When someone experiences hospitality and safety and a feeling of belonging, they experience sanctuary. ~ Charles Strobel, founding director

In October, GNUUC shares our plate with Room In The Inn, celebrating 40 years of hospitality to Nashville's unhoused neighbors. This winter, GNUUC once again hosts overnight guests through RITI's Winter Shelter program, offering dinner, breakfast, and a sack lunch for the road. Year-round, RITI provides showers, laundry, mail, legal and ID clinics, recuperative care, and pathways to permanent housing, along with Hope University's education and workforce programs. Please give generously!

How to give
Each Share the Plate gift is divided evenly: half supports the current Share the Plate recipient, and half supports GNUUC's general fund. To direct your gift to Share the Plate, use the keyword "share":

In the Sanctuary: cash or check in a provided envelope (memo: share)
Online: visit nashvilleuu.org/donate, then click Give to and choose the "Give to Share the Plate" fund
By text: text 615-246-5553 with "[Amount] share" (example: $50 share)
By mail: GNUUC, 374 Hicks Road, Nashville, TN 37221 (memo: share)

For more than a year, millions of people have come together to reject the idea that power belongs to kings, billionaires, or politicians who believe they are above the people and the law.

Now, we are taking the next step, turning people power into voter power. Unlike previous No Kings actions, No Kings: Vote Early, is not purely a protest. Instead, on October 17th, it's a day of nonpartisan voter participation: we are bringing our community together to make a plan to vote early and ensuring every eligible voter understands their options for how to vote and has the opportunity to make their voice heard.

To volunteer, text 732-804-4422
To Participate https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/1039863/

Join Us at the Bellevue No Kings: Vote Early! Day of Action

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10 AM - Noon

Location: Bellevue Red Caboose Park

Focus: Nonpartisan voter participation, early voting plans, and community engagement ahead of the November midterm election.

Goal: ensure every eligible voter knows their options, has a clear voting plan, and is ready to vote early.

There will be sign holding along 70S followed by a rally with speakers, and then a march to Bellevue Library to vote.

Questions? Contact Mir S.

Join us on for Game Night! Bring your favorite board game to share.

All ages are welcome.

Questions? Contact Ryan / Kristin

In 2024, Nashville Americans United for Separation of Church and State brought you BAD FAITH: CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM’S UNHOLY WAR ON DEMOCRACY.

Now Nashville AU and Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood bring you BAD FAITH: 2026 CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM IN POWER, which chronicles Christian Nationalism during Trump’s second term, expanding on the original film’s examination of the movement’s anti-democratic influence. The implementation of Project 2025 has accelerated a full-scale assault on government—gutting the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, tearing apart public education, social programs and health care, and purging federal workers to replace them with political loyalists.

Presentation will be followed by a Q & A.

ALL ARE WELCOME
Tickets are free https://givebutter.com/bad-faith-2026-riverside_commons
Donations are welcome.

ICE & DHS are taking our land & building a call center facility for law enforcement agencies to expedite their cruel, harmful, and costly mass deportations across the nation! 

Sign the Petition!

We held the Public Meeting on Sunday, but we are just getting started with the action!

People with expertise and those with lived experience in the areas of Public Safety Accountability, Tax Equity (consumers vs. billionaires), and Immigration Rights made it clear that we have to take action at the Metro Courthouse, at the State Capitol, in the Streets, and at the polls. When we do, we will ensure that "NO ONE GETS LEFT BEHIND THIS TIME!" 

Watch the video of the Public Meeting here.

Voter Hub Events in NOAH!

The Big Call to Action at NOAH's Public Meeting was to get involved in our "Voter Hub" work ahead of this year's Mid-Term elections. 

Several NOAH congregations, including Lee Chapel AME, St. Vincent DePaul, Edgehill UMC, Greater Bethel AME, Glendale UMC, Howard Congregational, Zion Missionary Baptist and Gordon Memorial UMC, are building power to educate and encourage all voters to head to the polls on November 3!  

You should join them! Please review the flyers below, scan the QR code and show up to one of our Voter Hub events this fall.

Last weekend, Rev. Denise, Caren S-S, Kristin R., Nancy C., and Zenith V. traveled to Memphis for the TN UU Solidarity Summit, joining Unitarian Universalists from across the state for a weekend of learning, worship, and community.

Highlights included author Emily Yellin sharing stories from her memoir with Rev. James Lawson Jr., workshops on protest safety and community organizing, and presentations from MICAH, Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, and Young, Gifted, and Green. The weekend closed with Rep. Justin Pearson at the National Civil Rights Museum.

Read Kristin's full reflection for more details and ways to get involved, including attending the NOAH Public Meeting this Sunday, September 27 at 3 PM, and participating in the Unitarian Universalists X Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi GOTV Phone Bank on October 8th, from 12-1 CT on Zoom.

Do you know about Amendment 1?

Changes to Tennessee's bail system will be on the ballot this election, and the Wren Collective wants you to know about them!

Join NOAH as we attend this critical public meeting tomorrow night, September 24, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

RSVP here.

We've moved the piano generously donated by Roger W. into the Fellowship Hall.

This means we now need to find a good home for the piano that was previously there. This piano has been kept up-to-date with tuning and has been a great practice piano for the choir.

It is free to anyone who can come pick it up!

If you or someone you know is interested, please contact gnuuc@gnuuc.org.

On Sunday, September 27 at 3 pm, NOAH will hold our annual public meeting “No One Left Behind This Time” at Riverside Seventh Day Adventist Church.

This is an opportunity to build community power around public safety accountability, closing corporate tax loopholes, and ending ICE overreach. This meeting will have expert speakers, lived-experience speakers, and direct actions you can immediately take to create an impact in your community. Let’s stand up together as Nashvillians to make sure that no one gets left behind whether at a traffic stop, a grocery line, or a detention camp.

Register here.

For more background on the issues, click here.

GNUUC is a founding member organization of NOAH, so let’s turn out for this meeting!

ICE & DHS are taking our land & building a call center facility for law enforcement agencies to expedite their cruel, harmful, and costly mass deportation across the nation!

Join Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition at Metro Nashville City Council on Tuesday, September 15th to speak out against the cruelty, surveillance, and stopping the development of a national immigration call center. 

A New Whole Church Curriculum for Greater Nashville UU!

This year, GNUUC is moving from Soul Matters to a new curricular series from the UUA called Woven Faith. We're excited to be part of its inaugural pilot year!

Woven Faith is built on a simple idea: the congregation is the curriculum. Rather than treating faith formation as something that happens only in a classroom, Woven Faith weaves a shared monthly theme through every part of congregational life — worship, religious education, small groups, fellowship, and justice work alike. Wherever you find your place in our community this year, you'll find the same thread running through it.

Each month centers on one of our UU shared values. This year's themes are:

September — Interdependence
October — Living the Questions
November — Covenant
December — Pluralism
January — Courageous Love
February — Equity
March — Transformation
April — Generosity
May — Expressing Our Faith
June — Justice

September’s Theme: Interdependence

We're kicking things off in September with Interdependence — the recognition that our lives, our choices, and our well-being are bound up with one another and with the wider world. You'll see this theme show up throughout September: in worship, in our small groups, in the Fellowship Hall, and beyond. We hope you'll find your own thread to add to the weaving.

NOAH is working with Tennessee for All on Ending the Grocery Tax. Please join us on Wednesday, September 16 at Scarritt-Bennett to learn more!

We're excited to come together to participate in The 34th Nashville AIDS Walk & 5K Run, a fundraiser supporting Nashville CARES. Our collective passion for this cause drives us, and we need your support to make a difference! Every donation—big or small—helps us reach our fundraising goal and directly impacts this important cause.

Here's how you can help:

Donate: Contribute whatever you can. Every dollar counts!

Spread the Word: Share our Greater Nashville UU fundraising page with your friends, family, and social networks. Let’s spread awareness so we can raise more!

How to Donate

Help Greater Nashville UU raise funds to support the critical mission of Nashville CARES. Our goal this year is to raise over $500! Here are ways to donate:

Most members of the congregation will be giving to Nashville CARES through the regular Share the Plate fundraiser. You can donate via Breeze to “Share the Plate”, or by paper check, made out to “GNUUC”, with “Share the Plate” in the memo. 50% of your donation will go to our Greater Nashville UU fundraising pageand 50% of your donation will go to the GNUUC general fund.

On the other hand, if you can contribute $100 or more, your generous donation will go 100% to our Greater Nashville UU fundraising page. If you want your donation to be in memory of someone, please let us know.

Thank you so much for your support! We couldn’t do this without you!

Pre-Release of Bad Faith: 2026 Christian Nationalism in Power

The Reverend Dr. William Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, and other faith leaders warn that the implementation of Project 2025 has accelerated a full-scale assault on government— gutting the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, tearing apart public education, social programs and health care.

Darkhorse Theatre
4610 Charlotte Ave
Nashville, TN 37209

An installation is the congregational act of formally entering into shared ministry with their professional minister. Offering and accepting a call to parish ministry is a life-changing event that gives us the opportunity to embody our Unitarian Universalist history and theology in a meaningful way. 

Rev. Denise Gyauch joined Greater Nashville Unitarian Universalist Congregation as a contracted minister in the Fall of 2021 as we started to meet again in person after the pandemic. During these years together, our congregation has grown and become more grounded. Earlier this year, our congregation held a vote to call Rev. Denise as our settled minister.  

We invite everyone to participate in the preparation of the installation service and join us that day as we celebrate this important milestone for GNUUC, our third permanently called minister in our 34 year history.

Rev. Denise's Installation Service is Saturday, September 26, 2–4 PM — and we need your help to make it happen!

Join the Installation Service Planning Meeting on Sunday, August 30, 1–2 PM in the Sanctuary to sign up and help shape the celebration.

A catered reception from 615 Chutney follows the service in the Fellowship Hall.

Many roles are already filled — marshal, service leader, Zoom host, buffet coordinator, order of service — and we're still looking for greeters, ushers, childcare for the wiggle room, flower providers, offering counters, buffet support, room setup on September 20, and cleanup. For more details about roles needed, see Installation Service Planning Meeting.

Come to the meeting, or reach out to Rev. Denise, Kristin R., or Jesse S-S. if there's a specific role you'd like.

The UUA's Worship Arts team is launching Worship Well, a new program for lay worship leaders — and because GNUUC is an Honor Congregation this year, it costs us nothing.

Five monthly Zoom gatherings, late August through November, focused on building confidence, trading ideas, and connecting with UUs across the country. Each 75-minute session includes small-group conversation, with an optional 15 minutes afterward for our own team to talk through what we've learned. Come to as many as your schedule allows.

Sessions meet 4:15–5:30 p.m. Central on August 31, September 28, October 14 (a Wednesday), October 26, and November 30.

Have you led worship here, or wondered what it would be like? This is a warm place to grow into it. Take a look at the sample session, then let Rev. Denise know by Wednesday, August 19.

Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE) Phone Banking

Next action: Saturday, August 8th, 1pm-2:30pm

Register for location info!

We are calling inactive voters because we believe our vote is our voice, and we all deserve to be heard.

Join NOAH’s IVE team to get out the vote in targeted Nashville neighborhoods, because TN is Home!

RSVP for 8/8 Phonebanking

NOAH August Monthly Meeting

Next Tuesday, August 11th, 6:30pm @ First UU Nashville

Cricut Makerspace Party for 12 – A Creative Afternoon of DIY Fun!

Date: August 29, 2026

Time: 1:30 - 3:30 PM

Location: Greater Nashville UU Congregation, 374 Hicks Road, Nashville, TN 37221

Donation: $25

Spots Available: 8

Get ready to unleash your creativity at the Cricut Makerspace Party, hosted by The Reveals, The Baileys, and Gina Achtmann! Whether you're a crafting pro or a total beginner, this hands-on workshop is your chance to design and print custom items using state-of-the-art Cricut printers.

What’s Included:

Expert guidance from Lindyne & Eddie, Kristin & Nathanael, and Gina, who will bring their Cricut machines.

Personalized design assistance – create your own custom item!

All materials for printing.

A fun, creative atmosphere with fellow DIY enthusiasts!

We'll vote: Should we print cards, T-shirt Iron-Ons, Stickers, or mugs? Several options will be available due to supplies.

Sign up now for a spot at this exclusive crafting experience! Whether you’re making a one-of-a-kind gift or a fun keepsake, this event promises an afternoon of creativity, laughter, and hands-on fun.

Contact: Kristin R.