John Owens guest speaker UUFH member
December 14th marks the 10th Anniversary of the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings that killed 20 young school children and six adults. Unfortunately for the past ten years, we have witnessed similar shocking events in schools, churches, synagogues, LQBTQ clubs, shopping centers, and cities, both large and small. Gun Violence survivor, John Owens shares reflections from faith leaders from across the country who try to come to terms with America’s gun violence epidemic.
John Owens worked for more than 40 years in television and video production as a photographer, editor, producer, and writer. John spent the bulk of his career in Detroit, working for twenty years at WDIV-TV, the NBC affiliate in Motown. That is where he met his wife Sara. They have been married for 37 years and have one child who still lives in Michigan. Sara and John retired and moved to Hendersonville seven years ago and joined UUFH shortly after arriving in town, John Owens is also a gun violence survivor and has spoken about his experience at this church on multiple occasions and has also given presentations at churches throughout Michigan and North Carolina. He has participated in gun safety forums, lobbied in Raleigh and Capital Hill, and wrote Op-Ed columns to support common sense gun legislation in the Detroit Free Press, the Asheville Citizen Times, and Blue Ridge Now. John is currently the Group Co-Lead of Mom’s Demand Action for Gun Sense in Western North Carolina.
Michael Jefry Stevens guest pianist
“Songs of Peace”
Mr. Stevens is a accomplished pianist, composer and “Steinway Artist,”. He has released over 80 CDs and composed over 340 works for both large and small ensembles. An active band-leader for over 40 years, his music spans jazz and modern musical styles. Michael lives in Black Mountain and is a frequent performer and popular jazz piano teacher in the WNC area. We, once again, welcome Michael to UUFH as our guest pianist.