Sept. 9, 2026

“If the path before you is clear,
you’re probably on someone else’s.”
~Krista Tippett

Dear Ones,

My path through the next few weeks is pretty clear: I’ll be going to Memphis with a few of you to participate in TUUCAN’s Solidarity Summit (TUUCAN = Tennessee UU Community Action Network, and its members are the UU congregations across the state) and preparing for my formal installation as your called and settled minister later this month. Both are very exciting and leaving me little time to think about what comes after September…

AND at the back of my mind, I’m holding the expectation that October will bring opportunities for various GNUUC groups (the Board, the Worship Team, the Shared Ministries Council, and more) to reflect on the year behind us and plan for the current church year (which officially started in July). More importantly, the task for each group is to wonder what our congregation’s path could be through the coming months, to look for where we are called to do the work we chose and affirm in our covenant: to be a welcoming congregation. 

Over the last five years, I have noticed that we are continuously reassessing, reaffirming, redesigning, and re-envisioning the ways in which we practice welcome and embody love, sanctuary, and justice. The path in front of us is only sometimes clear–for example, come spring we will most likely have a balanced budget for the next church year as usual, but how we manage to do that isn’t precisely the same every year–but that path is always our own. I am looking forward to seeing how we wind our way through the coming seasons. 

Yours in love and possibility,
Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org