Dear Members and Friends,

Every April, in preparation for our annual meeting in May, we ask members and friends to clearly communicate their intentions for sharing money with the congregation in the upcoming fiscal year (July 2026-June 2027). If you’ve been with us recently, you have (we hope!) noticed that together we are growing and doing exciting things: 

Welcoming new and returning visitors alongside familiar faces to Sunday services. 

Adding new members at a steady pace, 

In the process of calling our minister to settled ministry, gathering to assess our shared ministry and identifying areas of strength and stability.

Sharing space with a forest preschool, which provides a budgetary boost and uses our outdoor and indoor spaces more fully and for purposes aligned with our values, 

Co-hosting a statewide meeting of UUs organizing for justice work (TUUCAN).

Offering religious education for folks of all ages, like Climate Justice Workshops, UU Compass, and ever-ready Sunday volunteers to be with children of visiting families.

Enjoying social time together: Sunday potlucks, special events like our recent auction, Saturday afternoons and evenings devoted to workshops, trivia, movies, and games.

Last year, this letter invited us collectively “to stretch our imaginations and capacities to become people who build community and speak truth, for ourselves and for others.” One year later, we are experiencing sustained growth and stability; our imagination and capacity continue to fuel our justice work. Here is the question each of us and all of us together must answer this spring as we make plans for next year:

"What feels possible that didn't feel possible a year ago?"

Since GNUUC’s beginning over 30 years ago, we have relied on the sustained attention and generosity of members and friends. Once again, each of us has the opportunity to support our congregation’s health and in turn help heal the world. People these days need encouragement, and as a healthy, growing faith community, we are needed in Nashville and beyond. YOU are needed, now more than ever! 

Let’s discover what is possible for us. Individually, let’s consider what we can realistically share financially. (Please imagine stretching, but stretch within your capacity!) Together, who knows all the possibilities, but we will discover them in good company. Visit our Online Pledge Card or turn in a physical card on Sundays. The pledge drive runs through April 19, 2026.

Still yours in gratitude and generosity,

Rev. Denise Gyauch (Minister) and Jesse Spencer-Smith (Stewardship Drive Chair)

Greeters Needed! Would you like to be a Sunday morning greeter? It's an easy and fun way to contribute your time to the congregation! If you're interested, simply show up at 10:45 any Sunday and find Lisa G. — she'll review the guidelines with you and greet alongside you your first time. If we can get 7 more interested people, we can each be assigned one Sunday per month to volunteer. Questions? Contact Lisa G.

TUUCAN Representative We are actively recruiting a representative to TUUCAN — the Tennessee Unitarian Universalist Community Action Network. Meetings are held on the 3rd Saturday of each month at 10 AM via Zoom. Last month's meeting featured guest speaker Makaela Webb of Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood (TAPP), who spoke about the state of reproductive rights in Tennessee and TAPP's legislative priorities during the current General Assembly session. Your only responsibility would be to attend the monthly meeting and write a brief summary for the e-blast, which will also be posted on the bulletin board.

UU the Vote: Igniting Solidarity, Reimagining Democracy On March 25, Side with Love launched UU the Vote: Igniting Solidarity, Reimagining Democracy! This initiative honors the work UUs have done over the last six years protecting democracy and combatting fascism, introduces partners from around the country, and unveils the resources, programs, and tactics we'll be focusing on in 2026. Caren S-S has generously volunteered to watch the launch recording and write up a summary to keep our congregation informed on what's ahead. If you are interested in learning more, visit UU the Vote.

NEW: Rev. Denise and UU leaders across the state have been meeting with UU the Vote staff to start planning a Solidarity Summit in Tennessee (probably in September); stay tuned for details of this opportunity to gather with our UU siblings from across the state for fellowship and training in preparation to defend democracy in our very own state!

General Assembly Banner Great news! Linda B. is working on designing a General Assembly banner for us to use this year — stay tuned for more details!

Join us Saturday, April 25 from 10 AM–2 PM for our Climate Justice Workshop as we continue our work on the UU Green Sanctuary 2030 program — building toward a sustainable and just world for all.

The Four Essentials of Climate Action that guide this work are:

Mitigation — Reducing emissions from energy usage, transportation, waste, and consumption

Congregational Transformation — Working together to improve the ways we organize and collaborate

Community Resilience — Cultivating communities of care to prepare for and respond to climate disruption

Justice — Partnering with those most harmed by climate change to build thriving communities

This month we'll continue exploring Mitigation and begin diving into Congregational Transformation.

You do not need to have attended previously — everyone is welcome!

Lunch will be provided. To help us plan, sign up at Sunday lunch, or email Kristin at kristin.reveal@gnuuc.org with any dietary restrictions. Or simply show up on Saturday!

To learn more about the Green Sanctuary Program, visit: https://www.uua.org/environment/green-sanctuary

AI for Good (good for you, good for the congregation, good for the community). You can use AI right now, and we'll show you how.

More importantly, we'll show you how to use AI to make a real difference in this congregation, and in the community.

Bring a laptop if you have one, or your phone.

No technical background needed--EVERYONE WELCOME.

Date: April 26

Time: 12:45-1:45 Workshop, 1:45-2:45 Work Session.

Facilitator: Jesse S-S.

Greater Nashville UU Congregation has a booth at the Bellevue Picnic on May 16th. We need volunteers to sign-up to staff our booth! Ryan D. is donating some great swag to hand out as well. Thank you, Ryan!

Booth Details

Exhibit hours are 11 AM - 6 PM. We’ll need a Setup team and Shutdown team as well.

Sign up with organizer Caren S-S during lunch in April. Also, join the Slack Channel #bellevue_picnic.

Bellevue Picnic Details

Date: May 16, 2026
Hours: 11 AM - 9:30 PM
Location: 655 Colice Jean Road, Nashville, TN 37221

The Bellevue Community Picnic is an annual festival managed by the Bellevue Harpeth Chamber of Commerce. Join us for live music and engaging entertainment for the entire family, an amazing variety of food trucks, carnival rides, inflatable attractions, exhibitors, and businesses, plus an incredible fireworks display.

Since its founding, TIRRC has grown from an informal network of community leaders into one of the most diverse and effective coalitions of its kind, a model for immigrant rights organizations in the Southeast and throughout the United States. TIRRC’s vision is a stronger, more inclusive Tennessee where people of all nationalities, immigration statuses, and racial identities can belong and thrive.

Tennessee has a rapidly growing immigrant population, and while these communities bring vibrancy and value to our state, they don’t always have access to the same opportunities as their neighbors. For this reason, in 2003, immigrants, refugees, and allies came together to fight for change. Since that time, the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), a statewide immigrant- and refugee-led organization, has continued building power with and for refugees and immigrants in order to strengthen our communities, build belonging, and transform Tennessee and the South.