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UUA Communications: Periodicals
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UUA Communications: Periodicals
Rethinking Thanksgiving Traditions: A Grateful Gathering
The prolonged challenges of Covid have led many individuals and organizations to examine their core values. Consideration of what is most important evokes fundamental life-style changes, moving toward living in harmony.
At The Mountain, striving to live our core values, we are examining roles and responsibilities related to Thanksgiving traditions. Please join us for a Grateful Gathering, a long weekend event Wednesday, Nov. 24 through Sunday, Nov. 28. This intergenerational event will include activities like making corn husk dolls, and shared meals featuring traditional, locally farmed, and ethically-sourced-food. Learn more and register here.
Rev Diane Dowgiert is accepting nominations for the Joan and Joe Moore Award. Details on the criteria for nominations (which include work at the Regional and Denominational level) and the nomination submissions form can be found here.
We accept nominations for this prestigious award until December 1.
On Oct. 17, NOAH held its annual public meeting. Well over 500 people were a part of the event. Mayor Cooper was in attendance and made commitments to each of NOAH’s 4 Task Forces. Also in attendance and making commitments to the Nashville community: school board representative as well as some of Nashville’s judges. Thank you to everyone who attended.
In case you missed the meeting, you may watch a video of the meeting on YouTube here
Congregational Notice
Dear FUUN Congregants,
I am sorry to let you know that our Director of Music Ministries, Jaie Tiefenbrunn, has resigned. Jaie’s last day of work will be Dec. 24th at the Christmas Eve service. Her music has been a source of joy and healing during this time of illness and difficulty. She will be sorely missed. If you have a chance, let her know how she has touched your life during her service here.
We will be starting a search for her successor in the near future.
On a happier note, we have interviewed several highly qualified applicants for the job of Office Administrator and will be making a hiring decision before the end of the week.
Mike Bolds,
President, Board of Directors
president@thefuun.org
Mid-week Message
Oct. 20, 2021
“There is in every person an inward sea . . .” -Howard Thurman
Howard Thurman, the African American minister who co-founded San Francisco’s Church of the Fellowship of All Peoples, often used the image of the inward sea when talking about the journey every person takes to discover the purpose for their existence. The inward sea is accessed through stillness and silence, setting aside the busyness and noisiness of the outer world. Within the inward sea are waves of thought and emotion that we can learn to surf like waves in the ocean. At the center of the sea, there is an island and on the island is an altar. The altar is guarded by an angel with a flaming sword. According to Thurman, “Nothing can get by that angel to be placed upon that altar unless it has the mark of your inner authority.”
These days, we’ve all been riding waves of change. It’s been a time when many have re-evaluated their priorities. The world of work is changing dramatically as a result. Across the country, workers are not returning to low-paying jobs in stressful and unsafe conditions. Others are rethinking their long and expensive commutes to and from the workplace – and other activities – everything from how we shop to how we eat to how we learn to how we meet to how we play to how we worship.
After these long months of disruption, all the pieces of our lives are on the table for reconsideration. It’s like everything we do must first get by the angel with the flaming sword, which to my way of thinking, is a good thing. It’s an invitation to mindfulness and conscious awareness of who we are and what our lives are for, consciously choosing what gets placed upon the altar of our finite existence.
My questions for you, my friends, are these: In these tumultuous times, how is it with your inward sea? What helps you to ride the waves of change? What in your life will get by the angel with the flaming sword? What will ultimately make it to your altar?
Though the inward journey is taken alone, the church exists to support the journey.
Spiff Up Day Oct. 30, 9 a.m. -Noon
Come join us for a morning of cleaning and fellowship on our FUUN campus. We will be washing windows, dusting, and decluttering. Contact facilities@thefuun.org if you have any questions or plan to participate; however, it is not necessary to RSVP.
Mid-week Message
Oct. 13, 2021
“Honor the space between no longer and not yet.” -Nancy Levin
Friends,
I recently came across an article of mine that was printed in Quest, the monthly publication put out by the Church of the Larger Fellowship. Though the article is several years old, it resonates with this month’s theme of mission and vision. It also speaks to the liminal space we are in and the freedom that can be found within that space. Anyway, here’s the article.
I’ve attended the circus exactly three times in my life—twice as a child and once as an adult. The first two were the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey circus (under the big-top, the “Greatest Show on Earth”) and the third was Cirque de Soleil, held in an auditorium theater.
I was enchanted by that first circus, from the festively adorned horses and elephants leading the procession with circus performers riding their backs—not seated, but standing!—to the brave lion tamers who got into cages with big cats, to the jugglers and clowns and acrobats walking the tight-rope.
What most captivated me, though, was the flying trapeze. Perhaps my fascination was rooted in vivid childhood memories of the backyard swing-set—those times when I would pump the swing as high as it would go, and then, at just the right moment, propel my body off the seat, let go of the chains, and for a moment or two, fly free.
At the circus, I was captivated by the trapeze artists high above the crowd, gracefully letting go of their swinging bar, flying through the air, being caught, and then letting go again. The sense of freedom was exhilarating.
Author Henri Nouwen once had the opportunity to travel with the Flying Rodleighs, a troupe of trapeze artists. Their conversation inevitably turned to flying and how they could possibly do what they did. In the end, says Nouwen, it comes down to this: “A flyer must fly, and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.”
Nouwen, a Catholic priest, uses this as a metaphor for what happens to us when we die. We are the flyers and the catcher is God. For most Unitarian Universalists, however, the focus of the spiritual journey is on this life, realizing that heaven and hell can be conditions we create right here on earth. For me, the lessons from the flying trapeze pertain not to death, but to life—lessons in letting go, catching, and being caught.
I think something in us all craves the feeling of freedom. It is inherent in us. Yet, we allow ourselves to be deluded into thinking that security is synonymous with freedom. Truth is, the work of freedom comes with risk—the risk of letting go.
Letting go is religious work. Think for a minute of all the things that keep us imprisoned, all those things that get in the way of realizing the beloved community we dream of—racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia. The religious work is in finding these tendencies within ourselves and then letting them go. But letting go of deeply ingrained beliefs and fears is no small thing. Holding on to something feels better than having nothing to hold on to.
Much as we crave freedom, we also crave security. Letting go of beliefs, even those that don’t serve us, can feel like a free fall, a plunge into the unknown, unless we know that we will be caught, that there is a safety net.
We need trust if we are to let go of all that keeps us divided from one another. Building trust is religious work, learning that when we let go, someone will be there to catch us. The role of the religious community is catching people as they fall. People come to us all the time, having let go of beliefs that no longer serve them. They come to Unitarian Universalism for the first time with outstretched arms, trusting that we are going to be here to catch them.
The fine art of freedom is knowing when to hold on and when to let go, knowing what to hold on to and what to let go of. Now, more than ever, we are being called to practice values that we cherish, values of peace-seeking, justice-making, love—the value of extending compassion. We need to continue to let go of everything that gets in the way of freedom.
Now more than ever we need to be that community of catchers, to be a safe place to land for people ready to let go of culturally imposed values of unbridled greed and consumerism and the inevitable exploitation of people and the planet that come with an unquenched thirst for wealth and power.
Now, more than ever, we need to be that community. To do anything else is to put freedom at risk. The work ahead of us is religious work, trusting what our forebears taught—that there is a source of life from which we can never be ultimately severed. We belong to life and life belongs to us and the nature of this life is love.
In a world becoming increasingly intolerant, we can choose to be different. Within our community we can do the religious work of building trust. Within our community we can begin to create the world as we wish it to be. It is ours. We can create it to be what we want—a place of peace, a place of freedom.
If we are to fly free, we must learn to let go, and trust that when we do, we will be caught. And we must become the catchers.
Trans Affirming Collective (TAC) is Resuming Meetings after a covid hiatus! TAC’s mission is to encourage our UU community to celebrate people of all gender identities through education, advocacy, and collaborative solidarity. Interested in joining? Email trans@thefuun.org for the next meeting info.
NOAH Public Meeting will be on Oct. 17, 2021 at 3 p.m. The event will be virtual.
Mayor Cooper is just one of the public officials invited who will be asked by each of the NOAH Task Forces to commit to making Nashville a city that everyone can thrive in. Show Nashville officials that you care and want improvements.
What does THRIVING look like in Nashville?
NOAH Annual Public Meeting
Sunday, Oct. 17 – 3 PM
Register in advance for this Zoom meeting:
After registering, you will get an email with info about joining the meeting.
Join us at the movies the night before Halloween
Saturday, Oct. 30, costume parade at 5:30 p.m., movie at 6 p.m. Bring a blanket to the Norris House lawn and we’ll watch Coco together! Please plan to observe appropriate distancing and masking. Halloween candy and popcorn for all!
Mid-week Message
from the Developmental Lead Minister
Sept. 29, 2021
“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in service of my vision – then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” Audre Lorde
Friends,
October arrives with waning daylight and longer nights. The gradual shift, from autumn into winter’s extended nocturnal hours, gives our eyes a chance to adjust to the darkness. October is a month when we are invited to embrace the shadowy aspects of life – from the grief of letting go to the unexamined fears of what the future may hold. The darkness is fertile territory. Navigating the dark takes all of our senses; it takes dreams and imagination – and from these, new visions are cast.
Our theme for the month of October is Mission/Vision. Having a vision for who we want to be and how we want to be in the world, a vision for what is possible if we dare to dream, makes us more able to move forward with strength, courage, and clarity of purpose. A compelling vision helps to clarify our mission, or that to which we must give our lives if we are to realize the vision. A clear mission keeps us focused on our aims, goals, and larger purposes.
The Dutch theologian and prolific author, Henri J. Nouwen put it this way: “We can discover who we really are. And we can ascertain when to act, when to wait, and when to be led.”
This season invites another shift, a turning inward of the kind that yields self-knowledge. This is true for individuals and for congregations. Knowing where you’ve come from, what you’ve been through, how life events have shaped you into the persons and the people you are today – this is the fertile ground from which new visions are born.
As days grow shorter and night’s blanket of darkness lengthens over us, may we invite the inward turn, the inward look into who we are and who we might become. May we dare to dream and imagine a new vision into being.
Mid-week Message
from the Developmental Lead Minister
Sept. 22, 2021
Friends,
This message from Braver/Wiser, a weekly on-line publication of the UUA, spoke to me, especially this month as we explore the theme of radical hospitality. What parts of yourself might you welcome more fully into your awareness?
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org
September 15, 2021
As a storyteller, I favor myths and folktales. I’ve never been one to tell personal stories. Then a virtual contest opportunity arose that invited me to confront this aversion: the story I told would have to be true and personal. A funny story did come to mind…but to tell it, I’d have to examine a part of my life I never talk about.
Thinking about my roots makes me feel lost; my various identities feel shallow, in flux, unformed. I was raised in a very small community that can best be described as a cult. It’s not a word I like to use, but it’s the one that will most help people understand what I’ve lost. Sometimes I think the things that might give me value are the very things that I was denied: answers not just about who I am, but also about to whom I belong. Who is my community? Who are my people?
For example, though I am of African and Latin descent, my exposure to my heritage was non-existent. Instead, we conformed to the group and its norms of whiteness. I am not who you come to when you want to understand the Black Church. I didn’t know that some Black families celebrate Kwanzaa. I never learned how to wrestle my hair into the perfect, smooth styles my grandmothers, aunts, and cousins seem to effortlessly do. By the time I reached college, I would have a long road ahead to reclaim the fact that my experience, with all its weirdness, is still Black experience.
My struggle to find a solid identity is also true for other parts of me—as an artist, a pagan, and a person—as if everything that’s led me here are only interruptions and obstacles, instead of part of what makes me the more whole person I am today.
The shift, for me, occurred by telling my story instead of trying to pretend like it never happened. By the time I was done editing the funny story, I had crafted a piece of art mined from a time in my life that I never thought I would be able—or willing—to share with others. In my weird, embarrassing upbringing, I found hope about exploring the telling of my own storied life with the love and respect it deserves.
Prayer
Dear Creative Life Force, thank you for your endless power to heal through the practice of crafting stories from our lives. The infinite healing power of creativity is the best gift you’ve given to us. Please help us to grow more compassion for ourselves every day, so that we may have compassion for others.
About the Author
Erica Shadowsong
Erica Shadowsong (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist who discovered storytelling through her graduate studies in English, folklore, and music.
Announcement from Board – Covid Policy
COVID POLICY adopted by the Board September 21, 2021
Summary
We, the congregation of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville, covenant together to keep our members, friends, and visitors safe by:
· Strongly urging that only vaccinated people enter our buildings,
· Registering as we enter the buildings, in order to facilitate tracing as needed.
· Wearing masks when inside our buildings,
· Properly distancing at six feet from each other,
· Immediately informing the staff if we become infected with Covid within one week of attending an event on church premises, so that others present may be contacted.
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville
COVID Policy
adopted by the Board Sept. 21, 2021
Resolution regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and in-person gatherings at FUUN:
WHEREAS our Unitarian Universalist tradition draws on many sources, one of which is: Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the findings of science; and
WHEREAS FUUN is a covenanted community, bound in a covenant of mutual care and support; and
WHEREAS COVID-19 has altered the patterns of congregational life in ways that could not have been predicted and will continue to do so for some time to come; and
WHEREAS factual, scientific evidence strongly indicates that COVID-19 vaccinations are safe and effective at helping protect against severe disease and reducing the risk of transmission of the disease to others
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we strongly encourage all our members and friends who are eligible and medically able to be fully vaccinated.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is strongly encouraged that everyone who attends FUUN events that are in-person will be fully vaccinated if eligible and medically able. It is also expected that any unvaccinated person will make measured choices about attending in-person events, will be duly aware of risk to themselves and others, and will be diligent about appropriate protective measures.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is required that everyone who attends FUUN events in-person will comply with all masking, distancing, hygiene, health screening, and registration practices that have been put in place by the leadership of FUUN.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is expected that members and friends will honestly and forthrightly disclose any incidents of personal infection while in attendance at in-person FUUN events.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is expected that those who choose to attend FUUN events in-person will obtain consent before engaging in any physical contact with another person, i.e. hugs, handshakes, fist-bumps, high-fives, and will obtain consent from those around them before unmasking for any reason.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the leadership of FUUN will diligently inform any who may have been exposed to COVID-19 while in attendance at an in-person FUUN event.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all FUUN paid personnel shall be fully vaccinated and may be asked to provide evidence of their vaccination status. Those who are medically unable to be vaccinated will work with their supervisor to arrange for work accommodations as possible, including but not limited to remote work, weekly COVID testing, or working in an appropriately isolated onsite work space.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all volunteers who work directly with children and youth shall be fully vaccinated and may be asked to provide evidence of their vaccination status.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all those who lead worship or other events as speakers or singers shall be fully vaccinated and may be asked to provide evidence of their vaccination status.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all precautions for in-person activities will be at least as restrictive as current CDC guidelines and will also take into consideration the specific needs and vulnerabilities of the FUUN community.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the leadership of FUUN will be responsive to the changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and will make changes to guidelines for in-person events as the current situation requires, guided by data on the COVID Act Now web-site and CDC guidelines.
*leadership = Board, Lead Minister and Staff, and other Committees or Task Forces to whom decision-making authority has been delegated.
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Mid-week Message from the Developmental Lead Minister Sept. 15, 2021 Friends,
I follow what is happening in religious communities both locally and nationally. In response to the pandemic, Unitarian Universalist congregations are experiencing many of the same dynamics as congregations of other faith traditions. Congregational leaders are feeling pressure in every direction, to fully reopening now, to staying virtual until the pandemic is over, to holding gatherings outdoors, to doing a hybrid of both virtual and in-person. What makes this time so incredibly challenging is that there are no road signs pointing the way, only guidelines and recommendations that must be adapted to each community’s particular context and set of circumstances. What I’m hearing from UU congregations that have resumed fully live, in-person services is that attendance has been smaller than anticipated. What this says to me is that not everyone is ready. Not everyone is eligible and/or medically able to be vaccinated. Parents with young children at home, people with compromised immune systems or high-risk conditions (and those living with them), teachers, and health care workers who may be exposed to COVID infections in the course of their work are among those who are not yet ready to be around groups of people at church. Our UU principles call us to radical inclusion and our UU sources call us to heed the findings of science. These suggest a cautious approach, maybe more cautious than some other faith communities. Yet, the longing to be together, to touch and hug, to laugh and cry, to raise voices together in song is real. For now, the middle way here at FUUN is to gather on Sunday morning in the social hall for some social time at 10 a.m. and to view to the recording of the Zoom worship service at 11 a.m. Fitting the sanctuary for a more hybrid type of worship service will take some time, effort, and financial resources. Other types of in-person gatherings are being considered on a case-by-case basis. I will be vetting these requests in consultation with medical experts and the Executive Committee of the Board. For each one of us, the calculus around the costs and benefits of semi-isolation versus being in person in community will be different. At the very least, we all have a responsibility to keep each other as safe as possible, holding each other in tender care while we navigate this complex and challenging time. It is times like these that make our shared promises and commitments as a covenantal community real. Open the Door…
…Close the Gap If you haven’t heard Silversonix, you -Richard Bird
Chair, Stewardship Committee |
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Mark Your Calendar Sept. Oct. Nov. |
Save the Date for our Annual Palmer Lecture: Lindsey Krinks, Co-Founder and Director of Education for Open Table Nashville, has agreed to be this year’s Palmer Lecturer. The virtual lecture “Housing is a Human Right” will be on Friday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. For more information about Open Table Nashville, visit opentablenashville.org.
Rev. Palmer was named Minister Emeritus of FUUN in 1979 in recognition of his work as our first called minister. To further honor his legacy, the church began an ongoing lecture series on human rights issues with the mission to engage speakers of recognized stature and appeal to a wide audience in the Nashville area. View previous lectures at firstuunash.org/palmer-lecture-archive/ and join us this November.
Please mark your calendars for Saturday, Oct. 16, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. With the exception of 2020, since 2016 FUUN has actively participated in this interfaith Recycle Day Event. Members of participating churches are able to drop off to West End United Methodist Church parking lot items such as paper for shtredding, medicines, electronics (small fee), and more. Further information to follow. We need 3-4 volunteers to help make the day a success; contact Kathy Ganske (her information is in Breeze).
Kathy is a member of FUUN and our inaugural co-chair for ENACT, which is FUUN’s Environmental Action Team. See our website page at firstuunash.org/enact/ for more information. Currently, our ENACT team doesn’t have a chair. If you are interested, please contact nominating@thefuun.org.
Special Notice to the Congregation
Dear FUUN Congregants,
I am sorry to report that our church administrator, Mary Lindsay, has tendered her resignation. She will be sorely missed, but has been offered a position at Scarritt Bennett Center which is too good to refuse. Her last day of work with us is September 28. We wish her the best in her new job.
The Board, in consultation with Reverend Dowgiert and the Personnel Committee, will be working to come up with a new administrator as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for your patience in this process.
Mike Bolds,
President, Board of Directors
president@thefuun.org
Across the world, we UUs find ourselves pulled in many directions for justice & health, humanitarian aid, and earth care. Amid this trying time, let us inspire one another through collective action!
At the UUA General Assembly this past June, the delegates voted to affirm three bold statements for healing action. The delegates also adopted a formal UUA Statement of Conscience on Undoing Systemic White Supremacy. Join these two meetings to find out what UU leaders around the country are doing, what you can do, and who you can partner with to carry forward these bold actions full of inspiring possibilities.
Gather, inspire, and launch your social witness action! The Commission on Social Witness invites you to the Fall Social Witness Convening in two parts. Attend both sessions to find out about all the statements and actions!
Part One: Wednesday, Oct 6, 6-8 p.m. Register
Part Two: Wednesday, Oct 13, 6-8 p.m. Register
“The COVID-19 Pandemic: Justice. Healing. Courage.” with guest speakers:
All UUs are invited to these meetings, and no prior experience or knowledge is necessary. You may review the statements in advance if you are able*. The meeting will take place via Zoom. In addition, the meeting will include minimal optional breakouts in order to promote meeting usability for all.
For questions, email socialwitness@uua.org
*defend-and-advocate-transgender-nonbinary-and-intersex-communities
*stop-voter-suppression-and-partner-voting-rights-and-multiracial-democracy
*2021-06/20210624_Proposed_AIW_COVID-19.pdf
*undoing-systemic-white-supremacy
Seasons of FUUN will be published quarterly: September, December, March and June.
Deadlines for submissions are August 15, November 15, February 15, and May 15. Submit to journal@thefuun.org.
Mid-week Message
from the Stewardship Chair
Sept. 1, 2021
Dear Friends,
It seems we just can’t catch a break. Turmoil in Afghanistan, floods in the south, fires out west, oppressive heat everywhere. And just when we thought the pandemic might be in the rearview mirror, we’re back to overburdened hospitals and mask-wearing.
To cope, some may sing, some may cry, some may even put on fancy clothes and take on a different persona. (You’ll hear about that during Sunday’s service.) One thing that all who are reading this email have in common is the comfort of a welcoming and loving community – a community where we are nurtured and healed.
A community is many things. It’s broadly defined as a group of diverse individuals who share common interests and perspectives. It provides a lens through which its members see the world. Henri Nowen, the Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian wrote, “However, community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another.” In order for a community to flourish and make a difference in the world, it needs leaders. It needs a common vision. And equally as important, a community needs commitment.
Our annual stewardship campaign is one (big) way we demonstrate our commitment to FUUN. Your commitment and love poured through in our “Journey Toward Wholeness” campaign this past spring. While there was much to celebrate, we did end up a little short of meeting the financial needs for the current church year. So, in conjunction with our slow and steady reopening, we’re launching a special fundraiser to close the gap. Look for details below and on the FUUN website about the fundraiser as well as a special celebration happening on the church lawn on Sept. 19.
On Sunday, we hope you will listen to UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray talk about how communities can be transformational. They change lives and save lives. There’s a moment in every service for an offering. Let this be an opportunity to make a special gift to our community.
Join other FUUN members, friends, and Silversonix for an in-person, outdoor celebration on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 19. We’ll begin gathering at 12:30 p.m., and the music will start at 1 p.m. Bring your own picnic lunch, spread out a blanket, and enjoy being together while listening to some great music. Masks will be encouraged while mixing and mingling, as will social distancing. Everyone will be required to register once they arrive so that contact-tracing can be implemented if needed.
If you haven’t heard Silversonix, you
’re in for a treat. Band leader Tom Surface is known for putting together many iterations of classic rock bands over the years. When he invited Sheri DiGiovanna to join in on vocals in 2018, the band added pop and country tunes to its repertoire. Band members are Tom Surface (guitar, band leader), Sheri DiGiovanna (vocals), Jim Surface (guitar), James Collins (bass), Victoria Harris (drums), and Joe Warner (keys). The name Silversonix was chosen to pay tribute to the decades, not only representing the span of their music but also the age span of the band members.
…Close the Gap
While we’re celebrating the slow and cautious opening of our doors, we’ll also be promoting a special fundraiser to close the gap in our budget. This past Stewardship Campaign, as remarkable as it was under such unique circumstances, fell a little short of its goal. We need to raise another $90,000 to make up this gap.
The great news is that the FUUN Trust has agreed to match all donations to this special fundraiser up to $50,000! So that we don’t waste a penny of this generous match, we’re looking for all members and friends to make a one-time special gift to reach a total goal of $100,000. Make a gift today by going to firstuunash.org, clicking on “Give” on the blue banner at the very top of the page, and selecting “Give to Close the Gap Fundraiser.”
Join other FUUN members, friends, and Silversonix for an in-person, outdoor celebration on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 19. We’ll begin gathering at 12:30 p.m., and the music will start at 1 p.m. Bring your own picnic lunch, spread out a blanket, and enjoy being together while listening to some great music. Masks will be encouraged while mixing and mingling, as will social distancing. Everyone will be required to register once they arrive so that contact-tracing can be implemented if needed.
Open the door . . .
While we’re celebrating the slow and cautious opening of our doors, we’ll also be promoting a special fundraiser to close the gap in our budget. This past Stewardship Campaign, as remarkable as it was under such unique circumstances, fell a little short of its goal. We need to raise another $90,000 to make up this gap. The great news is that the FUUN Trust has agreed to match all donations to this special fundraiser up to $50,000! So that we don’t waste a penny of this generous match, we’re looking for all members and friends to make a one-time special gift to reach a total goal of $100,000.
So, save the date and let’s have some FUUN – together! If you haven’t heard Silversonix, you’re in for a treat. Tom Surface, known for putting together many iterations of classic rock bands over the years, invited Sheri DiGiovanna to join in on vocals in 2018, and the band added pop and country tunes to its repertoire. Band members are Tom Surface (guitar, band leader), Sheri DiGiovanna (vocals), Jim Surface (guitar), James Collins (bass), Victoria Harris (drums), and Joe Warner (keys). The name Silversonix was chosen to pay tribute to the decades, not only representing the span of their music but also the age span of the band members.
–Richard Bird
Stewardship@thefuun.org
Stewardship Chair
Our Small Group Ministry gatherings are starting up again.
Contact Marguerite Mills, Director of Lifespan Religious Education, at mmills@firstuunash.org to sign up or if you have questions.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Practice Groups are open to anyone, regardless of past experience here or elsewhere. To change one’s mind set 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. Meetings take place Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m.
Covenant Groups are made up of five to 12 people, each led by a facilitator, that meet twice a month 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. Different groups meet at different times.
1st Wednesdays, Oct. 6, 2021-July 6, 2022, 6-7:30 p.m.
Via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82691358595
Let’s gather from our respective dinner tables and break bread together as we watch a sermon from the previous month and then discuss how the topic touches our lives. In our upcoming Journal, Rev. Diane talks on page 2 about our theme this year: Radical Hospitality, and within that, the topic for each month, which will inform our discussions. September’s topic will be Class, which we’ll discuss on Oct. 6, October’s topic is Race/Ethnicity, which we’ll discuss on Nov. 3, and so on for the rest of the church year. See Rev. Diane’s piece for more about the theme and topics, or contact Marguerite Mills, Director of Lifespan Religious Education, at mmills@firstuunash.org.
Have a couple of hours and a cell phone? Help this year’s Annual Auction succeed by reaching out to local businesses to solicit donations. You may use our contacts from past auctions or develop new connections. Contact Jeannie Haman via auction@thefuun.org to help out or use this form: Breeze 2021 Fall Auction Volunteering Form
| Choir RE-Zooms August 19 |
What does Choir look like this year? How do we want to be together in space? How do we commit to being together, what will work for us as a small group moving forward? Ideas, Joys, Sorrows, Sharing, and Singing, we’ll do it all on zoom to start the year. The first two weeks will be community building, covenant, warm ups and voice class. Thursdays starting August 19, 7-8 p.m. on Zoom. Questions? Email Jaie at music@firstuunash.org.
Register in advance for this meeting by clicking here.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Mid-week Message
from the Lead Developmental Minister
Aug. 10, 2021
“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” John Steinbeck
Friends,
I heard the phrase “uncertainty fatigue” the other day. It pretty much sums up where most of us are these days. Just when we thought the world was opening up again, the Delta variant arrived and the situation changed quickly, leaving us wondering what the best course of action is now. The constant state of not knowing can be exhausting. While we are not out of the woods yet, we are not back at square one either.
Your Board of Directors and I, in consultation with the Reopening Task Force, Staff, and experts in the community are deliberating the best way move forward here at FUUN. We hope to have a revised plan for reopening to you sometime this week. Be watching your email.
Within the congregation we have members who are vaccinated and those who cannot be vaccinated. Children under the age of 12 are still waiting. We have members who are parents of unvaccinated children. Schools are reopening. We have members who are teachers. We have members who are health care workers who are once again dealing with hospitals full of COVID patients. We have members who have had COVID themselves, some now with Long-COVID. We have members who have lost loved ones to COVID. We have immunocompromised members who are at high risk. Tennessee is lagging behind most of the country in the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated. Vaccination dramatically reduces the risk but does not eliminate the risk. Vaccinated people can still become infected and may even transmit the virus asymptomatically. Decisions about when and how to reopen for in-person events must take all of this into consideration.
The UUA offers four key principles for planning to reopen:
The plan will undoubtedly be imperfect. It will likely please some and disappoint others. What I have come to know about you as a people is that you genuinely care about each other and the well-being of the congregation as a whole. We will get through this together – imperfectly – safe enough and good enough.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
Rev. Diane Dowgiert
leadminister@firstuunash.org
FUUN’s annual auction is coming up soon! In person (if possible) or live-streamed on Saturday, Nov. 6.
The Auction Committee is looking for volunteers to fill various roles to help make this event possible. Volunteer opportunities include a range of skills and time commitments, so please consult the link below and sign up if you can help.
Join us on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2 – 4 p.m. as we bid a fond drive-through adieu to Rev. Denise Gyauch and wish her well in her new work with Greater Nashville UU. In the meantime, help us remember all the great times we’ve shared with Denise in our online scrapbook, where you can add videos, photos, audio notes, or comments for Denise.
Safe Haven Family Shelter’s Young Professionals Council now has The Birthday Club, a new recurring gift campaign to support the children’s program at Safe Haven. For the cost of one lunch out a month, you can help make birthdays special for children experiencing homelessness at Safe Haven Family Shelter. You can join the club by making a monthly donation. Your donations will be used to provide birthday supplies and gifts for a child and to support the children’s program at Safe Haven.
More information.
Mid-week Message
from the Lead Developmental Minister
Aug. 3, 2021
“You’re imperfect, and you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” -Brené Brown.
Friends,
For me, August always marks the end of summer vacation and the beginning of a new church year. The summer began with a sense of freedom and ease. I travelled to reconnect with family, friends, and colleagues. I was reminded of how precious these relationships are. You know how it is when you get together with an old friend you haven’t seen in years and you pick up right where you left off as if no time had passed? It was like that.
This is what it means to belong – to truly belong – to a family, to a circle of friends, to a community of faith. The bonds are strong enough to remain intact over time and distance, strong enough to hold the struggles and imperfections that come with being human.
That feeling of freedom and ease with which the summer began was short-lived. Uncertainty has again taken center stage in our lives. As the numbers of COVID cases surge and new variants emerge, I’m reminded of my mountain-climbing days and the phenomenon of false peaks. After hours of arduous hiking, a peak would appear on a near horizon. Suddenly, heavy legs became lighter and over-worked lungs found a second wind, only to reach the peak and realize that the summit of the mountain was still a distance away on a further horizon. Somehow, though, that surge of energy was just what was needed to finally reach the mountain top.
Back in June, the possibility for in-person worship services appeared to be on a near horizon. It may have been a false peak, though it is too soon to say for sure. What I do know for sure is that we have not seen the end of this pandemic yet. My commitment to you is to work closely with congregational leaders to discern a timeline for reopening that is fact-based, science-driven, and rooted in values of inclusion and consent – and to keep you informed.
Traditionally, in our Unitarian Universalist congregations, late summer is a time of homecoming and in-gathering, a time to renew our faithful promises to each other, a time to renew our mutual covenant to journey together in the ways of love and service. It is our covenant that strengthens the bonds of belonging. The bonds of belonging transcend space and time, so however it is that we gather, remotely or in-person, it will be a homecoming and a reaffirmation of the commitments we make to each other and to Unitarian Universalist principles and values.
I look forward to being back in the virtual pulpit this Sunday. The title of the sermon is “A Covenant of Belonging.” I have missed being with you and look forward to seeing your faces.
|
Join the New Approach for Habitat Builds Our build dates are Sept. 12 (Sunday) and Oct. 9 (Saturday). Each day, we will need 10 builders and one hospitality person in charge of the registration and food table. The homeowner we are building for is JaKymberlie Barnes. She is the mother of two girls and recently finished a masters in counseling and is working at the Williamson County Schools. We hope to have her come meet us before the build and she will participate at the build. Since we have several townhomes to build we will be assigned as needed each day. Please contact me at habitat@thefuun.org to sign up for one of the days. Breakfast and lunch will be provided along with a new helmet, gloves and mask (optional). Let’s go build 23 homes! |
Message from the Board of Directors
The increasing rate of COVID infection related to the delta variant of the corona virus is a concern to everyone. The church board will continue to monitor the situation with input from our Reopening Task Force, and will make changes to our current reopening plan if they seem needed (updates are posted at firstuunash.org/re-opening-information). For now we will continue to have in-person social hours with masks inside and without masks outside. Small groups can continue to meet at church using the same mask guidelines. Members are encouraged to get vaccinated if they have not done so already, to reduce their risk of serious infection.
Mike Bolds, Board President
president@thefuun.org
Mid-week Message
from the Director of Communication
July 27, 2021
“You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.”
-Anonymous
My parents begged me from afar to go to the walk-in clinic for the nagging cough, sore throat, fever, body aches, and headache I’d had for four days this month. I reluctantly went in at 9 a.m. only to be told that I had a virus (that wasn’t Covid, strep, or the flu) and that it would just have to work its course.
I don’t know about you, but it seems each time I go in for one medical reason, I find out about another. This time, feverish and hardly in the mood for it, they worked to flush out wax build-up in my ear to no avail and scheduled me with a specialist (because they could not see my ear drum, they didn’t want to keep trying). Then, because my heartrate wouldn’t go below 124 the entire time I was sitting there, they had to check a possible cause for that and my test came back positive for a pulmonary embolism, so I was sent to the ER for a CAT scan.
Was I worried? Nope. This had happened before and it was nothing, so though I didn’t feel up to it, I drove myself to the ER and I was just going through the motions again, as instructed.
I sat in the ER waiting room for at least six hours before a bed was available. I was freezing and just wanted a bed and a warm blanket or more, to be home in mine. I learned the names of all those waiting with me as each was called back at least four times (including me)(for triage, registration, blood work, vitals, and then their scans/X-rays) and returned to the waiting room to wait. Struggling to stay awake so I wouldn’t miss my name being called, I learned both first and last names for those with difficult last names to pronounce like mine. To one side of me was a man with a badly swollen face from a tooth ache. On my other side was a woman with an ear infection that had moved to her brain. There were a couple of homeless people–one muttering constantly but undecipherably, the other pacing nervously, almost violently, staring back and forth making others very uncomfortable. And then the room was filled out with others with various wounds, broken bones, and complications that should have been private, but a cell phone conversation to a loved one who couldn’t be in the room due to Covid protocols in a crowded waiting room, isn’t private, is it? One woman fainted while waiting her turn.
I couldn’t help but wonder why there weren’t enough beds. Surely this isn’t the only time this happens. And I couldn’t help but think that we are a sick nation with not enough focus on good health and with a very broken health system. I watched as people could barely walk when called and it made me sad. Then I think about the “angels on earth” who deal with this broken scene every day: the nurses, the administrators, doctors, and especially the ER doctors like Doug Pasto-Crosby. We are lucky to have a few medical professionals in our congregation. And we are also lucky to have volunteers such as our caring committee (caring@thefuun.org) and our lay ministry team* (layministry@thefuun.org): Lisa Pasto-Crosby, Doug Pasto-Crosby, Jean Kline, Hal Potts, Sandye Wallick, Victoria Harris and Spanky, Elisabeth Geshiere, Rev. Holly Mueller, and Rev. Cathy Chang. If you do not know about them, please visit firstuunash.org/lay-ministers-and-pastoral-care. These professionals who treat, talk with, assist, and sit with the sick are very special people, the roses to be celebrated among the thorns.
I went to St. Thomas once and told them my religious affiliation was Catholic. My excuse was two-fold: that I really wasn’t feeling well enough to explain Unitarian Universalism at the time and I knew how much my answer meant to the nun asking the question, having grown up in a strict Catholic family. This time, however, when asked at Vanderbilt, I said my religious officiation was Unitarian Universalism. The employee’s response was “I didn’t know about that one” and that’s on us. Do you declare your religious officiation at the hospital and if not, why not?
I managed to be home back in my bed at 2:30 a.m. only to wake up at 8:30 a.m. with a swollen tongue. But the CAT Scan was clear so something else causes the positive test result again–maybe we’ll never know what. Sigh. But at least one new person now knows that Unitarian Universalists exist, so my expensive visit wasn’t a total waste. I proceeded to spend the next 6 days with a fever, eating only one bowl of soup in 5 days time. I was happy when that finally ended and I never take a feeling good day for granted.
I wish health to those who are ill; and thanks and blessings to those who work with the sick professionally and voluntarily – you are truly special people.
-Sheri DiGiovanna
Director of Communication
communication@firstuunash.org
*Lay Ministry and Pastoral Care: Lay Ministers are volunteers from our congregation who are trained in compassionate listening and caring. They are available to support those who would welcome a visit or who are experiencing difficult circumstances or times of transition. The goal is to provide a ministry of hope and caring so that no member of the congregation need suffer or struggle alone through life’s hard times.
Lay Ministers may visit members who are ill at home or in the hospital; support those who are going through a major life transition or personal crisis; maintain contact with those unable to attend church due to illness or disability; support family and friends involved in care giving; comfort the bereaved; provide support that is ongoing; assist with spiritual support; and help a person find additional resources they need.
Annual Auction Planning Has Begun
We’re planning for a combined online and live 2021 Annual Fall Auction. From Oct. 30-Nov. 5, you’ll be able to bid on many items, meals, services, and experiences. Then on Nov. 6, we’ll have a live, in-person auction! We’re planning now and look forward to sharing this event with you.
We’re meeting this Thursday, July 29, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. If you’d like to be involved, email us at auction@thefuun.org, and we’ll get that link to you.
Meetings of the Board of Directors are open to members and friends. The Board meets the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. To join us via Zoom click zoom.us/j/288587268.
Zoom Details:
FUUN Church is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: FUUN Board Meeting
Time: Aug 17, 2021 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Every month on the Third Tue, until Dec 21, 2021, 5 occurrence(s)
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Sep 21, 2021 06:30 PM
Oct 19, 2021 06:30 PM
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Dec 21, 2021 06:30 PM
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Mid-week Message
from the Assistant Minister
July 6, 2021
Beloveds,
What’s new? How is the texture of your life changing in this still-worried, maybe less-worried, somewhat newly-worried-again time? We have been busy re-entering, re-opening, and returning to the people, places, and activities that were abruptly left or drastically altered many long months ago. Maybe take a moment to pause and consider how that really feels for you.
Here’s a bit of how it’s been for me:
Last Sunday, after worship and our Zoom social hour, I went over to the social hall for the in-person social hour. I saw people—their whole, entire bodies! (masked, of course)—in our church building!
It was amazing:
The fact of other people in the building was not a surprise: I’d registered ahead of time and even saw the registration list and knew who was coming, but still, something inside me was surprised, and elated, and also a little unsure. Which color wristband should I wear? (I decided on yellow.) Could I take my mask off to drink the water I brought with me? (I did, very briefly, once or twice.) Will I remember names? (mostly, thank goodness.) Would we be touching each other, and how: fist bump? awkward spine-twisting, aim-testing elbow bump? (Turns out, not this time.)
I talked with people I’ve seen many times on Zoom over the last year+ and others with whom I haven’t spoken for over a year and a half. It was wonderful, this long-denied experience of being with precious people in the space that has become precious to us because it is our space, the home we have made together. It made me smile and talk with my hands and want to write with lots of exclamation marks!
And I was exhausted for the remainder of the day: just done thinking and deciding and managing life. I was glad to be at home where I know how to act and how the people sharing my space are (probably) going to act.
I am finding this to be a pattern lately: when I engage in some social activity involving more than just a few others in person (as opposed to online gatherings, to which I have become acclimated), I find later in the day that I need to slow down, give up plans to be productive, and take a nap or go to bed early. I do feel physically tired, but I know it’s really more about mental and emotional overload than it is physical exhaustion. I don’t feel bad, just more tired than makes sense, at least until I consider what I’ve been doing and how long it’s been since I last practiced all those used-to-be-automatic social skills.
That’s me; how’s it going for you? What’s catching you by surprise or inviting adjustments to your schedule or self-care strategies? May I suggest that you continue to take excellent care of yourself during this period of transition (or maybe just for always)? And extend a little extra grace to those around you, too. We are none of us quite the same as we were last time we were together.
These are (still) very strange times, but wow, it was good to see some of you (in our church building!) last Sunday!
With love & faith (and excitement!),
Denise
Rev. Denise Gyauch
Assistant Minister of Congregational Engagement
assistantminister@firstuunash.org
P.S. If you’re interested in attending an in-person social hour on an upcoming Sunday (11 a.m.), please be sure to register in advance and bring a mask. Registration for each week is separate and opens at noon on the Sunday a week ahead and closes at noon on Saturday the day before. Find the link below to register before Saturday, July 10 at noon for the social on July 11; maybe I’ll see you there!
On August 31 at 5:30pm, Tennessee Innocence Project presentation, fundraiser, and reception with Anthony Ray Hinton, exoneree and author of The Sun Does Shine. Mr. Hinton was incarcerated for 30 years on Alabama’s death row for crimes he did not commit. After the presentation, the Tennessee Innocence Project will host a fundraiser and cocktail reception with Mr. Hinton, for those who would like to join. Attendees will receive reserved priority seating for the presentation, a copy of Mr. Hinton’s memoir, The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row, and join Mr. Hinton for a book signing and cocktail reception following the event. Individuals can purchase cocktail reception tickets and/or RSVP for the general presentation here.
The Tennessee Innocence Project formed as a state-wide non-profit two years ago in 2019 and offers free legal representation to indigent and wrongfully convicted Tennesseans while raising awareness of the issues of wrongful convictions and why they happen in order to improve the criminal legal system. While there have been more than 2,700 exonerations in the U.S. since 1989, Tennessee has seen only 24 exonerations despite ranking 18th for prison population by state. Tennessee is behind other states, and we aim to change these statistics.
The Committee for the Larger Faith encourages you to stay up-to-date on the happenings of our UUA Soutern Region.
This month’s newsletter includes the following:
|
Mid-week Message
from the Assistant Minister
June 29, 2021
Beloveds,
I am just full up from last week’s activities! I have had so many good conversations with Unitarian Universalists from all over, been to several amazing worship services, and taken reams of notes from intriguing and timely workshops, all from my little office at the Norris House. In the months to come, you’ll be hearing more from the amazing team of FUUN delegates to the General Assembly, but just to pique your interest, here are a few of my favorite takeaway tidbits:
So, so much more: Our own Roddy Biggs and other young adults leading closing worship, not just one but two amazing Ware Lecturers, informative chats among GA attendees on the GA app and among FUUN delegates by text, democracy in action, debating and voting on bylaws amendments, Actions of Immediate Witness, and a Statement of Conscience.
Recordings of much of this are available for public viewing; Go to uua.org/ga and fill yourselves up, too! And be sure to read the posts from our delegates—Part one is introduced in the announcements below.*
With love, hope, and an extra, post-General Assembly dose of enthusiasm,
Denise
Rev. Denise Gyauch
Assistant Minister of Congregational Engagement
assistantminister@firstuunash.org
Click here or the picture
for Guidance for Gathering in Covenantal Community.
See the bottom of this email for details on our re-opening.**
Members and friends of Bill Welch put together a lovely tribute.
Click here to view.
Mid-week Message
from our Assistant Minister for Congregational Engagement
Summer Solstice greetings to you, dear ones!
Both Rev. Diane and I are participating in Ministry Days (the annual continental gathering of UU ministers) andeneral Assembly (the annual gathering of Unitarians and Universalists to learn, celebrate, and to do the work of our UU Association of Congregations) this week.
(By the way: Thank you for being a congregation committed to professional development!)
Instead of a lovely pastoral message today, I want to celebrate that we have a plan to begin seeing each other in the Zoom-alternative world—i.e., in-person! Some of the congregation’s small groups and committees have already started making plans to meet on the church campus, and we plan to have our very first in-person Sunday social time since many, many months ago on Sunday, July 4. (Don’t forget to register if you’d like to attend.)
As we approach our first on-campus meetings, we need to consider not just safety, but also our Unitarian Universalist values of inclusion and care for all. UUA staff have created some resources for us, and I hope you will consider reading this article: uua.org/leadership/library/covenantal-consent and watch for a graphic about masking and safe forms of gathering now. These materials are addressed to UU leaders, but I think we can all find some helpful suggestions about how to love others well in all areas of our life as we emerge from the pandemic-centered months (almost) behind us.
I am looking forward to seeing you (on Zoom or on other, closer “platforms”) and talking with you this summer!
In love and faith,
Denise
Rev. Denise Gyauch
Assistant Minister of Congregational Engagement
assistantminister@firstuunash.org
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
“The system is not working. That is how a paradigm shift begins: the established way of seeing the world no longer functions.” Matthew Fox, author of Original Blessing
As the world begins to open up, a question comes to mind for me. What if COVID-19 hasn’t been a pause but a cosmic reset? While a pause button stops operations, a reset button returns operations to their default settings. A pause implies that when the pause is over, things will resume as before. A reset is something entirely different, more like a mulligan, or a do-over, a chance to begin again. The question then becomes, what is our default setting?
More orthodox Christian theologies might argue our default setting is original sin while more liberal theologies would argue that our default setting is original blessing. What would life be like if we truly lived from a place of blessing?
These are the questions I will take up this coming Sunday, my last sermon of the church year, which I have titled “A Turned Around World.”
I will be away from church beginning Monday, June 21 and will return on Tuesday, August 3. That first week I will be attending Ministry Days and the annual General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations – virtually, of course. My vacation time will be spent in North Carolina, Virginia, and here in Tennessee.
While I am away, your Lay Ministry Team and Rev. Denise Gyauch are available for your pastoral needs. Your Worship Committee has a full schedule of Sunday services arranged. I will be logging on for FUUN’s Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 27. I hope you will too. I consider the Annual Meeting to be a sacred event as we engage the democratic process, which is one of our principles.
When I return in August, things will be far different than this past year. In-person Sunday services begin on August 29 with a celebration of Water Communion. The only thing I know for sure about that service is that it will be different from years past. For every person who is looking forward to being physically present in the sanctuary, there is one other who is hoping to be able to continue coming to worship by Zoom. Maybe this cosmic reset is when our Unitarian Universalist congregations actually expand our ministries to reach people where they are!
Wherever you may find yourself this summer, may you and yours find moments of grace, the times when you are open to receiving the blessings of life.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org
Join us weekly for a FUUN Sunday Morning Social Hour on Zoom, immediately following our Zoom Worship service by registering for our services. See https://www.firstuunash.org/services-on-zoom/ for details.
Use the link above for the worship service (to register) to join us anytime at or after 9 a.m. We usually expect the worship service to end at 9:45, give or take a few minutes.
Or join us weekly in the social hall. In-person social hour resumes on July 4. These will be weekly, 11 a.m. – noon in our social hall. Bring your own coffee: no food or beverages will be served/sold. No information tables will be set up.
As per the Re-opening Task Force guide:
See firstuunash.org/re-opening-information/ for the complete list of Task Force recommendations.
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
June 1, 2021
Friends,
How are you? I mean, really—how the heck are you? How are you as you emerge or contemplate emerging from your pandemic state of mind and way of being? Are you excited or frightened or some combination of both? Are you ready to jump back into pre-pandemic life with both feet or are you feeling more cautious? Are you the wait-and-see kind of person or the I’ve-had-enough-of-this-let’s-get-on-with-life kind of person, or the somewhere-in-between kind of person?
I have good news. However you answered these questions, you are normal, whatever the heck normal is these days.
For me, I’m feeling grateful, and some other things, but mostly grateful. Grateful to have survived. Grateful that FUUN has survived. Grateful to be part of a community that welcomes people wherever they may be on their journey, a community that welcomes diversity in thought, belief, sexuality, gender identity, and ethnicity, a community that welcomes doubt and honest questions, a community willing to sit in its own uncomfortableness—the uncomfortableness that comes during times of emergence.
Much as I’m feeling grateful, I’m also feeling uncertain. And sad. And angry. And, truth be told, afraid. No one of us alive today has ever been through a time such as this. We are trailblazers and pathfinders moving into uncharted territory. We keep moving because we have a vision for a world that can be, a world filled with compassion and grace, love and commitment, justice and hope. All the uncomfortable feelings are fuel for the journey, the energy to keep moving forward toward a promised land where people are free and united as one.
I am grateful to be emerging from a week of paid leave, granted to me and your whole staff at FUUN. It’s been one heck of a year, hasn’t it? I’m grateful for a dedicated staff and congregation who hold the principles of Unitarian Universalism close to the heart, allowing the time and space for the rest and restoration needed to affirm and promote human wholeness in each and every one of us.
The title for this coming Sunday’s sermon is “Emergence: Rethinking Community.” In worship, we will take up the topic of emergence and how we might think differently about spiritual community in this time, feeling our way into the future together.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org
The HiIler/Ratner Mosaic is Complete
FUUN is pleased to announce the installation of the Hiller/Ratner mosaic. It is located on the wall left of the fellowship hall door. The mosaic was created by Sherry Hunter and commissioned by the FUUN Endowment Fund. It is portable and can be relocated. Sherry’s creations include the metallic catfish throughout the city and the dragons in Dragon Park.
For those of you who don’t how this artwork came into being, here is the story:
Hilda Ratner was working towards having a piece of artwork commissioned in honor of her husband, my father, Aaron Hiller after his passing in 1997. She specifically requested that it be located on that wall. Unfortunately, in 1998, Hilda was afflicted with a debilitating stroke which severely limited her speech and mobility. Plans for the artwork remained on hold as Hilda focused on her own rehabilitation. With her passing in 2016, Hilda left the church a significant financial gift; even though she didn’t specify that a portion of the gift be used to fund the artwork, many felt that using some of money to fulfill her dream was appropriate and that the art should honor both Aaron and Hilda for their many years of devotion and service to FUUN.
The mosaic celebrates Hilda’s love of scientific reasoning and Aaron’s passion as a staunch humanist and includes symbols of things they held dear in their hearts: In the center of the mosaic is a UU chalice, resting on books that inspired them; Inside the flame is the humanist symbol; In the background are the green hills for which the area of town the church is located in is named for and where Hilda lived for much of her adult life. The mosaic also includes DNA strands in the sky and images of nature including hemlock leaves because they were both long time members of the Hemlock Society.
A special thanks to the following who worked together to make this happen: Kathy Bryant, John Harkey, Brenda Stein, and the FUUN Endowment Committee.
Visit our Newsletter page for the current and past newsletters.
Based on the current pledges and other estimated income for FY2021-22, our proposed expenses exceed income by $90,000. Please come to one of our Community Conversations to see the current projected budget and help us figure out any and all possible solutions before the June 13 Congregational Meeting at which we have to vote on the budget.
Wednesday, June 2 at 7 p.m. at https://zoom.us/j/95938887117
Sunday, June 6 at 10:30 a.m. at https://bit.ly/FUUN_SundayMorning
Wednesday, June 9 at 7 p.m. at https://zoom.us/j/95938887117
Thank you for your time and attention.
-Your Board of Directors
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
May 18, 2021
“I believe that gratitude is the appropriate religious response to the nature of the universe.”
-Rev. Galen Guengrich, Senior Minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in New York and author of The Way of Gratitude
In my life I have learned that generosity begets gratitude and gratitude begets generosity. The two go together. Both are spiritual practices that enhance our lives.
I am grateful for the generosity of spirit you granted me as I made my way into the life of your congregation this year—a year that has been like no other. I have come to know that you are generous and gracious people. You have met each challenge with flexibility and creativity, coming through amazingly intact as a congregation. Not unscathed, but intact. I have come to know that together, you have a tenacious spirit and a can-do attitude that has served you well in the past and will carry you into the future. It is exciting for me to be on this leg of the journey with you.
It is also hard to believe that the end of this church year is almost upon us. Truly a season of gratitude. With Religious Education Sunday last week. and All Music Sunday coming up this week, and the Annual Congregational Meeting coming up on June 13, I give thanks to all who give so generously of themselves to make FUUN the special place it is.
As the church year winds down and the world begins to open up a bit more, I hope that you will pause and remember all the ways FUUN makes a difference in your life and in the greater Nashville community. Remember, too, it is your generosity of time, talent, and treasure that makes it all possible.
I remind you that the church will be closed the week of May 24 – May 30, giving staff and volunteers some needed time off for rest and restoration.
One last note – it has come to my attention that the most current issue of the UU World magazine included a death notice for The Reverend William “Bill” Welch who died on November 15, 2020. Rev. Welch served for a time as Director of Religious Education at FUUN. He was much loved by the congregation. We will be sure to find a way to honor his life and legacy when we are able to come back together in person.
May we move through the coming days with gratitude and generosity. By these, the world moves forward and is renewed.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org
Request for attendance at a virtual Town Hall Meeting on May 27, 6:30 p.m.
NOAH believes that a budget is a moral document, and the budget for the city of Nashville is no different.
Please join us on
Thursday, May 27, at 6:30 pm
for a Virtual Town Hall
NOAH Task Force leaders will discuss:
NOAH knows that we can only hold our elected leaders accountable when we are powerful – when we show up. We need 500 of us to be online, so we can be ready to learn and demonstrate the value of a moral budget. Please join the meeting by 6:20 p.m. so we can start right on time.
Click here to register in advance for this Zoom meeting. After registering, you will get an email with info on joining the meeting. Then share this email with your neighbors, friends and coworkers.
Our voices matter!
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Ask Governor Lee to Stop the “Whitewashing”!
The Tennessee House and Senate passed legislation (HB 0580/SB 0623) that prohibits state funding to public schools that allow teachers to explore race and racism with their students. We must take action now and urge Governor Lee to veto this bill!
This bill will whitewash curricula about America’s past, omitting white oppression, discrimination of marginalized groups, and sexism. White children and other children are also harmed when challenging topics like racism are prohibited in their classrooms. Our communities, our cities, and our state are at a disadvantage when our students lack a world-view that includes insights into historical systemic racism.
The General Assembly passed this bill on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, but it has not made it to Governor Lee’s desk. Once it gets there, he has 10 days to sign it. But he can VETO it! There are several organizations, including Tennessee Education Association, Metropolitan Nashville Education Association and EdTrust, that have voiced their disapproval.
NOAH is uniting with these and other groups to oppose this amended bill. Please join us by sending an email to Governor Lee and sharing it with your members to do the same. Ask Gov. Lee to VETO this bill!
NOAH Action: Affordable Housing and the Metro Budget
You can make a difference for Affordable Housing in the Metro Budget! The Mayor has developed his budget for Metro and has presented it to the Metro Council. They consider it and come up with their own budget, making changes that they think are important. A budget must be adopted by June 30. If we want real change in affordable housing, it is important for the Council to hear from us now and throughout June – while they will be negotiating with one another.
You can email all the Metro Council Members at once at councilmembers@nashville.gov (Please copy ahtf@noahtn.org so we can track how many emails are going to them). You may copy this sample email (below), use parts of it, or write your own. Please send as soon as possible.
SUBJECT: NOAH urges: Make Affordable Housing a Budget Priority!
Dear Council Members,
The affordable housing situation in Nashville is getting worse and worse – with skyrocketing costs, the 2020 tornado, the COVID crisis, and evictions pending. Even during the pandemic, housing costs went up – while wages went down!
We appreciate Mayor Cooper including $12.5 million in the Metro Budget for the Barnes Fund. This is a slight increase from previous years, but still not enough to make a dent in the need. The Mayor’s own Affordable Housing Task Force called for $30 million per year for 3 years for the Barnes Fund, so we can be working on a different scale.
Of course, the Barnes Fund is not the only tool we need. If we are to have a successful long-term plan for dealing with our affordable housing crisis, we need a separate Department of Affordable Housing that continues beyond any one mayor. This department will ensure that a real plan is drawn up – and that it is followed, instead of just sitting on a shelf.
We need:
1. $30 million in the Barnes Fund, each year for 3 years.
2. A separate Department of Affordable Housing led by a senior-level executive with substantial housing expertise.
Affordable housing needs to be a major priority in the Metro budget! Please join NOAH in creating a Nashville where we can ALL live!
Sincerely,
NAME (required)
ADDRESS (required)
Member, your church or organization (optional)
In addition to sending emails that go to all Council Members, sending personal emails or making a call to your own Council Member can make a big difference. Find your Council Member to email personally at https://www.nashville.gov/Metro-Council/Metro-Council-Members.aspx.
Dear FUUN Family,
I have requested and the Board of FUUN has approved a week of paid leave of absence for all the FUUN staff from Monday, May 24-Sunday, May 30.
The past 15 months have been a time of great challenge and uncertainty for everyone. Through it all, the FUUN staff has worked under extreme pressure to provide on-line programming and keep on top of other job responsibilities while the church campus has been closed. Though they have been remarkable in their commitment, creativity, and poise, the stress is starting to take its toll. Reopening the church campus and returning to some in-person services, while exciting, requires a good deal of advance planning as it will not be a return to business as usual.
Given all of this and in keeping with our first and second UU principles: to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person and to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations, I asked the Board of Directors to grant one week of paid leave of absence for the FUUN staff. This leave will allow the whole staff some of the rest and restoration needed to approach the new church year with the same commitment and creativity as the past 15 months.
For Sunday, May 30, as there will not be a FUUN worship service or social hour to give both staff and our Zoom volunteers a break, we encourage you to virtually attend another UU congregation’s service or to view one of the pre-recorded services available through the UUA. There are no Religious Education classes scheduled for that day. There will be no midweek email. (This means that any announcements submitted using the Getting the Word Out Form during this time will be posted online and in social media by volunteers, but held for the June 1 email).
We offer the following resources for your Sunday morning renewal:
I will remain on-call throughout that week and available for any emergencies that may arise. As I will not be checking email regularly, my phone number is available in Breeze for this purpose.
Why not stagger staff time off as we have always done? Staggering vacations requires extra work of our staff as they cover their co-workers’ tasks for any given week. We wanted to avoid that and give real renewal time for everyone. Our goal is to offer a start to full renewal for staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly during the pandemic year.
Thank you for your patience and care during this much-needed break.
-Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane Dowgiert
Developmental Lead Minister
Please help decide what we should call our newsletter going forward (starting with the August/September edition).
FUUN is seeking a 20-hour-a-week Religious Education Coordinator to provide support to Religious Education/Faith Development programs for children, youth, and adults with specific emphasis on Youth Programs and Our Whole Lives (OWL) classes for children and youth. For more information on the position please see: (link to pdf job description will be added shortly)
Applications will be accepted through June 30, 2021 or until the position is filled. Applicants are encouraged to submit early. All interviews will take place online. FUUN is highly committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment. People with disabilities, people of color, and people from minority communities are encouraged to apply.
Please send a letter of interest, resume, and any supporting materials to Hiring@thefuun.org. If you have questions about the position, please email Marguerite Mills, CRE at MMills@firstuunash.org.
Position is Part-time, hourly, with a start date to begin as soon as position is filled.
The salary range is $15-$17/hour. FUUN provides benefits as per UUA recommendations.
Giving statements were sent on Wednesday, May 12 to the email address in your Breeze account. If you have not yet received your statement, please check your Junk Mail or Spam folder. If it is not in there either or if you have questions, please email Bob Day, our Board Treasurer, at Treasurer@thefuun.org.
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
May 11, 2021
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller
I always look forward to the arrival of the UU World magazine in my mailbox. The latest issue arrived on Friday and it did not disappoint. In fact, it may be one of the most important UU publications for this time in our history. Not an easy read, it looks at all we’ve been through during the COVID-19 pandemic and how all the fault lines of U.S. American society have been laid bare. In just 52 pages it covers the threat to democracy, the crisis in policing, the challenge of strengthening trans rights, what it means to be a citizen, the Black Lives Matter movement, Native American issues, a condemnation of anti-Asian violence, making meaning of the pandemic – and so much more.
There is a two-page spread of books recently published by Beacon Press. It gives a snapshot of matters of concern for Unitarian Universalists today. Beacon Press books are published under the auspices of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.
The UU World magazine always reminds me of our collective power, how we can do so much more together than any one of us acting on our own. I am inspired by the stories of congregations around the country engaged in advocacy, witness, and service. It gives me hope for future possibilities for our country and our world.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org
Wed. May 19, 7 – 8:30 p.m. http://bit.ly/6SourcesMay19 [Zoom link]
OR
Sat. June 5, 10:30 a.m. – Noon http://bit.ly/6SourcesJune5 [Zoom link]
Would you like to
If so, please plan to join us by Zoom for one of these upcoming opportunities to do all of the above. These conversation-based gatherings are especially designed for newcomers to our congregation, and participation in one of them is a prerequisite to joining the church at our New Member Signing in June (date TBA), but all are welcome! No registration required.
Questions: email Rev. Denise assistantminister@firstuunash.org
*If you are interested or think you might be interested in church membership, please fill out this form (if you haven’t already).
Wed. May 19, 7 – 8:30 p.m. http://bit.ly/6SourcesMay19 [Zoom link]
OR
Sat. June 5, 10:30 a.m. – Noon http://bit.ly/6SourcesJune5 [Zoom link]
Would you like to
If so, please plan to join us by Zoom for one of these upcoming opportunities to do all of the above. These conversation-based gatherings are especially designed for newcomers to our congregation, and participation in one of them is a prerequisite to joining the church at our New Member Signing in June (date TBA), but all are welcome! No registration required.
Questions: email Rev. Denise assistantminister@firstuunash.org
*If you are interested or think you might be interested in church membership, please fill out this form (if you haven’t already).
If you are new here and would like to know more about our congregation, or if you are interested in church membership, please fill out our online Prospective Member form below. We are making plans to welcome new members next month, and we will be in touch.
May 4, 2021
“When someone you haven’t seen in ten yearsI’ve read a great many articles and had at least as many conversations about what it will be like to come back together for in-person church after all these months in semi-quarantine. The thing that sticks with me the most is a line from an Alban Institute article. “When we return, we will all be newcomers.”
The Alban Institute is considered to be one of the country’s leading experts in congregational life. I have found their work to be invaluable in understanding how congregations work. Across denominations, congregations share more commonalities than differences.
That we will all be newcomers gives an opportunity to practice radical hospitality in all that we do. Also known as welcoming the stranger, radical hospitality means going the extra mile to offer the best of who we are to each other and all who are seeking a spiritual home.
Robert Schnase, who serves as Bishop of the Rio Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, put it this way:
“To become a vibrant, fruitful, growing congregation requires a change of attitudes, practices, and values. Good intentions are not enough. Too many churches want more young people as long as they act like old people, more newcomers as long as they act like old-timers, more children as long as they are as quiet as adults, more ethnic families as long as they act like the majority in the congregation.”
Your worship committee and I have decided on Radical Hospitality as the theme for the 2021-22 church year. We can use this opportunity to examine all our practices through the lens of radical welcome; meeting each person openly and without judgement, with reverence and awe for the unique individual they are, seeking to understand each person’s needs as we come back together.
Not a one of us is the same as we were 15 months ago when the pandemic first began. We’re all newcomers. There’s so much to learn about each other and how we live out our principles together now.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org
Dear FUUN Family,
As the Board of FUUN, we are very eager to get back to in-person services and activities at our church, as likely you are, too. We wanted to let you know some of our tentative plans to return to the facilities. What follows is a brief summary of recommendations made by our Reopening Task Force. The Task Force is comprised of the Reverend Dowgiert, our office administrator, and several members of FUUN, including two physicians. They have met several times and made these recommendations based on guidance from the UUA, our current understanding of public health policy, and Nashville’s particular situation. Please be aware that any plans or recommendations may be modified, as the Covid-19 environment can rapidly change. Briefly, our goal is to open the campus to small groups in August, resume some in the sanctuary worship services in September, and then have weekly services in the sanctuary in January.
The Task Force is recommending that FUUN aim to reopen the physical campus to small groups in or around May. In September, we would like to resume in-person services in the sanctuary every other week, with the opposite weeks continuing to be live-streamed only. This is a precaution that will allow better contract tracing in the event someone contracts the virus. For those who choose not to or are unable to attend, services will also continue to be live-streamed. Unfortunately, music will be pre-recorded as we reopen, as singing has been shown to be a mechanism for transmission. Services will be all ages and socially distanced. We hope to offer supervised play for younger children.
In January, we hope to resume weekly services with live music in the sanctuary. This is, of course, dependent on the latest science.
In order to resume in-person activities, we need you! We will need small groups of people willing to come and “spiff up” areas of the campus. We will likely need more volunteers than in the recent past. We will also need volunteers to serve our children in supervised play and eventually religious education classes.
To see the full report, click here.
Finally, our plans to return to in-person community are informed not only by science, but also our Principles. As our Seventh Principle reminds us that we are all part of the interdependent web of existence, we are cognizant that our physical and emotional health are intertwined. We strongly encourage those who return to our physical community, and who are able, to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
We intend to update you as soon as plans are firmed up or change.
If you have questions, please see the Reopening Task Force Board Report here. You may also direct questions to reopening-questions@thefuun.org.
We have missed you dearly, and we are eager to see you “in the flesh” very soon.
–Your Board of Directors
Doug Pasto-Crosby, President
Mike Bolds, Vice President
Allison Thompson, R & D Council
Bob Day, Treasurer
Brenna Hanson, Program Council
Chelsea Henry, Ministry Council
Dan Hiller, Operations
Melinda Fish, Secretary
Phyllis Salter
Scott Weaver
Sharon Ruiz
Steve Haruch
Hal Potts,Ex-president
Our campus is currently closed due to Covid-19. Staff are working remotely.
.The FUUN NOAH Core team members (Our A-Team) met on April 28 for their monthly meeting, and each member shared recent activity updates from the Task Forces as follows:
The Affordable Housing Task Force recently hosted an action requesting the public write letters to the Mayor asking that 30 million dollars be added to the Barnes Fund and requesting that a permanent Department of Affordable Housing be created.
The Economic and Equity and Jobs Task Force is focusing on the “Get it Right” Bill to those using good practices (wages and safety) and award contracts.
The Integrated Voter Engagement Group is preparing the 2022 elections by using Listening Campaigns.
The Criminal Justice Task Force has met and plans to meet again with the Mayor about an intervention model that uses counselors rather than police for people experiencing mental health issues.
The Young Adults Group is planning to be involved with more one-on-ones
The Education Task Force had an action asking that Social Emotional learning models be fully funded and implemented in the schools
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
April 27, 2021
Everything I know about church leadership I learned on a houseboat on Lake Powell. Well, maybe not everything, but some important lessons have stuck with me, lessons relevant to the time we are in.
One summer, A.J. and I were invited to join a group of friends to share a houseboat for a week-long adventure on Lake Powell, an expansive human-made lake that spans the border between Utah and Arizona. We loaded the houseboat with food and camping gear, tethered two speed boats to the back, and headed towards open water.
No sooner had we made it into the main channel of the lake when one of those late afternoon thunderstorms that you get in the desert let loose. The wind and lightning were fierce, the rainfall torrential. The speedboats were filling with water. Their owners dove into the lake, swam to the boats, untethered them, turned, and sped away back toward the marina.
Those of us left on the houseboat debated what to do. The obvious choice was to turn around and follow the speed boats back to the marina to wait out the storm. The thing about big boats, though, is that they don’t turn as quickly and easily as their smaller, more nimble counterparts. Getting crossways with the wind didn’t seem wise, either. So we decided to keep moving forward. A map of the lake showed a small cove a few miles ahead where we could shelter until the storm passed.
Another thing about big boats is that they only move so fast. By the time we reached the cove, the storm had subsided and our friends with the speedboats had come along side. We made camp in the cove even though our planned destination for that first night was still several miles away.
In my years of ministry, I have learned that things move at the speed of church. I often hear myself telling people that the wheels of church may move slowly, but they do move.
Expecting a houseboat to behave like a speedboat is a set-up for failure, maybe even disaster. The well-being of everyone on board is at stake. And so it is with this thing we call church.
We’ve been thrown off course by a storm we did not anticipate. There’s no turning around because this boat is just too big – and – there are limits to how fast we can move ahead. The well-being of everyone who makes their religious home with us is at stake.
As we move into the uncertain waters ahead, may we move mindfully and patiently, knowing that the speed of church is what it is.
I am grateful to be on this journey with you.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org
FUUN kids are challenging the adults! They are raising money for the Guest at Your Table Program, a fundraiser of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee helping people around the world facing displacement, economic change, and other struggles. If we can raise $150, it will be matched by the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock of New York.
You can answer their challenge by sending your check to the church with “GAYT adult contribution” in the memo line. More info about Guest at Your Table is at uusc.org/resources/congregations/guest-at-your-table (But for our contribution to be matched, it needs to come from the church, so please send your donation to FUUN.)
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
April 20, 2021
“You who have an eye for miracles regard the bud now appearing on the bare branch of the fragile young tree. It’s a mere dot, a nothing. But already it’s a flower, already a fruit, already it’s own death and resurrection.” Diego Valeri
The theme for April is transformation and the theme for May is transcendence. Transformation is about changing from one state of being to another. Transcendence is about being lifted from our individual circumstances and knowing that we are part of a greater whole. The Flower Communion Service taking place on Sunday, April 25 bridges these two perfectly.
The Flower Communion was brought to this country by Maja Capek while her husband Norbert Capek was imprisoned at Dachau where he was later killed. Maja and Norbert were both ordained Unitarian ministers. They established the Unitarian Church in Prague. The Flower Ceremony, as Norbert called it, was created for the church in Prague. Each member of the congregation brought a flower to church. The flowers were placed in a central vase. The assembled bouquet represented the uniqueness of each individual and the coming together in community to share that uniqueness. At the end of the service, each person took a different flower home.
Flowers are in a continual state of transformation, from seed to bud to blossom to fruit to seed again. When individual flowers are brought together, a transformation of another kind takes place. Together they make a bouquet, each flower transcending its individuality to become part of something greater than it could be on its own.
The Flower Communion has become an enduring ritual in Unitarian Universalist congregations, here and in Prague. Each part of the ceremony is important – the bringing of a flower, the creation of a bouquet, and the receiving of a flower different from the one brought.
When we come together in community, each person brings something unique. Together, we become something greater than the sum of our individual parts. We are made stronger by the bonds of relationship that develop among us, relationships that change us. The flower we take represents how the community changes, even transforms our lives. It is also serves as a connection to the community, a tangible reminder that we do not journey through this life alone.
The Flower Communion connects us to the church of today and it also connects us to a history of all those who came before. While we may not be able to physically exchange flowers this year, we can draw on the spirit the Capeks intended, the spirit of friendship and comradeship that unites us in the cause of bringing more love and justice into the world.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org
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UUA General Assembly Please join us Saturday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m. EDT/6:00 p.m. CDT/5:00 pm MDT/4:00 p.m. PDT for the 2021 GA Ware Lecture. Stacey Abrams is the New York Times bestselling author of Our Time Is Now and Lead from the Outside, an entrepreneur and a political leader. She served as Democratic Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives for 7 years prior to running for Governor of Georgia, where she won more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. She launched Fair Fight Action after the 2018 gubernatorial election to ensure every American has a voice in our election system, Fair Count to ensure accuracy in the 2020 Census and the Southern Economic Advancement Project, a public policy initiative to broaden economic power and build equity in the South. Abrams received degrees from Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, and Yale Law School. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, she and her five siblings grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi and were raised in Georgia. Desmond Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen who overcame many obstacles to eventually become the President of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), Chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, a graduate of Florida International University College of Law, and a Ford Global Fellow. Recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2019, Desmond presently leads efforts to empower and civically re-engage local communities across the state, and to reshape local, state, and national criminal justice policies. His work has resulted in being named Floridian and Central Floridian of the Year 2019. President and Executive Director of FRRC, which is recognized for its work on voting and criminal justice reform issues, Desmond led the FRRC to a historic victory in 2018 with the successful passage of Amendment 4, a grassroots citizen’s initiative which restored voting rights to over 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions. Amendment 4 represented the single largest expansion of voting rights in the United States in half a century and brought an end to 150 years of a Jim Crow-era law in Florida. |
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Enjoy your event! |
Sunday, April 25 is Flower Communion–the annual celebration of our UU community. And while we’re still virtual, our love and appreciation of each other is real. Join us in the ritual of sharing flowers. During next week’s service you’ll be invited to turn your camera on, bring a flower or two and be part of the bouquet of faces that make our congregation what it is–faces we haven’t seen for over a year now. Folks on YouTube and Facebook will be able to view our ritual later, and families may decide whether or not to include children in our bouquet. We look forward to seeing everyone!
Sunday, April 25 is Flower Communion–the annual celebration of our UU community. And while we’re still virtual, our love and appreciation of each other is real. Join us in the ritual of sharing flowers. During next week’s service you’ll be invited to turn your camera on, bring a flower or two and be part of the bouquet of faces that make our congregation what it is–faces we haven’t seen for over a year now. Folks on YouTube and Facebook will be able to view our ritual later, and families may decide whether or not to include children in our bouquet. We look forward to seeing everyone!
Dining Out for Life: Our restaurant this year is the Frothy Monkey in the Nations (1400 51st Ave N). They are donating 25% of all dinner proceeds to Nashville CARES – whether you order take-out, pickup curbside, dine inside, or eat outside. (Sorry, but delivery isn’t included.) Check out their menu, including special family dinners to go.
Head over to our Frothy Monkey/FUUN page too. If you plan to join us, feel free to click the Join Team button. You can also make an extra-special, much appreciated donation. Nashville CARES offers people living with HIV/AIDS and their families a unique combination of services, resources and referrals to help with the challenges of the disease. All services are based upon need regardless of ability to pay.
For a list of all restaurants participating (so you can also select a restaurant for breakfast and lunch or if The Nations is just a little too far), go to diningoutforlife.com/city/nashville/.
We hope to see you on April 20 – even if it’s just in your car.
Your hosts,
Richard Bird and Victoria Harris
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
April 13, 2021
Today I came across these words written by Orlanda Brugnola, a UU minister, now deceased. Throughout her 30-year ministry, Orlanda worked tirelessly to dismantle racism and oppression within the world. I hear in her words a gentle invitation to humility and compassion as we continue the journey toward wholeness.
I believe the use of the word innocent refers not to a lack of guilt, but a lack of knowledge and awareness, the privilege of being sheltered from the harsher realities of life.
With the trial of the killer of George Floyd happening and with the most recent police killing of Duante Wright, the Black community is in deep pain right now. Mindful of this pain, let us move through our days with compassion and humility. May the commitment to dismantle racism and build the beloved community be reaffirmed.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
March 30, 2021
“The exodus from Egypt occurs in every human being, in every era, in every year, and in every day.” Rabbi Nachman of Breslov
This is a holy week, holy days for Jews who celebrate Passover and for Christians who observe Easter. The themes of these holy days are being lived out in our lives right now. After a year of plagues, the rule of empire, with all its addictions, isms, and phobias, still reigns. COVID-19 has not yet released its grip. Passover’s promise of freedom has yet to come. The stone has yet to be rolled away from the Easter tomb. New life has yet to be resurrected from the old. Still, we dare to strive for liberation, dare to hope for a rebirth of the spirit. The release we yearn for is close at hand, the dawn of a new beginning is on the horizon.
In this season, reopening is foremost in our minds. Just as the buds of spring open in their own time, so it will be with reopening the church for in-person worship and other programming. Your Reopening Task Force is hard at work and plans to have recommendations for your Board of Directors to consider at their April meeting.
The Unitarian Universalist Association has released new guidance and resources for congregations which you can find here: uua.org/pressroom/press-releases/between-time.
May these holy days of spring unfold and open new ways of being and thinking, ways that will lead us into ever greater freedom and a new understanding of the promise that life renews itself again and again.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org
Dear Ones,
I am sad to let you know that Tamara Price died Sunday night after a long struggle with cancer.
A Celebration of Life has been scheduled for May 1, 3 p.m. on Zoom.
Memorial Service pre-registration
Let us all keep Lex, Maya, and all Tamara’s family and friends in our warm thoughts and loving prayers.
With care,
Rev. Diane
Dear Ones,
I am sad to let you know that Tamara Price died Sunday night after a long struggle with cancer. A Celebration of Life has yet to be scheduled. We will let you know as soon as a date has been set. In the meantime, let us all keep Lex, Maya, and all Tamara’s family in our warm thoughts and loving prayers.
With care,
Rev. Diane
Visit our Newsletter page for the current and past newsletters.
FUUN’s Susie Wilcox attended and is pictured above.
MEDIA RELEASE
DATE OF EVENT: Thursday, March 18th – 2:00 PM
PLACE: MNPD East Precinct; 936 E Trinity Ln, Nashville, TN 37207
CONTACT: Jerome Moore 615-397-6468
“Metropolitan Nashville Police Must Stop Shooting and Killing our Community Members!
NOAH believes it is unacceptable for Metro police to shoot two women, one fatally. These preventable shootings point to larger, systemic issues within the police force and their approach to providing public safety to the Nashville community. The Metro police have a long history of behavior that makes this unsurprising and we are calling for police accountability in each case with an investigation by the District Attorney’s office. In the instance of Nika Nicole Holbert, we have the history of behavior and practices that led to the data reported in the Driving While Black in Nashville report. Would Nika have been pulled over if she had been white? Would the officer have proceeded with a search if Nika had been white? What we see in the footage released by the department is a vehicle being pulled over because the officer believed a wanted suspect was in the vehicle. We further see the officer continue the stop even after he learned the suspect was neither the driver or a passenger in the vehicle. Instead of terminating the stop, he decided to search for evidence without consent, a violation of the 4th Amendment. This choice led to Officer Baker being critically injured and the preventable death of Ms. Holbert.
In the second shooting, a woman with a mental illness and in crisis, Melissa Wooden requested the police help her commit suicide: NOAH believes that when mental health crisis calls are received, a civilian team consisting of an EMT and a crisis response counselor should respond, not the police. We call this model HEALS (Health Engagement and Liaison Services) and it provides a medical response to a medical problem. The patient’s needs are met by the responding health professionals. They are experts in de-escalation techniques and would determine if probable violence necessitates a call to Metro police. The HEALS team makes that decision once they have interacted with the patient. There is no need for police involvement to a medical problem unless summoned by the HEALS staff.
NOAH is calling MNPD and District Attorney General Funk to answer these questions:
Police Policies, Protocols, and Procedures with respect to Nika Nicole Holbert:
NOAH is calling on MNPD and the Mayor to take this ACTION:
About Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH)
Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH) is an anti-racist faith-based coalition made up of 62 congregations, labor unions, and other groups, working to combat systemic injustices through community engagement, training, and direct public action.
What do we want in this year’s metro budget for affordable housing?
$20-30 million to the Barnes Fund and a separate Metro Office of Affordable Housing to maintain this work even when there is a change in Mayors. At NOAH’s Affordable Housing Task Force Meeting on March 28 at 2:30 pm, we will be explaining the need for more affordable housing, hearing testimonies from people needing that housing, and outlining how we can influence the Metro Budget process.
Kwansay Toombs, Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and Zulfat Surara Chair of the Affordable Housing Committee of the Metro Council will answer questions about what should be in the budget. Pre-register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsduGurTgrGNZ3s5rPqNeXxGTRkBKpLgxS
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
March 16, 2021
Friends,
I have two updates for you this week. First, I have decided to learn to live with my backyard moles. Majority opinion is that traps, poisons, repellents, underground sound emitting devices – even eliminating the grubs the moles feed on – all these are temporary fixes at best. Moles are a fact of life here in middle Tennessee, endemic you might say.
The second update I have has to do with the reopening plans for FUUN. Your Board of Directors appointed a Reopening Task Force. The members are Jacob Hathaway, Mary Lindsay, Barbara Snook, Scott Weaver, and me. The Reopening Task Force is hard at work and early indicators are that the soonest possible reopening would be the end of May, but more likely August or September. Not what any of us want to hear, I know.
I wish I could tell you in a sentence or two just how complicated it is figuring out when and how to safely reopen. The Reopening Task Force is developing a phased reopening plan along with guidelines for the limitation of risk and recommendations for the use of space and the scheduling of programs.
While the Reopening Task Force is not ready to put forth a plan just yet, I did want to at least let you know that progress is being made. I also want us all to have some realistic expectations. The reality is that while the pandemic may end, the virus is most likely here to stay – endemic – part of life. There will always be a risk, so the tricky part of all this is figuring out when it is safe enough to reopen and how we can mitigate risk to the most vulnerable among us.
Finally, thank you to those who have responded thus far about your year of pandemic – what you’ve lost, what’s given you hope, what you’ve learned, and how you’ve grown. To date, I’ve only received 3 names of people known to you who died from COVID. My guess is there are more. If you would like the name of someone you knew who lost their life to COVID shared in this Sunday’s service, get their name to me by noon on Friday – leadminister@firstuunash.org.
I do hope you plan to partake of Sunday’s worship service, either live via Zoom at 9 am or when it is rebroadcast on Facebook and Youtube. Taking the time to commemorate the year we’ve all been through is important for our individual and collective healing.
What I know for sure is that there is a resiliency to life. We are all part of an interdependent web of being. Life calls us on.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
Here’s your opportunity to share social justice ideas with UUs around the country. Join Witness, Connect, Act! A social witness convening Wednesday, March 24, 6-8 p.m.
Inspired to grow more connections for collective social witness action for a wide range of values at risk, the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Commission on Social Witness invites all UUs to share and connect for inspiration and ideas.
Register here: https://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/committees/csw
Our Easter Egg Extravaganza will be Sunday, April 4, 10:30 am-12:30 pm, in the Norris House parking lot. Drive through and spot some eggs to get a small toy and CANDY! Who knows, you might also spot some friends you haven’t seen in a long time. *Please note that this is INSTEAD of Sunday school.*
This year, the Herb & Craft fair is proud to offer a selection of plants, baked goods, knitted and sewn items, and pressed flower art, all through online pre-order.
Purchases will be available for safe drive-through pickup at the church on April 17. Order using our QR code, and remember to share the news with family & friends!
Click on the QR code with your phone camera to find out more.
Save the Date for our 13th annual
Saturday, April 17, 2021
Click on the QR code with your phone camera to find out more.
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
March 9, 2021
“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” The Gospel of Thomas
I have moles. In my backyard. I would have written this is in all caps, but I didn’t want to shout at you, given all we’ve been through in the past year. In truth, I knew the moles were there, underground. Out of sight, out of mind. You know how it goes. In the grand scheme of things, moles are small potatoes compared to the hundreds of thousands of people dead from COVID-19 and all the ways our lives have been disrupted by the virus. But now that hope is on the horizon with more and more people being vaccinated, and warmer weather makes it possible to enjoy being outdoors, I have to tell you – I HAVE MOLES IN MY BACKYARD! There. Shouting it made me feel better. Not to make mountains out of molehills, but the evidence is undeniable. In my world, there are things living underground and I must deal with them.
Y’all know I’m new to middle Tennessee. I’m sure you have experience and advice for me about moles. Which I welcome. But what I really want to know is this: what has gone underground for you during this pandemic? What grief, what loss, what struggle, what persistent problem has gone untended? What has surfaced that is now calling for your attention? Truly, I want to know.
The annual service of healing is March 21 this year. Truly, I want to hear from you about what this past year has been like for you so I can craft a meaningful service. Who are the people you have lost to COVID-19? What other losses have you experienced? Where have you found hope? How have you grown and changed?
Email me, please – leadminister@firstuunash.org with your responses to these questions, and yes, any advice you have for dealing with moles.
And, speaking of underground things living in our own backyards, I am so grateful for the ways FUUN works to keep the reality of racism on the surface – noticing it, naming it, and seeking ways to eradicate it.
My reading recommendation this week is Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nahesi Coates. Written as a letter to his son, Coates shares the conversation every black parent, every parent of a black child must have about the realities of being black in America. Even if you’ve read it before, it is worth reading again.
Bringing forth what is in us and offering it up to be healed is some of the most important spiritual work we can do. It is ultimately how we heal and mend our broken world.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
Feb. 23, 2021
“If it is language that makes us human, one half of language is to listen.” Jacob Trapp
Listening is a primary spiritual practice for me. When I can quiet my own mind, put aside my own thoughts, and be attentive to another person, to truly hear them, my life is enriched. On the other side of the equation, when I am in the presence of a good listener, it allows me to be more open and vulnerable, able to access my own inner wisdom.
There are two ways I am engaging the practice of listening these days.
The first is that I am offering another round of Listening Sessions here at FUUN. If you have not participated in one yet, I encourage you to do so. You can find the sign-up link on the church website. By listening to you, I gain valuable insight into the congregation – who you are individually and collectively, where you’ve been together in the past, and how you see yourselves in the future. By listening to each other, you gain deeper appreciation for some of the people who make FUUN such a wonderful spiritual home. The Listening Sessions also help me and the Transitions Team know where to focus our attention during this developmental ministry.
The second way I engage the practice of listening is being intentional about listening to non-white voices. One of the ways I do this is through my choices of reading materials. For the past few years, I have been intentionally seeking out works written by black authors. It is helping me to undo some of the miseducation I received growing up. Not only that, it expands my worldview.
Given that anti-racism is one of the focus areas of developmental ministry, I thought it might be useful to share some of my reading list with you on a weekly basis. It includes both historic and contemporary authors – far-ranging in topics – history, politics, education, psychology, social justice, and theology – with some poetry and fiction thrown in. For some of you, the titles and authors will be familiar, and some may be new to you.
The newest addition to my library is My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem, a psychotherapist who specializes in treating trauma. He addresses the intergenerational effects of what he calls white-body supremacy on all of us. Resmaa lays out a plan for healing the “soul wound” of racism – a wound we all carry, though differently, depending on the color of our skin. He speaks directly to three audiences – African Americans, white-bodied people, and law enforcement – giving specific healing methods to each. The commonality is learning to listen to our bodies, to notice our habitual ways of responding to people who are different than us, and beginning to repattern the body’s response.
I find great hope in My Grandmother’s Hands, especially in our current day reality.
Again, I hope you will join a Listening Session if you have not already.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
Recent Happenings at NOAH
Noah’s monthly meeting was held on February 12, via ZOOM. As part of the meeting each Task Force gathers, and then provides the whole group updates on the recent efforts and concerns in their area of interest. Listed below are brief summaries:
Notes from Monthly NOAH Meeting
January 12, 2021
NOAH’s representatives met via ZOOM for their monthly meeting. NOAH has planned a virtual retreat on January 28 and 31st. Topics to be discussed are discussing and the calendar for the upcoming year as well as reflecting on who NOAH is and where we want to go in the upcoming year.
Reflections were shared of the Public Lamentations held on December 29, 2020, remembering all the Tennesseans who have been lost to COVID. NOAH hopes to create a lasting memorial on the site so that COVID losses are always remembered.
The Task Forces then met in breakout rooms:
Criminal Justice reported that NOAH representatives met with Chief Drake on January 5, 2021. Responses from Chief Drake were positive in the areas of exploring alternate interventions for people who are suffering from mental illnesses, rather than police intervention. Chief Drake is also open to exploring using Social Emotional Liaisons in place of SRO’s in schools. NOAH representatives will continue to meet with the Chief monthly. Task Force is also beginning work on reforming cash bail practices.
Affordable Housing Task Force is actively seeking the release of TANF funds by the Governor to needy Nashvillians, now rather than later.
The Economic Equity and Jobs Task Force is exploring Procurement Reform Legislature: that businesses offer a living wage, insurance and offer apprenticeships.
The Education Task Force continues to focus on BEP funding for schools and NOAH representatives finally have a meeting with state legislators.
For more information on programs at The Mountain, opportunities to participate, and ways to contribute to camperships and other programs, please visit and bookmark https://www.themountainrlc.org.
Counselors in Training (CITs) get a unique experience while at MountainCamp. As this is a Leadership Experience, applications are required. Campers should be 16-17 years old (rising 12th graders).
The Counselor in Training program started in 1995 to allow for our older youth to gain camp leadership and counselor experience by being involved in the day-to-day excitement of MountainCamp. During a CIT’s 6 weeks at MountainCamp, they will have mastered the art of being a role model, the balance of personal vs. professional, all while also preserving their silly, fun youthfulness that is a camp counselor’s number one tool while working with children. The CIT campers will begin their all-summer experience working with the CIT mentor to learn the intricacies of what it takes to be a counselor at MountainCamp, incorporating leadership opportunities and discovering their passion and potential along the way. Throughout the summer, CITs will work with Elementary and Intermediate cabins, gaining much needed skills for conflict management, community building and for working with children as a MountainCamp counselor. They also get to enjoy trips to cool rivers, high peaks and rafting the thrilling Nantahala river.For the last week of their summer, CITs will join the ASCENDER program for an OSA-style out-trip to celebrate their work and to debrief their experience.
Space in the CIT program is limited to 6 spots due to COVID restrictions. All applications and references must be submitted by March 15th to be considered. Applicants may be contacted for a phone interview. Program participants will be chosen no later than March 31.
ASCENDERs get a unique experience while at MountainCamp. As this is a Leadership Experience, applications are required. Campers should be 16 – 17 years old (rising 10th – 12th graders).
Starting in 1981, the ASCENDERs (All Summer Campers Exploring Nature’s Delights and Experiencing Recreation) program allows for older youth to give back to our camp and conference center through work study in each Mountain department, gaining experience in our larger community through volunteer work and enjoying nature’s splendor on the beautiful Highlands Plateau. The ASCENDER campers will begin their all-summer experience working with the ASCENDER mentor to learn about each department of The Mountain, discovering their passion and potential along the way. For the last week of their summer, ASCENDERS will join campers from the CIT program for an OSA-style out-trip to celebrate their work and to debrief their experience. By the end of 6 weeks each camper will have earned over 100 hours of work service while also enjoying time for relaxing by rivers, hiking to record peaks, and rafting the thrilling Nantahala river.
Space is limited for ASCENDERS with only 6 spots available due to COVID restrictions. Applications and references should be completed no later than March 15th to be considered. Applicants may be contacted for a phone interview. Program participants will be chosen no later than March 31st.
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
Feb. 16, 2021
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts
A little over six months ago, I arrived at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville to serve as your Developmental Lead Minister. Hard to believe. The pace of change in the world in these past six months has been dizzying. We’ve all been called to strengthen our change muscles in ways we never could have imagined. I’m glad to be part of this dizzying dance with you.
On Sunday, Feb. 21, we will mark a milestone in this developmental ministry. We will be commissioning a Transitions Team, a group appointed by your Board of Directors to help facilitate the work the congregation will undertake during the developmental period. I hope you will be on hand at the 9 a.m. service to affirm and support the commitment of this team.
A developmental minister enters a congregation during a time of change, most often following the retirement or resignation of a settled minister. As a congregation, you prepared yourselves well for the retirement of the Rev. Gail Seavey, who had served with you for 15 years. Part of the preparation was discerning what kind of ministry was needed next. As a congregation, you have some big and challenging goals. Thus, the decision was made to hire a developmental minister to work with you on these goals. Typically, a developmental ministry is a minimum of three years and a maximum of seven, depending on how long it takes to accomplish the goals and do the work of preparing to call your next minister.
As I said, you have some big and challenging goals – revisiting and renewing your mission and vision, creating a governance structure that fits the size of the congregation, and planning and implementing a building/renovation project. These goals are bigger than any one of us alone, but working together, they are achievable.
The following people have agreed to serve on the Transitions Team for the next 18 months: Christopher Cotton, Jessica Himmelreich, Jessica Moore-Lucas, Jason Plummer, Gail Sphar, Tom Surface, and Nancy Stott.
I look forward to partnering with them as we engage all of you in the dance of change and transition.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
The Stewardship Campaign will be getting underway next month. In preparation for this very important annual event, the Stewardship Committee will be hosting special stewardship community conversations after the service at 10:30 beginning next Sunday, Feb. 21. We will offer a short presentation followed by your questions. These conversations will happen in the same Zoom room as the service and virtual coffee hour, so no special invitation or Zoom link is needed.
Also, save the date for a special FUUN Stewardship Kickoff Event the evening of Saturday, March 6. There will be an entertaining stewardship video created by Trigg along with other engaging and informative activities. Watch your email inbox and your postal mailbox for more information.
Nathan Forrest was a Confederate general and founding member of the Ku Klux Klan. Your input can help to finally transfer Forrest’s bust from the Tennessee Capitol Building into a more appropriate context at the Tennessee State Museum. Email Mrs. Derita Coleman, Chair of TN Historical Commission, at derita.williams@tn.gov. Deadline is Feb 17.
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
Feb. 9, 2021
Friends,
One of the joys of doing the kind developmental ministry work that I do is getting to know a new community. This week I learned of a wonderful resource here in Nashville: Alive Hospice. Many of you already know about Alive Hospice, but I have to tell you that I am deeply impressed with all they have to offer the community. The only non-profit hospice in Middle Tennessee, its mission is to provide loving care for people with life-threatening illnesses, support to their families, and service to the community in a spirit of enriching lives.
Having conversations about end-of-life decisions is a gift each of us can give to our loved ones, especially during this time of COVID. These conversations are always challenging. Alive Hospice has resources to help. You can find them here: Advanced Care Directives
You may also want to check out Larkspur Conservation. They offer a greener alternative to either burial or cremation. Their website also lists mental health resources in the greater Nashville area. You can find them here.
Navigating grief and loss is always hard, but more so during this time of isolation. Alive Hospice has resources available, no matter your financial circumstances. You can find them here: Grief Support Site and Grief Resource Videos.
As always, you can also call on me. Your lay ministers and I recently participated in a training session on loss and grief. We are here to support you in any way we can.
I am grateful to be serving with you during this challenging time. I have come to know you as a kind and caring people, truly a blessing.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
The Beloved Community Committee is happy to offer our church community a family event, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2-3 p.m. on Zoom, as an opportunity for families to put into practice the goals of the 8th Principle.
Please join us for a reading and discussion of Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, published in 2018 by Dottir Press, led by the author/illustrator Anastasia Higginbotham. After the reading and discussion, we will conclude with a brief collage/visualization workshop modelled on the book’s illustrations. Instructions for participating in the collage workshop will be provided upon registration (this will be a simple, accessible activity).
Our goal will be to connect deeply to our own instincts about racial justice through the book’s characters and images. In addition to the reading and collage, Higginbotham will offer resources for deeper exploration of “real history” and activities for reflection and making authentic choices about how we want to relate to race and racism.
Though the book’s audience is primarily children, the author welcomes adults who – like our children – never consented to carry white supremacy forward in the world.
For more information about Anastasia Higginbotham, please visit the links below, which connect you to articles written by and about her, as well as radio and TV interviews.
The Safe Congregation Panel is welcoming new members for two-year terms beginning July 2021. These are elected positions that are confirmed by the Board and the congregation. The Safe Congregation Panel enforces the Honoring the Children Policy, investigates, and makes decisions when a formal grievance is filed. The committee meets every three to six months. The committee looks for individuals with experience with non-violent communication, mediation, or restorative justice. If you would like to know more about the Safe Congregation Panel please contact Carol Copple or Kathy Hiller, co-chairs of the Nominating Committee, or Safe Congregation chair Kathy Sowell (email addresses are on Breeze)
The Nominating Committee has a vacancy at present and will have an opening or two in July 2021. These are two year elected positions that are confirmed by the Board and the congregation. Members of the committee identify, recruit, and nominate people to serve in leadership roles in the church. If you would like to know more about the committee please contact one of the co-chairs, Carol Copple or Kathy Hiller (email addresses are on Breeze)
Mid-week Message
from our Developmental Lead Minister
Jan. 26, 2021
Rev. Diane
Knowing the right thing to do is hard, even in good times. In challenging times, knowing the right thing to do is – well – challenging. Rarely are the choices we make as easy as yes or no, right or left, black or white. Mostly we live our lives in the grey zone. The balance sheet of costs and benefits for any given choice is complex, to say the least, because our lives are – well – complex. Put people together in community and the complexity increases. Throw a global pandemic into the mix and – let’s just say that nothing is simple these days.
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