Nov 26, 2025 | Featured, Weekly Message
Thanksgiving is a complicated holiday, given its history and the lore around it. There’s the most likely apocryphal story of the first Thanksgiving. There’s the history of pumpkin pie, which rose to prevalence as a symbol of abolitionism, given that pumpkins could be raised by a family with a little bit of land and didn’t require slave labor. Abolitionists were also behind the movement to establish the holiday as well.
But in my wife’s family, the holiday has an importance all its own. My mother-in-law took it upon herself to make sure that each of her children learned how to make a different part of the Thanksgiving meal, so that in being together they brought the meal with them. And with each new member who joins, we add another dish so that the list of must-have side dishes reflects the growing family.
All of that said, as we celebrate this day in the U.S., I am grateful for this community. It is a community where we all bring our own part to the metaphorical feast. I am grateful for the new members that I’ve worked with these last two years and the long-standing members who have created such a wonderful community to join. I am grateful for the volunteers, the musicians and artists, and all of the lovely folks who come to our doors looking for a community of kindred spirits.
So thank you all for all that you bring to the table (metaphorical or not) and for how that creates a community worth cherishing.
In gratitude,
Trevor
Trevor Johnson, Connections Coordinator
(aka Rev. Trev)
Nov 20, 2025 | Featured, Weekly Message
While the UU Congregation of Asheville is celebrating our 75th year, I’m reminded that such a venerable age—while deserving of rich celebration—comes with a set of challenges. Our campus buildings, for example, have reached a point where they require updates and repairs to meet not only our current needs but also to support our future growth. For the past two-plus years, the Long-Range Planning team has been hard at work to address this situation.
Formed in October 2023 and charged by the Board of Trustees to identify and prioritize capital and infrastructure needs for our properties, the Long-Range Planning team concluded this important first phase of work in October this year. What follows is a summary of their key findings and a brief preview of next steps.
First, it is important to recognize that the buildings at 1 Edwin Place (Sanctuary, Sandburg Hall, offices, classrooms, etc.) are more than 50 years old and have undergone no major infrastructure updates in that time. Our properties at 21 and 23 Edwin are much older and also require attention, not just due to their age but also because of their limited flexibility to meet our office and classroom needs.
The Long-Range Planning team conducted surveys of congregants and staff to assess our facility needs. Additionally, the team held “Cottage Meetings” with congregants for further discussion and brainstorming. From these surveys and meetings the team identified several clear priorities: to expand and improve flexibility of meeting spaces, improve safety and accessibility, enable more storage, and implicitly, to preserve our facilities with proper maintenance and repair. To meet these needs, the team focused on six primary areas: the Sanctuary, Sandburg Hall, the Memorial Garden, the children’s Playground, and the buildings at 21 and 23 Edwin Place.
Priorities for the Sanctuary include adding seating in front of the existing pews, raising the chancel to improve sight lines, and installing safety handrails along the upper pews. To improve functionality and flexibility in Sandburg Hall, the team explored the possibility of adding room separators and noise abatement, updating the kitchen facilities, and potentially enclosing the deck to expand usable meeting space—for our own use and to increase rental (and revenue) opportunities. Outside, the team identified a priority need to expand and improve the Memorial Garden and update the playground equipment (to improve safety and rental opportunities).The team also identified the need for a safety handrail leading from the upper to the lower parking areas.
Our properties at 21 and 23 Edwin present greater challenges. Both buildings are in need of repairs and remediation. For example, 23 Edwin is subject to perpetual flooding in the basement every time there is a heavy rain, and the roof requires immediate attention to forestall leaking. The discovery of lead paint in 21 Edwin forced its closure.
The team brought in experts to assess the scope and costs of remediation for both buildings, and as a result, presented to the Board several options for addressing the situations at 21 and 23 Edwin. The favored option for 23 Edwin is to pursue a FEMA buyout of the property, which would result in demolition of the building and creation of a green space in its place. If successful, the FEMA buyout would return more than $600,000 to UU Asheville and enable full renovation or replacement of 21 Edwin. However, if our FEMA application is accepted, work on the buildings will be several years out. (Note that the roof repair of 23 Edwin is being addressed immediately through an insurance claim.)
So, what happens next? In November, a Phase 2 Campus Development team was formed to take action on the projects that are most attainable and affordable in the near term, and further formalize plans for the longer-range work at 21 and 23 Edwin. For example, the new team is currently gathering quotes for Sanctuary adding seating and handrails, as well as the needed work on the Memorial Garden and Playground. The
team is also putting together plans (creating rough sketches, determining permit requirements, and estimating costs, etc.) for the work in Sandburg Hall, including the potential for enclosing the outside deck.
In addition, the Phase 2 team is looking into ways to recover use of 21 Edwin while waiting for the FEMA results on 23 Edwin. Two possibilities on the table are remediation and renovation of the existing building at 21 Edwin or demolition of the existing structure and construction of a new building. Either of these options comes at considerable cost, but doing nothing has its own costs and potential liabilities.
The projects in the Sanctuary and on the grounds at 1 Edwin Place may be achievable using funds in our current budget. The larger projects in Sandburg Hall, and especially those related to 21 Edwin, will require (if pursued) a capital campaign. Needless to say, much more information is needed before making any firm decisions, but that information gathering is under way now.
Much more information on the historical work of the Phase 1 team and the current work of Phase 2 will be available on the church website as soon as possible. And as work on these projects continues to develop, the Board and our Phase 2 team will continue to provide updates to the congregation through the e-news, live presentations, the website, and all other channels available to us.
The work before us is challenging but essential to assure our congregation of having safe, functional, and welcoming facilities as we look forward to the next 75 years.
– Jim Gamble, Board Member & LRP Team Member
Nov 13, 2025 | Featured, Vespers & Wednesday Program, Weekly Message
Last night, a small group joined in Sandburg Hall for our monthly potluck before Vespers. It was a joyful gathering with delicious food and hearty conversation. One of the joys of ministry is creating space for community building and spiritual deepening during a shared meal followed by a time of reflection and ritual. This month, when we are invited to acknowledge and mourn the falsities that ground the Thanksgiving holiday story, we are also invited to reflect on what we are grateful for. One of my many gratitudes is for the opportunity to minister to our UU Avl community. As you consider what you are grateful for, I invite you to reflect on this quote from Dietrich Bonhoffer shared during last night’s Vespers gathering.
“In normal life one is often not at all aware that we always receive infinitely more than we give, and that gratitude is what enriches life. One easily overestimates the importance of one’s own acts and deeds, compared with what we become only through other people.”
Let us reflect on the people and communities who have shaped our becoming.
May we be grateful.
Steve and I will be attending our UU Avl Thanksgiving meal. I look forward to being with those who are able to attend.
In faith & solidarity,
Rev. Claudia Jiménez
