decor.
New this year, is a book fair with various titles on spirituality, religion, and social justice brought to you by the Unitarian Universalist bookseller, InSpirit.
Enjoy live music in the sanctuary throughout the day of the craft fair. Local group Silversonix will play two sets of their blend of classic rock and country/pop.
Friday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m., social hall
Krampus is a mischievous Christmas demon, encouraging us to be selfish and take what we want! Bring a $15 wrapped gift for our Krampus game, also known as Dirty Santa or Yankee Swap. Prizes for stealing presents and the most eye-watering outfit!
(For real, Krampus is an indigenous European pagan god who was demonized by the Christian church, and he does a good job adding mischief and acknowledging the darker side of things during the shiny, everyone-be-happy-now Christmas glam, so this party honors him!)
Space is limited so please reserve your spot! Bring one wrapped gift per person.
Reservations: sign up table in the social hall or email chalicefire@thefuun.org.
“Tell us, what the God of Amos says in your ear.
Shepherd of a hundred sheep, what must you hear?”
-A Shepherd, Heywood Broun
I had heard the story of the shepherds a hundred times, from Linus’ recitation of the story from Luke 2 in A Charlie Brown Christmas: “And there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night,” to the recitative and chorus in Handel’s Messiah “and suddenly, there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying: Glory to God, Glory to God in the Highest!”
But the tale of the shepherds that I heard at a Christmas service at Olympic Unitarian Universalist Fellowship explored the story from a different point of view. What if there was a shepherd who was unimpressed by the angels and the mystical glory that shone down from heaven? Would shepherds really abandon their flocks to go on such a journey? What if there was one shepherd who stayed behind?
That one shepherd’s story, dubbedAmos by author Heywood Broun in 1929, explores these questions. When I first heard the story, it touched my heart deeply. As a person who always followed the beat of their own drum and who found awe in different places than the people around me, I finally had a Christmas story that I could relate to. I asked Rev. Chip where I could find it. He sent me a word document, which I printed and kept in a binder to read every Christmas, tears welling in my eyes as the story ends, and Amos shares what came to his heart that Christmas night. A few years later, I searched and searched online, and ordered a dismal picture-book printed on drab grey-blue paper that had been withdrawn from a library collection. No wonder this book was so easily forgotten. When the book arrived in my hands, the seed of the story that had been singing to me for years awoke and began to sprout. As I was finishing up my studies in Portland, I started composing. My work here at First UU and our tradition of biannual Music Sunday services inspired me to complete the piece.
The choir plays two roles in the piece; first, they are the voice of the multitude of angels, with a baroque style Gloria. After that moment passes, they become the voice of the shepherds, excited at hearing the fulfillment of ancient prophecy. Understandably, they are incredulous at Amos’ reticence. But Amos sees that his sheep are frightened, and there is work to be done. Amos listens to the truth of his heart and has his own experience of wonder on that magical night.
Set a reminder to join us for worship at 9 or 11 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8, to witness the world premiere of this touching, tender cantata. I am so excited to share this story with you. As always, on Music Sunday, we gratefully receive additional donations for the Special Music Fund, which is set aside for music ministry outside of our regular operating budget. Look for baskets at the main entrances to the Sanctuary or donate online and choose “Music Sunday.”
What is it that touches your heart and brings you to that place of awe and wonder? Is it a multitude of angels? Or will you hear your own story in the tale of Amos, the shepherd who listened to his heart, and stayed behind?
-Jaie Tiefenbrunn
Director of Music Ministries
Click here to view the report by Barry Finklestein in our archives. You will need the membership password (which is the same as our previous member’s area password.
Early Bird Registration is open though March 15. Full-time registration rates are $400 for adults, $250 for high school youth and retired and candidate ministers, or $150 for off-site participants.
NEW! Registration Payment Plan: pay as little as $50 down, and then as often as you’d like until February 29, 2020, when final payment is due. Early Bird registrants will receive additional consideration for financial aid and volunteer opportunities.
For more information, see uua.org/ga
We’re seeking greeters, cashiers, bakery sales, book sales, set-up, clean-up, and more during our Holiday Craft Fair. Come, spend a few hours with other First UU Nashville congregants and help us build community as we add to the financial health of the church.
Spots are open Friday, Dec. 6 through Sunday, Dec. 7. Sign up here (or using the button below) today or contact Jeannie Haman at holidayfair@thefuun.org.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are unable to sell Poinsettias this year as part of our Holiday Craft Fair fundraiser.
If you’ve already paid for your order, we will be refunding your money. If you paid by credit card, the refund will be on your credit card statement.
Please contact fundraising@thefuun.org with questions.
4th Wednesday Talkback on the 3rd Wednesday: STEM for All
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7-8:30 p.m., social hall (main building)
Dr. Chris Vangas of the Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach (CSO) will share about their programs, which are dedicated to enhancing literacy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through the establishment of unique partnerships between University scientists, K-12 educators and students, and the local and global science community. The Center for Science Outreach has developed and implemented a number of educational programs in partnership with local and national K-12 classrooms. These efforts, funded through a variety of state and national public and private agencies, have reached thousands of children, supported teachers in residence on the Vanderbilt campus, hosted summer professional development courses and workshops for teachers, offered summer programs for students, and placed teachers and students in research laboratories.
Childcare may be available. Wednesday night childcare depends on staffing levels and must be reserved at least two weeks in advance. Email requests to childcare@thefuun.org; you will receive a reply letting you know if childcare can be available.
The Church Office will be closed Thursday, Nov. 28 and Friday, Nov. 29 to allow staff time to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday with their families. Office hours will resume on Tuesday, Dec. 3 (as the office is always closed on Mondays).
It will also be closed for the Holidays Dec. 23 through Jan. 1, resuming Thursday, Jan. 2
Non-Holiday Office Hours
Monday: Closed
Tuesday-Thursday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
P. 615-383-5760 | F. 615-383-5785
administrator@firstuunash.org
The director of Communication is going to take her paid time off for the first time. In order to do this, there must be some breaks in our usual communications. For the first time in four years, there will be only one weekly bulletin in December, Dec. 15, and no bulletin Jan. 5. We will resume our normal weekly bulletin schedule on Jan. 12. There will be no weekly email on Nov. 26, Dec. 24, or Dec. 31. Special Thanks, in advance, to Jeannie Haman for assisting with the weekly emails during my (non-holiday week) vacation time so we have fewer gaps.
With these communication gaps, if you have announcements for the end of the year, be sure to get them in early so they can be published in the November bulletins and the Dec. 15 bulletin. Please note that all announcements will continue to be posted to our website and social media, so please look there for updates. Many thanks for allowing this much-needed break.
Guest at Your Table is UUSC’s annual intergenerational program to raise support for and awareness about key human rights issues. Since UUSC works in more than 20 countries, with over 60 grassroots partners, there are thousands of individuals involved in and who benefit from the work that our members make possible. The program is an opportunity to celebrate grassroots partnership, support human rights, and learn about just four of these individuals — the “guests” in Guest at Your Table.
Here’s how it works:
* Pick up a colorful box at the back of the sanctuary on Sunday.
* Read the stories on the box and place it on your dinner or coffee table.
* Encourage family members and friends to place loose change or dollar bills in the box throughout the holiday season.
* Bring the box back to the church in early January, and we’ll send the funds raised to the UUSC.
The boxes serve as a reminder of the tireless work that the UUSC and other partners are doing to defend human rights. You can also make a donation at uusc.org/givetoguest.
2019-2020 Theme is Women
Leaders, Strong Communities
Since our founding, UUSC’s work has been shaped and sustained by women’s leadership. Today, we are proud to partner with women leaders who are increasing representation for women in their communities, while strengthening access to justice for all. During this year’s Guest at Your Table program, please join us to learn more about women leaders from UUSC partner organizations taking on some of today’s greatest human rights challenges.
Poinsettias are available for pre-order now through Thursday, Nov.14.
This year we’re offering 6.5″ ($12) or 8″ ($24) pots of red, white, pink or marbled pink-to-white plants. See Jeannie Haman in the social hall after services, or order by emailing fundraising@thefuun.org.
Thanksgiving potluck, vegan and turkey count requested
Our annual Thanksgiving Dinner potluck will begin at noon in the Social Hall on Thanksgiving Day, Thusday, Nov. 28. You can sign up in the social hall or below.
The Fellowship Committee provides turkey and a vegan main dish and beverages. The rest of the meal is a potluck. Please let us know what you’ll bring, whether you prefer a vegan or turkey entrée and if you are available to help set up or break down.
A reminder that you get an extra hour this weekend.
The Habitat Action Team would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all who helped in the Fall Unity build including the builders and the food assisters, and to everyone in the congregation who has pitched in to help us during the year.
The builders were: Mike Bolds, Daniel Levin, Harmon Nine, Fred Guenther ,Bill Taylor, Hal Potts, Gary McVety, Jeff Stein, Drake Morano, Scott Winston, Carleen Dowell, Paul Yoder, John Stowe, Ayla Dumont, Phillip Vest, David Dickinson, Kathy Ganske, Bethany Rittle-Johnson, Margy May, and Joshua Johnson. The food helpers were Steve Edminster, Sara Plummer, Fran Wolf, Pat Lynch, Suzanne LeBeau, Carole Copple, Kathy Hardin, Ann Morse, and Charlene Nixon.
Oct. 29, 2019
“The wave of evil washes all our institutions alike.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
I love to find quotes by the Transcendentalists, our religious ancestors, to demonstrate that our religious roots are deep. But like all traditions, it is mixed, the good with the bad. For instance, Emerson was seen as a Unitarian revolutionary when he critiqued his teachers’ spirituality and was kicked out of Harvard Divinity School for a generation. But he was late to understanding the evil of slavery – it took the women and the younger men he knew to convince him to support abolition. In his journal he wrote that slavery was bad for the slave owners because it made people like him barbaric. He never did care, however, about what slavery did to the enslaved. Indeed, he supported a pseudo-scientific theory that there were five human races, with white people at the top. He wrote a book, English Traits, that extolled the “real Americans” who were New Englanders of a certain “stock,” or “Anglo-Saxon” which, it can be argued, isn’t an ethnicity. He wrote that his “stock” was smarter, stronger, more manly, and better looking than all other people.
We have to look at our tradition, just like we look at everything – our ideas, our history, our assumptions – with discernment. Emerson was not “a man of his times.” He was an influential “thought leader” within a community with different ideas. Emerson mentored Theodore Parker who did care passionately about the people who were enslaved. He helped publish Hawthorne who artistically described the guilt and struggle of his ancestors as haunted by the horror of their deeds without ever saying they were right or wrong. Emerson also helped publish Thoreau and Whitman who lived some of his ideas in ways that he thought were terrifyingly extreme and that future generations still find helpful. He was mentored by and made friends with women who gained his respect as thinkers, but never as whole human beings.
I learned some of Emerson’s ideas about white supremacy from my father. When people asked him why he had so many children he said it was to improve the “stock,” which could have come right out of English Traits. What I learn from family and history is that none of us are some fantasy of an “ideal” human. We all have flashes of glorious vision and blind spots; areas in which we keep our hearts open and others where we close our ears, a basic vulnerably with moments clarity and strength. We all depend upon others and have independent insights. To accept that is what I mean by being fully human, whole and holy.
With faith and love,
Gail
leadminister@firstuunash.org
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Below are the transcripts from which I quoted this past Sunday. First four episode transcripts, which may be plenty for your needs (though the rest is also so good) are listed below. They are not long: 17, 28, 35 and 37 minutes. Setting the stage in Part 1 and 2, and introductions to the big ideas and POC experts he features.
Part 3 gets at the colonial laws and legislation in 4 stories.
Part 4 starts with Pocahontas and legislation referring to her descendants and then into Jefferson and Emerson.
October 2019
I’ve been a member of the adult choir off and on since I first came to this church. In addition to preparing for our role in worship, we form a community together. The choir is the church’s largest small group ministry — we’re a covenant group of 40. I’ve laughed, cried, celebrated, worried, and mourned with my choir friends and I’ve been supported through the ups and downs of my life.
One Thursday morning in May of last year, my husband woke up in the wee hours with severe abdominal pain that was radiating to his chest. He’s something of a stoic, so if he was that miserable, he needed to be seen by a doctor right away. So, I called his mom to come stay with the kids, and we headed off to the emergency room. He was quickly seen, although once they ruled out heart trouble, he was just as quickly parked in a hallway to wait. I had to put my own fears and anxieties aside to care and advocate for my husband. I summoned all the non-violent communication skills at my command, and he was discharged after five hours with a diagnosis of gallstones and a referral to a surgeon. Maybe it only would have been four if I’d ever honed my NVC skills in a practice group.
When we got home, he was feeling well enough to take a shower and go to work. I, on the other hand, was feeling severely sleep-deprived and had an adrenaline hangover so I let the kids go mostly feral for the afternoon, since I don’t do well in that state. I was tired, had no attention span, and was discombobulated. I could keep them safe and fed, but engaged, fun mom can only show up if I’ve had seven solid hours of sleep.
Nonetheless, that evening, when my phone told me “Traffic is moderate, leave in 10 minutes for choir rehearsal,” I did. It didn’t occur to me until I was literally walking into the sanctuary that a wiser person would have sent Jaie a message explaining the circumstances and stayed home. At that point, although I recognized the absurdity of having showed up, going home felt equally absurd — I’d already made the effort to show up, which was the hardest part. But in the end, I was glad I did because that night, my people took care of me. I’m fairly sure I was musically useless, possibly a drag on the tenor section, but I was loved through being a hot mess.
I think maybe my subconscious knew that after a day of heavy-duty caretaking I needed some care and sent me to choir that night. Because that thing we say is true: we are a really big covenant group. That night, at the end of rehearsal when we have the opportunity to share our lives, the story of my day was heard, and for the first time that day, I was able to feel some of the feelings that I had shoved to the side just to get through what needed to be done — to be an effective advocate, to be the world’s okayest, basically not to be a quivering, anxious, useless lump. I was able start feeling those things do that because the choir offered me a safe compassionate space. This is why I give to FUUN — to support these types of spaces for all of us — and it is why I am grateful to everyone who gives of their time and finances in support of our church. Thank you.
–Jessica Moore-Lucas
Choir member and Social Justice Committee Co-Chair
Mid-week Message
From our Lead Minister
Oct. 15, 2019
We have a long moral tradition of looking for that evil mist within social structures. Western culture has long been taught through our institutions that “might makes right.” The counter narrative calls for people to nurture love and justice so that it is stronger than violence and hatred. When I studied ethics, I realized that most of my ethical behavior was taught to me on my parents’ knees, tied up with all the vulnerability and love that a child needs to thrive. They taught me both sides of the narrative, that “might makes right” and that love is strong. These ideas do cut through my heart. I sometimes need to be reminded that my world of family, school, church, and civic life is a world of overlapping institutions that existed long before my parents and I. Unitarian Universalism worked for public schools, the free church, abolition of slavery, equal human rights for women, African Americans, and LGBTQ folks throughout our history because we see our work as creating social systems that give everyone the opportunity to choose to do good.
Are you new here? The Membership Committee hosts Meet the Minister Luncheons for visitors and newcomers several times a year.
The Membership Committee is hosting a Meet the Minister lunch after the second service on Sunday, Oct. 20, 12:30 p.m. in Classroom A. Children are welcome; no reservations are necessary.
If you are interested in learning more about our congregation and Unitarian Universalism, bring your questions and your appetite, and join us for a light lunch, fellowship, and conversation.
The next luncheon will be on Sunday, Nov. 17, following the second service.
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From our Lead Minister
Oct. 1, 2019
“So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined together to half its height. For the people had a mind to work.” Nehemiah 4:6
I had never read the book of Nehemiah, one of the biblical Jewish histories, before I heard several African American preachers telling its story to rousing affect at NOAH (Nashville Organized for Action and Hope) gatherings. It is a history of different Jewish families and professions coordinating their efforts to rebuild the city of Jerusalem after it was destroyed by the Persian Empire and most of the Jewish people were sent into exile. NOAH came together to rebuild the city of Nashville after rapid development was sending many of our poorer and mostly black neighbors into exile.
In the ancient story, varying small Jewish groups joined as allies, each re-building one gate and a section of the wall. They were mocked by the other cultural groups in the area, just like in Nashville when NOAH was mocked at its formation by the Chamber of Commerce who saw only the upside of development decisions that brought in money and jobs for a few, but not for the many. The Chamber then predicted NOAH would only last six months. For five years since that prediction, some 60 faith communities including historically black and white churches, mosques, and synagogues, as well as labor unions and community organizations plus a couple of colleges, have persisted restoring falling walls and rebuilding city gates. Now the Chamber of Commerce admits that the growth in Nashville has been very uneven. For instance, in those few years, the wages of whites have risen, the wages of Latinos remained the same and the wages of African Americans have fallen 10%. The rich have gotten richer and the poor have gotten poorer.
In the Nehemiah story, the builders of the city blow a trumpet when they are attacked by others. That trumpet calls us all to come forward as allies, each building our own section of the wall even as we help others to build theirs. The people of our community have a mind to work to both build our part of the wall, and to work with all our allies for justice as we rebuild the whole city for us all.
With faith and love,
Gail
leadminister@firstuunash.org
If you missed the Open Mic Night Spoken Word event, you may purchase a link to the video for $5 using our website Give button, or a check with “open mic night video” in the memo line.
You must also provide your email address to the Director of Communication so she may send you the link to the private video. Email communication@firstuunash.org.
Thank you for your support.
Adult OWL, Our Whole Lives, our UU lifespan sexuality education curriculum, returns to FUUN Oct. 20. This remarkable program, integrated with faith but based on facts, begins in Kindergarten and goes up to the newest course being published this fall, for Older Adults 55+. For the past few years, FUUN has proudly offered OWL for elementary and middle school levels. This year, because of the generous response to a special collection at our 2018 auction, FUUN can present Our Whole Lives (OWL) for Adults. Thank you to the many donors who made the return of this class possible!
Our Whole Lives helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior and equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, OWL not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. (Unitarian Universalist Association, adapted)
We’re offering the class in three stand-alone sections of five workshops each, the first running Sundays, Oct. 20 to Nov. 24, 10:30 a.m. to 12 pm, Palmer Room, Morgan House (no class Nov. 3). Adult OWL gives us the opportunity to shape the class to the interests of its participants. While Workshops #1 (Sexuality & Values) and #2 (Sexuality & Communication) are already set, the content of Workshops #3-5 will vary based on what the group wants to learn and discuss. Longtime FUUN Members Keith Wilson and Debrina Dills are our co-Facilitators.
Adult OWL is open to anyone 18 years old and above. If you’d like to participate in the Fall section of Adult OWL or have questions about the program, please email Religious Education Coordinator Jonah Eller-Isaacs at RECoordinator@firstuunash.org by Oct. 13. Childcare for children 10 and under is available upon request; if needed, please include name(s) and age(s) of children.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Practice Groups are open to anyone, regardless of past experience here or elsewhere. To change one’s mindset and habit patterns from a right vs. wrong model to a compassionate and connecting model takes practice. To connect empathetically with others, and with oneself, takes practice. To begin to live in the world we dream about takes practice. Feel free to drop in on a group to see what it’s all about.
Covenant Groups are made up of five to 12 people, each led by a facilitator, that meet twice a month, often in participants’ homes, for the purpose of supporting individual spiritual growth and deepening a sense of community among participants. Each session gives participants an opportunity to reflect with one another on an engaging topic, which might include: Generosity, Bitterness, Faith, Longing, Racism, etc.
Covenant groups are an opportunity to listen and share with a subset of the congregation. Several groups still need members; email mmills@firstuunash.org with your questions.
Mid-week Message
From our Lead Minister
Sept. 24, 2019
“Turn scarlet, leaves!
Spin earth!
Tumble the shadows into dawn,
The morning out of the night;
Spill stars across these skies
And hide them with the suns.
Teach me to turn
My sullen sense toward marvel.
Let green and red
And dark and day
Concur with the returning life
I am.” -by Raymond J. Braughn
Very early Monday morning when I was sound asleep, the earth moved through the autumn equinox, when night and day theoretically hang ever so briefly in balance. Yet, the world feels as if it is spinning out of control most of the day. My job gives me the privilege to live in the midst of the whirlwind that is life: joyful weddings, mixed-up medical diagnoses, pleas for financial aid, loved ones grieving death, nervous students, programs cancelled, changing employment pattern complicating job searches, youth marching to end global warming, and leaves turning brown from drought instead of turning red. Every situation is complicated by all individuals involved spinning their own stories and each story tearing into each other like leaves caught in the whirlwinds.
So, I practice equinox, seek balance — listen and breath, still the focus my inner eye — repeatedly with each turn around, twirling with the confusions of the day as each whirlwind catches me in its swirl. Sometimes I fall — always a reminder that gravity grounds me in a balance not of my own will, but solid and steady. Occasionally the swirling becomes a dance and I laugh with marvel, “And dark and day/ Concur with the returning life/ I am.”
With faith and love,
Gail
leadminister@firstuunash.org
Fall Senior Brunch: Senior brunch is held twice a year in the social hall. Our next Fall Senior Brunch is Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.– noon. If you plan to attend, RSVP to the church office at (615) 383-5760 by Friday Oct. 18. We hope you will join us for delicious food and stimulating conversation. All are welcome whether or not you receive an invitation. We’re looking forward to seeing you.
NOAH has been busy! So busy that we are looking for a full-time Administrative Assistant! Do you know someone who might be a good fit with NOAH? Responsibilities include:
GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
DATABASE AND MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
COMMUNICATIONS – Phone calling, eblasts, messages on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
FINANCES AND FUNDRAISING – Assist Treasurer and Finance Committee as needed
FLEXIBILITY – Other duties as assigned
Interviews taking place now! Please tell others! (Here is the full job announcement, and how to contact us.)
All proceeds from Sunday, Sept. 29th’s food table will help the FUUN AIDS Walk reach its goal of $2,500 in the fight against AIDS and HIV in Middle Tennessee. The Nashville CARES AIDS Walk is Saturday morning, Oct. 5, at Public Square Park. Stop by the table to meet the team, learn about the Walk and Nashville CARES, buy some treats or make a donation.
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Hi Everyone,
We hope this message reaches you surrounded by love. We are facing the reality that we are headed toward climate disaster. We are experiencing sea-level rise, more frequent and devastating hurricanes and tornadoes, and an increase in wildfires across the country.
On Friday, September 20, 2019, young people around the world are engaging in a Global Climate Strike to demand bold and immediate action by world leaders based on values of compassion, love, and justice. We at the Unitarian Universalist Association and our President, Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, are joining with other faith leaders to support this call to action. Rev. Frederick-Gray will be at the New York City strike on the 20th.* We ask that you join her by signing the multi-faith letter below AND committing to #StrikeWithUS.
First, we ask that you join us by signing up for the Climate Strike on our customized UU link here.
We leaders of faith have the opportunity to disrupt “business as usual” and lift our moral voice to say, “NOT in our name, and NO MORE!”.
It is also our hope that UU clergy and congregational leaders will sign on to the People of Faith for the Climate Strikes letter of support, and encourage others to #StrikeWithUS.
This is the time for us to come together in unity, across faith traditions, to be in solidarity with this fight against climate change and environmental injustice.
Thank you for joining us.
We look forward to seeing you in the streets!
In Solidarity,
Susan on behalf of the UUA Organizing Strategy Team
P.S. See the webinar Side with Love sponsored last week with UU youth and others here along with resources for organizing for the Climate Strike.
*Details for NYC if you want to join the UU contingent there:
Join Rev. Frederick-Gray and our UU contingent at Community Church of New York UU 40 E. 35 St., NY, NY 10016
See https://www.brightest.io/cause/fridays-for-future/activity/new-york-city-climate-strike-with-greta-thunberg/ for more information.
Susan Leslie | Congregational Advocacy & Witness Director | Organizing Strategy Team
Phone (617) 948-4607 | Cell (617) 272-5386 | sleslie@uua.org | www.uua.org/justice
uua.org | Twitter | Facebook
Expect the weekly email on Wednesday, Sept. 4 instead of Tuesday, Sept. 3 this week. Meanwhile, stay informed with our website announcements.
Help Wanted In The FUUN Zone! [child caregiver]
The First Unitarian Universalist Church in Green Hills is seeking two part-time caregivers for our Church Nursery. The job involves caring for and playing with children ages 6 weeks to 10 years, maintaining a welcoming, safe, and child-friendly environment, as well as working with a great team of people. The caregivers will be supervised by the Church’s Child Care Coordinator.
Hours: Average 4-6 hours weekly (about 16-20 hours monthly). Must be available Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings, with occasional extra hours for Wednesday evening events or other special events based on various Church activities.
Must be at least 18 years old and pass a background check satisfactory to the Church, and be CPR-certified. (The Church will pay for you to become certified if you are not already.) Please email your resume to Personnel@thefuun.org with a note stating your previous childcare experience, why you are interested in this job, and include the names of 3 references with their contact information (phone and email).
Childcare experience is required. If you do not have such experience, please help us by not applying for this job.
Job Type: Part-time; no benefits paid by the Church
Hourly rate: $12.00 per hour
Introducing ENACT, FUUN’s ENvironmental ACTion Team
Are you concerned about the environment? Do you want to do something about it but are unsure where to start? Do you wish you could do more? Are you a young person who wants to have a future? Do you want to have a voice in setting FUUN‘s environmental agenda?
ENACT is mobilizing to take action on these and other environmental concerns. Please join us on Sunday, Sept. 29, 12:30 p.m., room TBA, as we forge our path ahead. Also, mark your calendars for our Oct. 13, 12:30 p.m. meeting. For more information, contact David Dickinson and Kathy Ganske, co-chairs, at enact@thefuun.org.
You are invited to Join Dinners for Nine to share a monthly potluck dinner with a consistent group of couples and singles in the comfort of each other’s homes in order to know folks here at FUUN better in a small group setting and eat at the same time. What could be better? Ask questions and sign up at the Dinners for Nine table in the social hall on Sundays, now until Sept 15.
Click here for details and to sign up online.
Harvest Moon Drum Circle: Friday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m., social hall. Gather/set up/warm up begins at 7 p.m. drumming officially begins after our 7:30 opening circle. Everyone is welcome! Bring a potluck snack to share, plus drums, dancing jingles, etc. This is a child-friendly event! The Harvest Moon is about the bounty of the growing seasons. What seeds did you plant before that have now borne fruit?
Do you have a few wacky hybrids you didn’t expect? What blessings do you hope to find under the wide, cool leaves?
Melodic Minors, our Children’s Choir for grades 3-8, begins rehearsals on Sunday, Sept 8. Please register at the RE table in the social hall. Questions? Contact Karina Daza or Jaie Tiefenbrunn at music@firstuunash.org.
“For while scholars of literature like to say that we use stories to ‘think with’ we also use them to ‘feel with’–that is, to find words for what otherwise we could not say.” from Why Religion? A Personal Story by Elaine Pagels
Elaine Pagels is a religious scholar who has written several popular books that I cherish because they show how stories and images shape our cultural imaginations so that we can think and feel about our lives. In this memoir, she shows how the most painful tragedies in her life shaped those books. She wrote Adam, Eve and the Serpent: Sex and Politics in Early Christianity while she was experiencing the fresh agony after the death of her 6-year-old son who was born with a congenital defect and needed special medical care his whole short life. She felt as if she was being punished by his death, even though she knew she and her husband had faithfully cared for, loved, and lived joyfully with him. She turned to the story of Adam and Eve because it was interpreted by some of her religious ancestors as an origin myth that explained death as a punishment for doing a bad thing. Her intellectual exploration of that history helped her appreciate that people have always struggled with grief and created stories to explain why bad things happen.
A year later, her husband of 20 years died in a tragic hiking accident. Her grief totally overcame her, and she noticed that some people started avoiding her as if she had been doubly cursed and it would rub off on them. The story of Job, a good man who suffered one blow after another after a bet that “the satan” made with God, caught her interest. Again, she approached it as a scholar, wondering first how people so long ago tried to explain why lots of bad things could happen to one good person. In her book, The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans and Heretics, Pagels’ research showed how Satan became a full-blown character with a rich back story that could be blamed for much of the suffering in the world. Writing both these books helped her think about and feel her suffering while at the same time, re-learning to cherish her life while loving and caring for others. In the end, she says they helped her see that her interdependence with others is what saved her life.
Reading Elaine Pagels generous book was a blessing. She shows how we can allow the arts of story, music, poetry, and ritual to hold us up without having to literally accept them as objective truths. She reminded me to be grateful for all of the arts that help me think about and feel my life and connect me to the rest of human kind.
With faith and love, Gail
The FUUN Men’s Group meets the first and third Sundays of each month, 6-8 p.m. in the Fireside Room. All FUUN men are welcome to join us Sept.1. Come tell us what you’ve been up to and hear from other FUUN guys. Bringing food or drink is optional.
Realizing our dream of a new church home on our present campus: Our next step is a visit from capital campaign consultant Barry Finkelstein Oct. 5, 6, and 7 to help us make plans for a campaign to raise funds for the new facility. There will be many meetings with members and leaders of the church. On Saturday, Oct. 5, 2-3:15 p.m., he will lead an interactive workshop to discuss this campaign with any members or friends wishing to attend. Childcare will be provided. This should be of interest to new and established members of the church, as well as friends of the church.
Did you get to the NOAH Mayoral Candidate Meeting this past Sunday with David Briley and John Cooper? You can see the video HERE and the Tennessean article HERE.
BUT THE METRO COUNCIL IS ALSO A CRITICAL DECISION-MAKER!
Each of us has a District Council Member (Find yours HERE.) But ALL OF US vote for the five AT-LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS who are to represent the city as a whole!
On August 1st, only one At-Large Candidate received enough votes to be elected (Bob Mendes). In order to fill the remaining FOUR At-Large Council seats, EIGHT people are running in the Run-Off Election on Thursday, September 12.
Want to know more about these eight candidates?
Nashville Farmers Market
900 Rosa. L. Parks Blvd
5:00 PM – Forum
6:00 PM – Chicken & Biscuits
Chicken & Biscuits provided by Vice Mayor Shulman
This is a chance to meet the At-Large Candidates, get answers to questions submitted by NOAH and others, and have a little FUN!
RSVP at WPCTN.com.
Please tell others! A flyer is HERE.
Early voting times and locations are HERE.
“When you open up your life to the living
All things come spilling in on you
And you’re flowing like a river
the Changer and the Changed
You’ve got to spill some over…….
Spill some over
Over all” from “Waterfall” by Chris Williamson
When it rains it pours. At least it has the last few weeks when the baking heat builds for several day until we can no longer stand even the short trips from air conditioning to air conditioning and then we are relieved by a down-pour. Maybe relieved isn’t the right word, because some of those down-pours have been downright scary and I am not even talking about the violent thunder, lightning and wind. It rained so hard one day last week that the whole church campus was one big waterfall, flowing 360 into the diagonal ditch/river that runs through until there were powerful white-water currants roiling from one corner to the other. It was awesome—literally—beautiful and frightening at the same time. Then rain often stops as suddenly as it started, it is a bit cooler and a bit less humid, with a bit less pollen in the air, for an evening or, if lucky, a day or two. Then the heat builds again. I wonder if we will eventually have a monsoon season.
Life often feels like that awesome waterfall. People moving away. Lots of new people around. Betrayals and break-ups. Falling in love. Getting divorced. Planning a wedding the second time around. Becoming deathly ill. Seriously injured in an accident. Leaning on friends to get through the day. Losing a job. Starting a new one. Becoming a new parent. Children doing active shooter drills at school. As the singer-songwriter Chris Williamson sang “When you open up your life to the living, all things come spilling on you.”
That is why most weeks we mark our joys, sorrows and concerns by placing a stone in water. Living is like standing in the middle of all that water falling and spilling 360 from heart to soul, roiling currants threaten to sweep us away, powerful white water knocks us upside down or flowing waters spilling over fling us up onto unfamiliar territory. We are the changers and the changed. But the water we use on Sunday morning is in a beautiful bowl that holds all of those experiences ever so safely in community, in support, and in love.
This Sunday we hold our annual celebration of Water Communion for the 25th year. Each person is invited to bring water that symbolizes your life. It may be from a special place you have gone or from your sink, you name its meaning in your life. We mingle the water together that each person brings. By its mingling, it becomes this community’s holy water. Then we spill some over—over all—as we use that water to bless our children, remember our dead and hold the stones of joy, sorrow, and concern that you place there week after week, for the year to come.
With faith and love,
Gail
September Theme: Vision, Perspective
Sept 1: Perspectives on Labor in the Market, Household, Commons and State. Rev Gail and Worship Associate Rachel Rogers.
“When you open up your life to the living
All things come spilling in on you
And you’re flowing like a river
the Changer and the Changed
You’ve got to spill some over…….
Spill some over
Over all” from “Waterfall” by Chris Williamson
When it rains it pours. At least it has the last few weeks when the baking heat builds for several day until we can no longer stand even the short trips from air conditioning to air conditioning and then we are relieved by a down-pour. Maybe relieved isn’t the right word, because some of those down-pours have been downright scary and I am not even talking about the violent thunder, lightning and wind. It rained so hard one day last week that the whole church campus was one big waterfall, flowing 360 into the diagonal ditch/river that runs through until there were powerful white-water currants roiling from one corner to the other. It was awesome—literally—beautiful and frightening at the same time. Then rain often stops as suddenly as it started, it is a bit cooler and a bit less humid, with a bit less pollen in the air, for an evening or, if lucky, a day or two. Then the heat builds again. I wonder if we will eventually have a monsoon season.
Life often feels like that awesome waterfall. People moving away. Lots of new people around. Betrayals and break-ups. Falling in love. Getting divorced. Planning a wedding the second time around. Becoming deathly ill. Seriously injured in an accident. Leaning on friends to get through the day. Losing a job. Starting a new one. Becoming a new parent. Children doing active shooter drills at school. As the singer-songwriter Chris Williamson sang “When you open up your life to the living, all things come spilling on you.”
That is why most weeks we mark our joys, sorrows and concerns by placing a stone in water. Living is like standing in the middle of all that water falling and spilling 360 from heart to soul, roiling currants threaten to sweep us away, powerful white water knocks us upside down or flowing waters spilling over fling us up onto unfamiliar territory. We are the changers and the changed. But the water we use on Sunday morning is in a beautiful bowl that holds all of those experiences ever so safely in community, in support, and in love.
This Sunday we hold our annual celebration of Water Communion for the 25th year. Each person is invited to bring water that symbolizes your life. It may be from a special place you have gone or from your sink, you name its meaning in your life. We mingle the water together that each person brings. By its mingling, it becomes this community’s holy water. Then we spill some over—over all—as we use that water to bless our children, remember our dead and hold the stones of joy, sorrow, and concern that you place there week after week, for the year to come.
With faith and love,
Gail
September Theme: Vision, Perspective
Sept 1: Perspectives on Labor in the Market, Household, Commons and State. Rev Gail and Worship Associate Rachel Rogers.
Choir rehearsals for Water Communion and our Fall season resumed on Thursday, Aug. 15, 7 p.m. Choir is open to members and friends age 16 and up. Never sung in a choir before? That’s okay. If you are enthusiastic, willing to commit to weekly rehearsals, sing at Worship two Sundays a month, and can carry a tune, you are welcome. Email Jaie at music@firstuunash.org to schedule a brief meet and greet for voice placement.
Some of our staff telephones are not functioning. If you attempt to call and do not reach anyone, please email staff instead until further notice.
Thank you.
Operations Council invites you to participate in our fun bi-annual Spiff-Up Day and lunch, Saturday, Oct. 12, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Everyone is invited to come join the fun sprucing up our space! We’ll be painting, cleaning the windows, deep cleaning and working on the grounds. Lunch will be provided around noon, so please let us know if you will be here. Sign-ups will take place before-hand in the social hall on Sundays, but walk-ups are always welcome. Many hands make for quick work!
We have one shift this time. Work the whole or part of the shift and plan to enjoy the community lunch at noon. Please bring your mops, buckets, gloves, sponges, and any other cleaning armaments you wish. If you don’t have those, we’ll have extra. We hope you can be part of the party. Let us know by emailing operations@thefuun.org or signing up below so we can plan for the day and for the lunch.
On July 7th, a guest minister named Marti Keller conducted a service at FUUN called “A Feminist Fandom.” Many folks felt uncomfortable while watching the service, in which Rev. Keller dressed in a Frida Kahlo costume and encouraged the consumption of Mexican culture. The Worship Committee values these concerns. We have decided to remove the video as well as increase our level of care when it comes to guest speakers and services about marginalized cultures. We apologize for any harm this may have caused, and appreciate your patience and feedback.
Choir begins rehearsals for Water Communion and our Fall season on Thursday, Aug. 15, 7 p.m. Choir is open to members and friends age 16 and up. Never sung in a choir before? That’s okay. If you are enthusiastic, willing to commit to weekly rehearsals, sing at Worship two Sundays a month, and can carry a tune, you are welcome. Email Jaie at music@firstuunash.org to schedule a brief meet and greet for voice placement.
Caitlín Matthews will be speaking at FUUN on The Healing of the Grail: The Sacred Hospitality of Nature and the Restoration of the Wasteland. Saturday, Sept.14, 7- 9:30 p.m. Her talk will be based on material from her book “The Lost Book of the Grail: The Sevenfold Path of the Grail and the Restoration of the Faery Accord” due for release summer 2019. Copies of the book will be available at the event. Please do not contact FUUN with questions regarding the event. The event is hosted by Celli Sanctaidd O Gerridwen A Lleu Druid Grove: Grove@DruidryNashville.org or 615-502-2163.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Practice Groups: Register now at the Sunday Faith Development table in the social hall or with the online form which will be posted here soon.
Covenant Groups: Register now at the Sunday Faith Development table in the social hall or with the online form which will be posted here soon.
A Fabulous New Year for Children’s Religious Education is Right Around the Corner
Great things start happening in September, and we need to know who is coming. Why? Because we need to have enough supplies, enough Teacher Assistants, enough space, and we need to know who may have allergies or learning differences, and, well, we’d just like to know your names.
Sunday school and Youth Group both start on Sept. 8. Please plan to register and/or confirm your existing information by Sept. 1.
Here’s what’s happening:
Sunday school for PreKindergarten* through 8th grade starts at 9 a.m. on Sept. 8.
*Includes 4-year-olds and those who have turned 3 by Sept. 30.
Youth Group for 9th – 12th grades starts at 11 a.m. on Sept. 8.
Coming of Age for 7th-8th Grades is coming soon! Calendar TBA.
Our Whole Lives (OWL) for Kindergarten-1st Grade, and for 4th-5th Grades, will take place in Winter/Spring 2020, but classes fill up quickly, so register now to reserve your space.
It’s easy. You can do it all at the same time by completing the online registration form.
It is necessary to confirm your information at the start of each church year. This is an important part of our efforts to best serve and ensure the safety and well-being of our church community’s children and youth.
We want to do a great job for you, and we want to make this the very best year yet… please help us by registering as soon as you possibly can. If you have any questions, we’d love to hear from you:
Marguerite Mills
Director of Lifespan
Religious Education
MMills@firstuunash.org
615-383-5760, ext. 304
Jonah Eller-Isaacs
Religious Education Coordinator
RECoordinator@firsuunash.org
615-383-5760, ext. 315
As part of our faith journey as Unitarian Universalists, we are regularly challenged by the ways race and racism affect our lives and our spirituality. Within our congregations we are creating space to build a community of care among UU People of Color, opportunities to explore deeper questions around race, culture and our religious values.
We invite UU People of Color in the Greater Nashville area to gather for dinner and facilitated meeting. We will have a worship led by local UU Religious Professionals of Color. Our goal is to nurture new relationships between UU People of Color in the area, discuss some of the historical development of UU People of Color and anti-racism efforts, and learn more about what the community needs and interests are among those who attend. We will share a new working timeline chronicling the major milestones and development of UU People of Color ministries.
Please RSVP with Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons jsantoslyons@uuma.org or +1(503)512-0490 ideally by August 10, 2019. We ask participants to bring a side dish to share if they are able for dinner. We will have several main dishes catered. The event is open to UU People of Color and People of Color interested in Unitarian Universalism.
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DRUUMM is the Diverse & Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries, a volunteer led national organization dedicated to serving the spiritual growth of UU People of Color and fulfilling the our vision of an anti-racist/anti-oppressive/multicultural faith. Learn more at www.druumm.org
DRUUMM recognizes every Community of Color is impacted differently, and each community maintains their own unique identity and culture. People of Color/Person of Color/Community of Color is a political identity of survival and being in resistance to racism and colonialism, one that builds solidarity and create positive change.
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.
Our annual Fall Habitat Unity Build will be Sundays Sept. 15 and 22. Please mark your calendars and come out and help us build the 27th Unity Build house. If you’ve never done a Habitat build, come discover the fun of helping the deserving owners build their first house. We will be working with the Islamic Center, The Temple, Southend UMC, and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. You will have professional contractors teaching you how to do the skills needed. Our build dates include mostly siding and painting. We need twenty-two builders. If building is not your thing, you can still help out with food for the builders. Sign up for one or both of these dates at the Social Justice table between services during August. Youth 16 years or older can participate in the build with parent participation.
Please click here to sign up.
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.
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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
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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
Time commitment: 4 weekday hours, once a week.
Time commitment: 2-4 weekday hours, 3rdThursday of May, July, Sept., Nov., Jan., and March
Time commitment: 1-4 weekday hours, monthly
Our new Breeze database is Breeze and you should have received an invitation, logged in at https://www.breezechms.com/ (ID: FUUN) and made sure your profile is up to date.
Now you can also download the Breeze app (Breeze ChMS) and you will see the same functionality as the web-based version to quickly look up members within your database to access their contact information or email straight from the app. Members can even use the app to access their giving history.
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