April 28: Auction Italian Lunch Food Donations Needed

Do you have a favorite Italian food to share? Sign up to donate an appetizer, entrée, salad, side, dessert, or beverage for eight people! We look forward to sharing.

Mirabelle S. is our food coordinator and she has made a chart of suggested food, homemade or store-bought - we won’t tell. Click Read More for details.

To donate items/events/food, use the Auction Donor Form.

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Our February Share the Plate Partner is Gideon’s Army

Gideon’s Army is a community-based, grassroots organization that works to design programs based on contemporary interpretations of the theory of restorative justice. Gideon’s Army is currently the only local organization in Nashville that focuses solely on dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline through social activism by children in the prison pipeline, their families, and their community.

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Save the Date! NOAH’s Annual Banquet is June 20, 2024!

Mark your calendars now so you can help NOAH celebrate its 10th anniversary year. On March 30, 2014, NOAH’s 32 founding member organizations, including GNUUC, came together for a Covenanting Ceremony to commit to the justice work for which NOAH was created. NOAH has been busy ever since, making positive change for Nashville in the areas of affordable housing, criminal justice, economic equity and jobs, education, and now transportation. Come help us celebrate on June 20!

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Jan. 17, 2024: Board Meeting Summary

Financial Review

- Reviewed budget to actuals and financial position. Insurance costs have increased significantly due to claims, but new revenue sources (facility rentals, donations) help offset this.

Timetable for Pledge Campaign

-The pledge campaign is planned for April 7 and April 14 (materials will be distributed). The goal is to finalize pledges by April 21 to inform budget planning and stewardship celebrated. The date of the congregational meeting is tentatively set for May 19th.

Creating a Culture of Periodic Self-Assessment

- An assessment task force proposed establishing an annual self-assessment for key church groups/teams. The goal is to empower teams and build community. The board will conduct a self-assessment in February using the governance policy document as a guide.

Discussions on Rev. Denise's Contract

- A small task force comprised of Jesse Spencer-Smith (Treasurer) and Claire Stanton (At-Large) will meet with Rev. Denise to discuss potential updates to her contract for the next fiscal year. These early discussions allow time to finalize details aligned with the budget by March/April.

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Auction 2024 Volunteer Coordinator Needed! Come to Auction Brainstorm Session to Learn More!

AUCTION BRAINSTORMING SESSION

Come to GNUUC on Sunday, January 28, from 12:45 - 1:30 PM for an Auction brainstorming session.

New and previous auction planners - join us!

We need many different strengths in our Auction team: volunteers to plan the silent and live auction, volunteers to organize food, volunteers to organize entertainment, volunteers to help with marketing, and volunteers in charge of decorations.

This year we are specifically looking for an Auction Volunteer Coordinator, who can oversee the volunteers and keep us all on schedule. Kristin has limited time this Spring and can specifically help with the Live auction only, however, is willing to train you!

Questions? Contract Kristin R.

About the Auction

At GNUUC, the Auction is more than just a fundraiser. We decorate, have food and entertainment, and have a great time!

This year’s Auction date and theme will be set by the Auction Planning Team. It is usually in late March or April.

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January's Share the Plate: SAFPAW - Southern Alliance for People and Animal Welfare

Our January Share the Plate partner is the Southern Alliance for People and Animal Welfare. SAFPAW is a non-profit organization serving Davidson County by improving the quality of life for people and pets in need. SAFPAW provides free pet food, supplies, and veterinary care to pet owners who are homeless or living at or below the poverty level, and so much more.

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November 15, 2023: Board Meeting Summary

Lease with the New Leaf Preschool: The members discussed updates regarding the proposed use of the RE Building by New Leaf. This continues to move forward appropriately. It was proposed that liaisons be appointed from the congregation and New Leaf, with Rev. Denise potentially being the representative from the congregation, as she was already in contact with the school.

Share the Plate Conversation: As part of her monthly report to the Board, Rev. Denise briefed the board on the pastoral care issues related to conversations about the November Share the Plate partner.

Parking Lot Concerns: We discussed the few incident reports regarding the parking lot. These discussions were focused on addressing the challenges posed by the parking lot's location and its potential attractiveness as a secluded spot. Solutions such as improved lighting and security measures were discussed, but the consensus was that we are doing all that is appropriate at the moment. Non-police intervention will continue to be used, with police intervention used as appropriate.

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Sat., Nov. 11: UUA Southern Region - Tennessee Cluster Event in Nashville RSVP by Thursday, Nov. 9

Tennessee Unitarian Universalists are invited to attend an in-person Tennessee Cluster Gathering on November 11th, from 12:30 PM to 4:00 PM Central Time, at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville. We hope you'll join us!

Learn more about the schedule of events, workshops offered, AND register/RSVP here: https://uua.wufoo.com/forms/me4asnb1xqj5fu/. Download a shareable flyer here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FKSaesBphRKgNcw4ARlUoGhTMenR6UQD. Please share this information with your congregation's members.

Advance registration is required - please RSVP using the registration form link above to let us know if you plan to attend! Registration will close on November 9th.

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Sat., Nov. 4, 2023: Join Rev. Dr. Pederson on an Exploration of Nashville Labyrinths

Nashville is home to many labyrinths. Come join us as we explore two of them on Saturday, November 4. We will begin with a classical-style labyrinth located at Glendale United Methodist Church, meeting there at 10 am. Then we will travel to a Medieval style labyrinth located at Scarritt Bennett. 

Those who purchased this event at the 2023 Auction and have not attended can attend for free. Suggested ticket donation for others is $12 to GNUUC. Please RSVP to Rev. Michelle P.

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Metro Power Planning Training this Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023

NOAH will be holding a special "Power Planning Training" this Saturday, Oct. 28, from 10 AM to 3 PM, at West End United Methodist Church (2200 West End Ave). Lunch will be provided. All are welcome! 

This training will dive deep into one-on-ones -- and also look at specific ways to take action to win on the issues that were identified by the NOAH congregations and groups. These are the fundamentals of organizing and extremely useful for where NOAH is right now. There will be specific breakouts for Affordable Housing, Education, Criminal Justice, and Economic-Equity-and-Transportation.  

Please come and be with us!  Register ahead of time at bit.ly/metro-power-plan, so there will be enough materials and food!    

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Board Meeting Summary for October 18, 2023

- Claire will send a list of small congregations in nearby states to Carol to potentially reach out to about governance models. The goal is to learn how other small congregations operate and make decisions. 

- A New Leaf preschool representative visited to view the rental space for a potential lease. Discussions are ongoing. 

- A job description was created for hiring a bookkeeper on a contract basis for around 7 hours per month. The board approved hiring someone and will use contingency funds to pay them.

- The board agreed to spend the last 5 minutes of each meeting reviewing and approving a summary of the meeting to be shared with the congregation. This will be sent to Kris for the weekly eblast and also printed for the bulletin board. 

- The board reviewed the monthly finance reports. Pastoral care funds may need to be supplemented given low remaining balance. A bookkeeper will be paid from contingency funds, not added to the budget.

- The healthy congregations team currently includes Jane Spears and Gene Bryant. Reverend Denise works with the team.

- The board formally created a 2 person task force of Caren Spencer Smith and Reverend Denise to continue the dialogue on assessment.

- There was discussion around a UUA request for assistance for a program to support transgender individuals traveling through Nashville. Reverend Denise will inform the congregation of this opportunity.

Overall, the meeting focused on improving transparency through posting board meeting summaries, making progress on important administrative needs like hiring a bookkeeper, and having generative discussions to support the congregation's mission and needs.

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Welcome to Children's RE - Join Us!

Welcome to Children’s RE in Fall 2023! This year, some Sundays are multi-generational services, some Sundays are “Wiggle Room” Sundays, and once a month we have “Soul Matters” Children’s religious education for children and youth.

We hope to see you!

We will offer 2 classes:

11 AM - noon: Rainbow Kids: PreK to 6th: Taught by Tina with Gina. This class will use Soul Matters Elementary curricula.

11 AM - 1 PM: Coming of Age Youth: Teens: Facilitated by Kristin with Nathaniel B. This class will use Soul Matter’s Becoming Coming of Age curricula. Youth will start in class and then break for potluck, bringing their lunch back into class. In later sessions mentors will join us for lunch!

For a monthly calendar click Read More. To ask questions? Contact Kristin R. at kristin.reveal@gnuuc.org.

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This Sunday, October 29: Heritage Celebration: Potluck, Community Activity, Build Room In The Inn Lunches

Sunday, October 29 is going to be a spectacular Sunday for us to gather together, in person, at GNUUC at 11 a.m. CT. All ages are welcome.

We are planning a community event to celebrate our UU Heritage. Events include a community activity, a service activity building Room in the Inn lunches, and a heritage potluck.

For the heritage potluck - bring dishes that are special to your family. If you are moved, include a title and/or description along with your dish.

For the service project - bring items to help us build Room In The Inn lunches - click Read More to see who has volunteered to bring what and additional needed items. Email Kristin R if you can contribute more!

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