NOAH in a Nutshell

Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH) is an anti-racist, inter-faith coalition of congregations, community organizations, and labor unions (around 70 member organizations). We aim to amplify the power of ordinary people so that their voices are heard in the public arena. GNUUC is a founding member of NOAH.

NOAH is a member of Gamaliel, a national network of local organizations committed to building political power by uniting people of different races and faiths.

NOAH engages ordinary people in the political and economic decisions affecting their lives, acting as a unified voice for the faith and justice community to act on its values in the public arena. NOAH does not endorse political candidates but gets them to endorse our issues agenda, and pledge to work with NOAH if they are elected.

Currently, NOAH has four task forces, selected at its most recent Issues Convention: Affordable Housing; Education; Economic Equity, Jobs, and Transportation; and Transformational Justice. Additionally, there are three working groups: the Faith Leaders Caucus, made up of clergy members, Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE), which engages with voters about the issues they care about, and, more recently, the Immigrant Rights Campaign, which has partnered with The Remix to provide Know Your Rights trainings, among other things.

This month, our Share the Plate partner is The Remix Way.

The Remix Way is a Middle Tennessee community organization rooted in justice, solidarity, and the belief that another world is not only possible — it is already taking shape among us. They describe their work as sacred: not bound to any creed, but grounded in the conviction that justice, dignity, and collective care are deeply holy realities.

Their mutual aid work meets neighbors in their most urgent moments — providing financial assistance to families facing eviction, job loss, or medical crisis, as well as care boxes filled with groceries, diapers, hygiene items, and handwritten notes of encouragement. Monthly community markets called Mercaditos create space for families to sell homemade foods and goods, keeping resources circulating within the community itself.

Beyond direct aid, The Remix Way builds power from the ground up — through Know Your Rights trainings, neighbor-to-neighbor canvassing, and teaching community members how to document and advocate against injustices they experience in local courts and government. When communities name concerns that require broader action, The Remix Way shows up — with phone banks, petitions, public comments, and protests.

And right now, through their Flip-A-County project, they are partnering with allies across Middle Tennessee to resist the spread of 287(g) agreements between ICE and local law enforcement — work that is both urgent and courageous.

As we reflect this month on the theme of Paying Attention, we are invited to support an organization that refuses to look away — one that pays close, compassionate attention to those pushed to the margins and organizes alongside them toward healing and shared power. Their mission and our UU values speak the same language.

We invite you to give generously to Share the Plate with The Remix Way.

The Mental Health Cooperative was founded in 1993 with a bold mission to provide community-based care for adults with serious mental illnesses. We united three essential services — Urban Case Management, Continuous Treatment Team, and the Mobile Crisis Team — into one coordinated model focused on access, dignity, and real outcomes.”

The Kitchen's supply of containers used for take-home leftovers is depleted. Please return containers you have used to take leftover food home, or donate any extras that you don't need. Bring them on Sundays and drop off at the Kitchen.

Our January Share the Plate partner is Side with Love, the organizing strategy team of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Side With Love confronts exclusion, oppression, and violence rooted in identity. With the goal of building Beloved Community, they pursue social change through advocacy, public witness, and solidarity with those whose lives are publicly demeaned.

Through education, organizing, and collective action, Side With Love supports work for democracy, climate justice, racial and immigration justice, and LGBTQIA+ and gender justice—reminding us that these struggles are deeply connected, and that lasting change happens when we act together, grounded in love.

Side With Love has also supported our wider Tennessee UU community, including a recent grant that helped make the TUUCAN Fall Flock in Nashville possible.

We invite you to give generously today as a way of choosing, together, to Side With Love.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is dedicated to ensuring equitable access to the food and resources people in our community need to thrive. For nearly 50 years, we have welcomed our neighbors with radical hospitality, empowering them to live free from the daily burden of food insecurity. We prioritize innovation and remain committed to sustainability as we strive for a future where everyone is food secure, and no food is wasted.

GNUUC Women’s Group has provided requested toys, games, books, weighted blankets, etc. to the new Children and Youth ER Psychiatric unit at the Mental Health Cooperative in Nashville. 

The need for mental health services for children is urgent and growing.  Left untreated, mental health disorders can cause severe and long-lasting problems

We hope to make this an on-going service project and will inform the congregation of future opportunities. 

This October, GNUUC’s Sharing the Plate partner is Room In The Inn. The program provides safe shelter, warm meals, and fellowship for our neighbors struggling with homelessness during the coldest months of the year.

This year, we will continue to host overnight guests as part of RITI’s Winter Shelter program. Contact Nathaniel B for more information on volunteering.

White Stork is a US-based, veteran-led critical aid and last mile logistics charity that delivers medical supplies and evacuates civilians from the frontlines in Ukraine. Taking their name from the national bird of Ukraine, their mission is to give every Ukrainian the means to survive. They focus only on Ukraine, assembling and delivering high-quality individual first aid kits to soldiers and civilians. They also provide temporary housing and other forms of humanitarian aid. They do not provide any weapons or ammunition. 

Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a nonpartisan educational and advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the separation of religion and government as the only way to ensure freedom of religion, including the right to believe or not believe, for all. Please donate to Americans United through Share the Plate in July, defending freedom of religion, and freedom of belief.

Please help us by bringing bottled water to church during July.  We will deliver to the Nashville Rescue Mission.  If you have a large vehicle and can help with delivery, please let us know. Please put the water bottles on the table at the back of the Fellowship hall.

On Sunday, June 15, members from FUUN joined GNUUC for Music Sunday. More than 100 people attended in person, and over 30 attended online! After the service, refreshments were shared in the Fellowship Hall. This event was a great success for both congregations, and we look forward to more co-hosted events in the future.

Click Read More to see pictures of Music Sunday.

The GNUUC Board held its monthly meeting on June 18, with members gathering via Zoom to discuss congregational matters and plan for the future.

Financial Update

Treasurer Jesse Spencer-Smith reported excellent financial news. The congregation exceeded budget projections with pledge income at 110% and plate income at 131% of budgeted amounts. The positive financial position will allow GNUUC to prepay next year's UUA Annual Fund contribution ($6,600) and add $2,000 to the building capital fund for future AC unit replacements.

Annual Meeting Reflection

Board members reflected on the recent annual meeting, acknowledging that some discussions became heated, particularly around budget matters. The board identified key learnings:

-Share the budget with congregants well before the annual meeting to allow time for questions and discussion
-Implement regular "meet your board member" opportunities during Sunday announcements
-Better prepare congregants for productive participation through resources like the "Be Prepared, Be Kind" guide to annual meetings

Contract to Call Update

Claire S. reported on the Contract to Call Task Force progress. The team is working to schedule a meeting with UUA representative Christine Purcell to clarify next steps. 

Looking Ahead

Board Retreat: Scheduled for Saturday, August 30, 9 AM - 2 PM at Jesse S-S's home.

Shared Ministry: Rev. Denise will provide updates during Shared Ministry meetings about her ministerial activities to help congregants better understand the breadth of her work.

Appreciation

The board expressed deep gratitude to outgoing members Tina and Carol for their years of dedicated service and welcomed new members Nathaniel B. and Gabby to their roles. A special congregational meeting to officially elect Gabby to the board was scheduled for August 24, following the Sunday service.

The meeting concluded with members feeling optimistic about GNUUC's financial health and committed to improving communication and processes for the congregation's continued growth.

The Belonging Fund was established by the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Conexión Americas, and Tennessee Justice For Our Neighbors, in conjunction with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and will be used to support families impacted by civil immigration enforcement operations in Middle Tennessee that began on May 4, 2025, and are ongoing. This fund will be responsive and evolving to the community's needs as determined by the founding organizations and will be flexible to adjust to the shifting policy landscape. 

This month we are honored to share our offering with Free Hearts, a Tennessee-based organization led by formerly incarcerated women. Rooted in Nashville, Free Hearts works to support and reunite families impacted by incarceration through education, advocacy, and grassroots organizing.

In partnership with the National Bail Out collective, Free Hearts is participating in the 2025 campaign to free as many Black mothers and caregivers as possible in time for Mother’s Day—offering not only release, but reunion, dignity, and healing.

Free Hearts also leads Nashville’s Participatory Defense Hub, a powerful community initiative where families and loved ones come together each week to learn about the court system and advocate for justice. Since 2017, these efforts have resulted in more than 1,100 years of incarceration avoided—a testament to the transformative power of collective care and resistance.

Your generosity today helps Free Hearts continue this vital work: reuniting families, shifting power within the criminal legal system, and imagining a world where love and liberation prevail.

To learn more about Free Hearts, visit https://freeheartsorg.com/.

This year’s banquet will again take place at the Boone Center at Trevecca Nazarene University, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Charlane Oliver, District 19 Senator in the Tennessee legislature, will be our keynote speaker. Tickets may be purchased here. The deadline is MAY 15 for ticket purchase. GNUUC folks can share a table. For information about NOAH and some of its recent accomplishments, opportunities to purchase ads in the banquet program, as well as different levels of sponsorship, click here.

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee currently includes Nathanael R (past-president), Caren S-S, Ryan D, Gina A, and Elizabeth M. The committee faces a challenge finding a President from among the congregation, and board members are encouraged to consider suggestions.

Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, May 18th. The board voted to move their regular meeting from May 21st to Wednesday, May 14th to prepare for the Annual Meeting.

Budget Draft

Draft budget was discussed, but will be finalized after all pledges forms are returned. 

The meeting concluded with appreciation for the successful auction fundraiser, which exceeded expectations.

The American Civil Liberties Union originated in 1920 as a response to the Palmer raids, in which thousands of people were arrested without warrants or regard to constitutional protections against unlawful search and seizure, then brutally treated and held in horrible conditions before deportation. The ACLU today is the nation's largest public interest law firm, with a 50-state network of staffed, autonomous affiliate offices. It appears before the United States Supreme Court more than any other organization except the U.S. Department of Justice. About 500 ACLU staff attorneys collaborate with about 2,000 volunteer attorneys in handling close to 2,000 cases annually.

Mark your calendars now for NOAH’s annual banquet on May 29 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. This year’s banquet will again take place at the Boone Center at Trevecca Nazarene University, with Charlene Oliver, District 19 Senator in the Tennessee legislature, as keynote speaker. More details to come. Watch this space!

The picnic is on May 17 and runs from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Please see Bonnie G. to select a two-hour period in which you would be willing to help out. We will have GNUUC brochures to hand out and encourage guests to come check us out!