“Zen pretty much comes down to three things–
everything changes; everything is connected; pay attention.” 
–Jane Hirshfield

Beloveds–

I seem to be in full-on startup mode these days: August is flying by with auction events, worship services, first meetings of the church year, and plans, plans, plans for all sorts of things. I don’t know if wonders will ever cease (Denise G. will answer that for us this Sunday, I hope!), but the making of new plans is pretty much a constant in church life. Perhaps Certainly also in life, generally.

You may have heard that we are experimenting with some new things in governance and programming this church year. Alternating on 4th Sunday of most months, we will add to our time together either a Shared Ministries meeting that includes all of us (between service and lunch, hybrid as long as the service is also) or an invitation to participate in a Listening Circle after lunch (starting around 1:15pm, in person only). 

This Sunday, we will be meeting as the Shared Ministries Council in between the service and lunch. In times past (mostly before I was hired) this council consisted of the chairs of each of the ministry committees/teams in the congregation. During the pandemic, attendance dwindled sharply, and formal meetings were discontinued, with most decisions about programming and ministries being made either informally or in their respective teams (Worship, Children’s Religious Education, Social Justice, for example). These ways of making and implementing decisions have been becoming increasingly more difficult and less satisfying for all involved, so we are going to see what happens if Shared Ministries decisions (How shall we go about embodying our mission and pursuing our vision of ministry this year?) become decisions made by all of us together. 

I know I’ve been saying this for years now, but we are in a liminal time–a time in between the old way of doing things and a new way…in between pre-pandemic and the full-blown understanding of what “post-pandemic” means…in between the last presidential election and the next…in between the first 30 years of GNUUC and the next 30. 

If you feel like preparing reflectively for the meeting, you might refer to Hirshfield’s summary of Zen wisdom: How can we as a faith community address the reality that everything changes, celebrate and nourish the ways in which everything is connected, and pay better attention to all of it and everyone? 

I’m bringing a list of ideas to our Shared Ministries meeting. I hope you bring some, too!

Yours in change, connection, and our best attempts to pay attention,
Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

“To get the full value of joy you must
have someone to divide it with.”
–Mark Twain

Dear Ones–

I found so much joy in last Sunday’s service, remembering and celebrating our congregation’s history, singing and playing together with the choir from First UU, and partaking of a positively sumptuous “potluck” lunch afterwards.

Right this moment: more joy–I am listening to Roger Wiesmeyer practicing for his concert here on Sunday afternoon. (The concert was part of our annual fundraising auction, but if you didn’t snag a ticket last spring, you can pay at the door–details below.) He is also clearly enjoying our piano, for which his parents helped us pay, back in the day–more joy in watching and listening to his joy. It’s going to be a fun concert, and Roger is looking forward to talking with us about the music, too! (For me, good conversation always = yet more joy!)

I hope you’ll choose to spend a good part of Sunday with us. Our Sunday morning service will feature Mark Mohundro, the leader of TN UU’s United–our nascent statewide legislative action network and member of the Tennessee Valley UU Congregation in Knoxville. (More connection = more joy!) As always, potluck lunch to follow. (Feed me = joy)

Yours in the joy of connection, action, and music,
Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold,
it would be a merrier world.” 
–J.R.R. Tolkien

Friends–

In my mind, the line above from Tolkien is an appreciative reference to hobbits, but I think it also describes much of GNUUC’s past and present (and, we hope, future). Our celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the congregation’s founding continues this Sunday, with a visit from the music director (Rev. Wesley King) and choir from our sibling congregation, First UU Nashville, and stories from our members about GNUUC’s people and programming over the years. Our corner of the world will be merrier for your presence, so I hope you’re planning to be with us!

Yours in food and cheer and song,
Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

“Everybody has their sadness. 
And most people are scared of it.” 
–Mary Gaitskill

Dear Ones–

I’m not “supposed” to be back to work until tomorrow, but I missed you and wanted to check in and let you know how glad I’ll be to see you on Sunday! 

The quotation above caught my eye a week or so ago. It made me think about how summer was, for a long time, a season I associated with sadness (there were layers of summertime grief in my youth) and, perhaps, feared a bit–every spring, around May, I would feel agitation or dread creeping up around the edges of my life, no matter what plans or anticipations I had for the upcoming summer. For years, I didn’t even recognize this pattern, and it only stopped once I got to the point of hearing myself say (again) “I don’t like summer,” and deciding that it was time to have a new story about summer. (It took a few more years to outgrow that old story. Some things can’t be rushed.)

Being not-scared of sadness is a powerful tool for being happier, I have discovered, and I have been thinking about this in connection with the stories we tell ourselves about both our individual lives and our collective histories. I’m wondering if (well, to be honest, I’m pretty sure that) being able to experience joy and contentment requires a willingness to experience sadness, or at least not to be shut down by the fear of feeling it.  

Yours in sadness and joy,
Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

“We are all falling, all the time, from 
the half-understood past to the unknowable future. 
The other name for falling without fear is flying.”
–Naomi Alderman, The Future

Beloveds–

I can’t believe June is almost over! Before we get to its end on Sunday, I want to make sure to say these things to you: 

1 - On Sunday, after our service and lunch (which will both be special this week–look for clues below, or just show up and be glad you’re there!), I will be facilitating a Listening Circle (probably around 1:15, probably in the Wiggle Room or Sanctuary). It will last about an hour, and I invite you to come if you’d like to spend some quiet, gentle time reflecting, talking, and listening in good company.

2 - The General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association concluded three days ago. You can read some useful summaries of what happened and results of important votes here (general summary) and here (UUA Bylaws Article 2 Revision). Caren and I attended General Sessions and would be happy to answer questions!

3 - I will be on vacation starting Sunday evening and continuing through the month of July. During that time, if you experience a pastoral emergency and need to talk to a minister, please call or email the church office, and Kris (our favorite administrator) will connect you with one of our wonderful affiliated ministers. 

Over the next few weeks, I will be resting and traveling to visit friends and family, but I will also be thinking of you and looking forward to seeing you in August!

Yours, in expectation and hope,
Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

Dear ones–

This week I am busy convening on Zoom with my UU ministerial colleagues at Ministry Days; yesterday, we had a rich conversation with Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt, the President of the UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association), about which I hope to tell you more later…

The General Assembly of our UU Association of Congregations starts tomorrow. Our congregation has one delegate (besides me). If you are a member and are interested, we can still designate another delegate, and votes matter this year, especially in our work with the revisions to Article 2 of the UUA Bylaws. Please let me know ASAP if you can help (or need more information to make that decision). 

Gotta run now, but I look forward to seeing many of you on Sunday–to share brunch with each other and to share the online UUA General Sunday Worship with our UU siblings  all over the world!

With love, as always,

Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

“This place could be beautiful, right? 
You could make this place beautiful.”
–Maggie Smith, “Good Bones”

Friends–

I’m having a super-busy Wednesday, but it’s also a day full of gratitude for the congregation you have built and invited me to share with you. I love the life we are building together, and I love how all of your contributions make our place and the ways we share it beautiful. 

I hope you are enjoying this mild late spring day. 

In love and gratitude,
Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

“This place is sanctuary, and it is for you.”
– Kathleen McTigue

Beloveds–

Our Soul Matters theme for the month of June is Renewal. I’m thinking this week about how part of GNUUC’s mission is to embody sanctuary and about how necessary access to sanctuary is in seeking renewal. Who can relax, let alone renew themselves–in body, mind, and spirit–when they don’t feel safe?

I’m also thinking about GNUUC’s history of being sanctuary, and I have lots of questions: For GNUUC, what is “this place” now? It’s surely more than just our sanctuary and garden (although that, too, I should hope!). Notably, our “this place” now includes online spaces and email and website. It could include social media, if we decided to work on that. Thinking of our physical spaces, I wonder for whom our campus might be sanctuary. We already share our spaces; who else needs safety and hospitality? Who might be part of the “you” when we say “this place is for you”? What can we do to convey better the sense of sanctuary we want to extend to others? 

Don’t know about you, but this time of year usually finds me “ready for a vacation”, for some time dedicated to personal renewal. And it might be a good time to think ahead to the new church year (which officially starts in July, but really takes off in August) and to start dreaming of how we want to spend it. 

Yours in the hunger for sanctuary and renewal and the longing to share, 

Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org