Julie Haden

The time I have spent at TVUUC has been brief or long depending on my life’s needs.

I joined TVUUC to find a liberal community for my family. Soon after joining I started teaching Sunday school classes which taught me more about Unitarian Universalism than I could have ever gleaned from a book.

My greatest experience of TVUUC as my “home” was when my brother Michael died tragically a year ago due to suicide. I was devastated and lost. My brother and I were estranged from our parents for years – so my support came from my husband Joel, a few friends, and the love from my daughter Bella.

Immediately, the church community reached out. Chris Buice listened to me talk and offered good advice and help. Jenny Arthur listened and offered suggestions and her kindness. Finally, Kim Mason sent my daughter Bella a beautiful book that explained death in such a lovely way. After years of negative experiences with my own family when I needed support over the years, this kind of interaction was foreign to me. It was like the family and home I always wanted.

Although a year might go by and I haven’t attended church, TVUUC is always there – open arms and without judgment. That’s what family is all about in my book! I appreciate all the love this beautiful TVUUC family provides to me and my husband and daughter.