Sep 14, 2022

 “How could anyone ever tell you you were anything less than beautiful?”

~Libby Roderick

Hello, Beloveds–

This morning has been a near-perfect (or maybe perfect) early fall morning: it’s not too warm out, but not cool enough that one needs to worry about dressing to stay warm; leaves are getting ready to turn, but the trees are still lushly green as they sway in the breeze; my parked car will be a little too warm for comfort when I return to it, but it will cool off so much more quickly than it did last month; and right this moment, clouds are starting to roll in, suggesting we might get a bit of rain to refresh all the plants still growing & ripening in our gardens. Life (mine and yours and ours) has a number of challenges (always), and I am filled with gratitude for the beauty in each of you and in our shared life as a congregation. Just wanted you to know. 

Speaking of our shared congregational life, please do check out the latest news below, and be on the lookout for a future announcement about our postponed worship retreat. The worship team will be offering you a couple of different options for helping us think about how our Sunday services serve our mission. 

Yours in love and faith,

Rev. Denise

Rev. Denise Gyauch
Minister, Greater Nashville UU Congregation
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

 Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

~Mary Oliver

Dear ones–

Lots of wild and precious life going on right now at GNUUC! So much is different from this time last year: I’m not new here anymore, we’re not as limited by worries about COVID-19 as we were, we have survived a few umm.. interesting challenges to our physical spaces and emerged with upgrades and new ideas and closer relationships with some of our neighbors and trust in our abilities to solve problems together.

I’m having fun these days not knowing exactly what our wild and precious church year will look like, but there are a few things on our shared horizon to which I’d like to draw your attention: 

• This Saturday, Mary Early-Zald, whom some of you remember as a ministerial intern at GNUUC, will be ordained in New Jersey. The service will be live-streamed (Youtube & Facebook; find more information below), and it will include a couple of familiar faces.

• Nashville’s Room In The Inn Winter Shelter program will start; will GNUUC participate this year? If yes, we need to identify a coordinator/contact person very soon. See more below…

• The Worship Team is hosting a retreat on Saturday, September 17, to which anyone who cares about Sunday services at GNUUC is invited! Guess where you can read more.

• Nothing to read about this yet, but plans are brewing for a special Sunday service on October 16, to bless and rededicate our campus. It will probably be an in-person only Sunday (no Zoom), so maybe put it on your calendar now. 

• So much more in the announcements this week–take a quick peek.

For now, I’m looking forward to this Sunday–it’s Startup Sunday! The Board will present our 2022-23 Vision of Ministry, Children’s RE (which never really stops) will officially begin for the year, and we will share a potluck lunch. I hope to see you this Sunday. 

Yours in newness and reconnection,

Rev. Denise

Rev. Denise Gyauch

Minister, Greater Nashville UU Congregation

RevDenise@gnuuc.org

Aug 3, 2022

 ‘Tis a gift to be simple; ‘tis a gift to be free.

–Joseph Brackett (19th century Shaker elder)

Dear Ones–

I hope your summer has had a few pockets of simplicity and freedom. Our world, our country, our habitual ways of being human together can sometimes take us very far away from those values cultivated by Shaker communities and much admired by others over the years. What I am coming to realize is that the gifts of being simple and free are not things bestowed upon us by external powers that be; they are possibilities available to us if we take care to recognize, cultivate, and appreciate them. And they don’t generally present themselves in any absolute or perfect form. For example, I am spending much of my summer helping my daughter prepare to leave for college, a project that mostly feels neither simple nor free, but we recently shared a hike in the rain on a familiar and beautiful state park trail that was both. We were mostly alone, the rain didn’t last long, and afterward, we counted hawks in the sky and studied mosses and marveled at the shades of green around us. 

Where are you finding simplicity and freedom in your life? (I’d love to hear if you care to share–email me!)

An administrative note, for this about-to-get-busy August: As our renovation projects are being completed, I expect office hours are going to be irregular over the next few weeks for both me and Kris (our administrator). Please email us or leave a voicemail at the church phone number if you need to reach us. As soon as we settle into this new church year’s “regular” rhythm, we’ll let you know about office hours for the future. 

Glad to be back from vacation, and yours in the search for more of what is simple and free,

Rev. Denise

Rev. Denise Gyauch

Minister, Greater Nashville UU Congregation

RevDenise@gnuuc.org

Jun 29, 2022

 Let’s build what we become when we dream.

~Nikki Giovanni (poet)

Persistence is an expression of faith.

~Rev. Alicia Forde (UU minister)

Beloveds–

I am back from a trip to Portland, Oregon, to attend Ministry Days (a gathering of members of the UU Ministers Association) and the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association (of which GNUUC is a member congregation). It was a long week, full of meetings for business and learning, of seeing old friends/colleagues and nurturing new connections, of leaning into the care of our siblings in faith while receiving difficult news from the wider world, of feeling deep gratitude for the UU communities both local and wide-flung of which I am part. Several GNUUC members participated in General Assembly virtually, and we had fun staying in touch and exchanging thoughts and reactions on Slack; I’m sure you’ll be hearing more from us in coming weeks and months. 

As you may have heard already, I plan to be away from GNUUC for the month of July. I’ll be busy resting and reading and enjoying time with my family. This will be time off work for me (thank you for being a good employer!), which means I will not respond to emails or other messages until August arrives. (Yes, I will miss you! And yes, I am looking forward to some time off!) 

While I am gone, if you need pastoral care, our affiliated ministers will be available for emergencies. If you find yourself with a pastoral need that cannot wait until August, please call the church office (615-673-7699) and leave a voicemail clearly stating that you need pastoral care, plus whatever details you feel comfortable sharing. Kris (our amazing Administrator) will put you in touch with the minister on call. 

Yours in faith and persistence,

Rev. Denise

Rev. Denise Gyauch
Minister, Greater Nashville UU Congregation

RevDenise@gnuuc.org

 For all that is our lives, we sing our thanks and praise!

~Bruce Findlow

Dear Ones–

It’s not official yet, but I’m feeling that summertime is upon us: School is mostly over;  the main business of the church year has been accomplished (thank you for your pledges and your participation in our annual meeting, from which we left with a shiny new budget and Board for next year!); and the GNUUC tradition of Summer Song started last Sunday and promises to be full of so much wisdom and generosity!

Summer also means vacations and traveling and the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association (of which we are a member congregation). This year, delegates and UUA staff and lay leaders and many others will gather in Portland, Oregon, and online to conduct the business of the UUA and to experience the power of gathering, worshipping, and learning with crowds of UUs. I am excited to be traveling to participate in person and looking forward to bringing back new ideas for our life together. 

I am also looking forward to taking some vacation time this summer. In fact, I plan to be away from GNUUC for the month of July. I’ll be busy resting and reading and helping my daughter prepare to begin college at the end of August. It will be a full summer for me, and I appreciate working for a congregation that recognizes the importance of allowing me time to pause, process the year behind us, and prepare for the coming year. Your Board and I are already looking forward to the launch of the 2022-23 church year, with our annual visioning process plus the added bonus of a Startup Workshop (because I am still your “new” minister) with Southern Region staff in August. I can’t wait to see what awaits us!

Thinking about the summer ahead of us, I have two invitations to extend to each of you:

1. If you would like to talk with me sooner rather than later, please reach out now (email works great!) to make an appointment to talk in person, by phone, or online before I go on vacation.

2. If you would like to help with worship over the summer, please reach out to me or to any of the familiar faces you see helping with Sunday services. We have all our speakers lined up for Summer Song, but the worship team can always use more help, whether you are online or in the sanctuary–we need folks to greet congregants, help with readings, even creating slides and choosing music. We would love to help you discover where you can contribute.

No matter how you plan to spend the months ahead, I hope they are full of rest, adventure, and learning, in whatever mix suits you best!

Yours in anticipation and love,

Rev. Denise

Rev. Denise Gyauch

Minister, Greater Nashville UU Congregation

RevDenise@gnuuc.org

May 25, 2022

 Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

~Mary Oliver

Beloveds–

The hillside next to my office window at church has become thickly green over the last few weeks. Looking out, I can now see the sky only in very small patches, and the hawks (there seem to be three living in close proximity to our grounds) I see only when I’m outside. 

Makes me wonder what’s coming next–for the hillside and my view, but also for us. What will summer bring this year? I’m sure it will be different from last year, and after the last few years, I’ve pretty much given up most of my expectations that life will be predictable!

A few things I do anticipate, and I hope you will consider remembering also:

• This Saturday, at 2 p.m., we will gather to celebrate the life of Charles Sumner, along with his family and friends from the wider community. If you are planning to attend, please be sure to brush up on our COVID precautions: bring a mask (or pick one up at the door), take a quick test at home that morning, sign in when you arrive, and be sure to email me (revdenise@gnuuc.org) if you test positive for COVID within a week of attending this or any gathering here.

• This Sunday we will gather, not for a worship service, but for a 5th Sunday service project: working on our own grounds. Look for more information in the Eblast.

• The annual General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association (of which we are a member congregation) will meet in Portland, OR, and online starting on June 22. I plan to travel to Portland to cast my votes as your minister (and also to spend a couple of days with colleagues at the meeting of the UU Ministers Association), but there are also online registration options for our delegates and anyone else who wants to participate in the business meetings and/or workshops, worship services, and other programming. (Questions? Ask me!)

• GNUUC’s famous Summer Song Series begins in June and continues through August 7. Each Sunday service will feature a different person or group of people from within the congregation, offering thoughts of their choice for the general edification of all. It’s an amazing chance to hear from each other and revel in the wisdom and breadth of experience and thought among us!

Finally, I want you to know that I will be away from GNUUC for the month of July. Some of July will be paid time-off for vacation; some will be study leave, during which I read and think in preparation for the coming church year. (Thank you for being a congregation that provides these benefits to your minister.) More information about that to come, but if you’ve been wanting to talk with me (or maybe even meet me for the first time), now is a good time to schedule that. 

For now, I’m looking forward to sharing whatever the rest of the spring brings our way!

Yours in greenness and hope,

Rev. Denise

Rev. Denise Gyauch
Minister, Greater Nashville UU Congregation

RevDenise@gnuuc.org

 Unitarian Universalism is faith in people, 
hope for tomorrow’s child, 
confidence in a continuity that spans all time.
~Edward L. Schempp

Dear ones, hello. I’m thinking of you and hope you are well. 

It feels so long since I have written you a note like this. What a busy spring we have had! We have celebrated spring, had a rollicking good time raising funds at our annual auction, began work on various building projects, are watching things bloom and get very green on our grounds, are about to pause to recognize the graduating seniors among our youth (join us live in person or on Zoom this Sunday for that!) and have been mourning the death and celebrating the lives of congregational elders. (Read the Eblast for details about Charles Sumner’s Celebration of Life service coming up later this month.)

I hope you are enjoying this spring-into-summer time in middle Tennessee (or wherever you are). It’s always a beautiful time of year; this year, there’s something about the overlay of pandemic re-emergence that makes these days feel even more precious for being full of possibilities that we now know (more keenly than we did a few brief years ago) are still (and may always be) fragile. 

As you move through these days of light & green & endings & new beginnings, go gently and remember to pause, breathe, and take it all in. When that “all” seems too much, remember we are here together and together we are big enough to hold it all, perhaps even to celebrate it all. 

Yours in greenness and hope,

Rev. Denise

Rev. Denise Gyauch

Minister, Greater Nashville UU Congregation

RevDenise@gnuuc.org

"Please come to the auction; it will be fun!" ~Rev. Denise

Just that, plus: I really want to see YOU!

March 9, 2022

There’s still time to learn the lessons of winter. ~Alexa Bradley Hulsey

Dear Ones,

How are you this mid-March day? 

I am … feeling hugely grateful–for sunshine and for the beings with whom I share this life–and a little, well, soggy. 

You may or may not have heard, but our church building had a water-logged weekend due to a plumbing problem in one of our restrooms. The restrooms are back in working order, and the remediation company has removed sodden flooring and deployed air movers and dehumidifiers to dry everything else out. GNUUC leaders are busy meeting with the insurance adjuster and getting bids for needed repairs, and things will be put right in time. Fortunately, the sanctuary seems not to have been affected by water–hooray!--and we plan to be able to host hybrid worship, as usual, this coming Sunday. 

For a day or two, as we began sorting out the logistics, I was feeling pretty discouraged. On the very first spring day we were able to enjoy an outdoor worship service, welcome several visitors, and greet congregants we haven’t seen in person in much too long, we also had to wonder if we would have to “go backwards” to online-only worship (because, of course, this being middle TN, it will be cold this weekend!), just as we’re finding spring energy for planning church events and being able to gather in larger numbers. 

This morning, in my inbox, I found a very wise blog post from my acupuncturist. It’s a reflection on the beginning of spring in middle Tennessee, but it points to a bit of wisdom about the nature of change and growth that helps me embrace what is here now with a little less worry and impatience for what is coming next. You might like it, too: Winter

Yours in all the weather–outside or in,

Rev. Denise

Rev. Denise Gyauch
Minister, Greater Nashville UU Congregation
RevDenise@gnuuc.org