by Rev. Bill Gupton

“The times, they are a’changing.” Those words, written by Bob Dylan more than half a century ago, and sung to us last month by our Church Musician, Les Tacy, are poignantly real to me right now, as I look ahead to the “church year.” In the next 12 months, we will say goodbye to two beloved Heritage staff members – our Assistant Minister for Religious Education, Rev. Leslie Woodward, and our Church Administrator, Denise Martinez. Both will be retiring after many years of outstanding service to our congregation, and our Unitarian Universalist faith.

Leslie’s retirement comes at the end of December – a time that seems far away still, but truly is just around the corner. She has been a colleague and trusted partner in ministry with me now for more than eight years, and I will miss her greatly. Denise’s retirement will come sometime next spring or summer, near the end of the church year, after I have returned from the remainder of my interrupted sabbatical. She has been with us ever since I came to Heritage in 2002, and you will forgive me if I literally cannot imagine the church, or my ministry, without her.

These dual retirements are but a portion of the change our congregation is facing in the coming year or so. Eventually, at some point (but sadly, not anytime soon), we will be working out details about how to safely return to our building, and to in-person gatherings. What a change that will be! Well before that, I will be resuming my COVID-interrupted sabbatical, starting Dec. 1. And – a few weeks prior to that – the country will reach a watershed moment in its nearly 250-year history, with potential change (not to mention what some have called “the soul of our nation”) on the ballot, come Nov. 3.

“The times, they are a’changing.” As we bid farewell to beloved staff, as we live into the ongoing pandemic and its long-term impact, as we work and pray for change in our world – change that can bring about a more equitable and just society – let us lean into the change. Let us “heed the call” of change, in Bob Dylan’s words. And let us do all this with courage. With compassion. In community.

May it be so.

Namaste,
Rev. Bill

September 2020.

by Tamilyn Moore

The end of summer, back to school, virtual school, the start of fall, Rev. Bill resuming his sabbatical, Rev. Leslie’s retirement, Denise’s retirement… a time of many transitions here at Heritage!

As are many of you, I am preparing for the kids to return to school, but not returning to the school. New adventures with virtual learning or socially distant in-person learning will begin for many of us soon. It has been a stressful time not knowing exactly what the virtual learning will look like and how each child’s needs will be met. But our family has kept the lines of communication open and has reached a comfortable place in the unknown. Mostly Excitement and a little anxiety for what could be, but is not yet known.

Rev. Bill will resume his disrupted sabbatical on December 1, 2020 and continue that through March 31, 2021. Rev. Leslie will be retiring on December 31, 2020 and Denise will be retiring no later than June 30, 2021. Some may have the initial reaction to this news of “how are we going to survive this?” While Leslie and Denise retiring will leave a large hole in our community, I want to assure you that your Board of Trustees is creating plans to have us all come through these transitions better and brighter.

The Board had its retreat on August 22, during which we discussed each of these transitions. We met with UUA MidAmerica Region Congregational Life Field Staff member Sharon Dittmar to explore the options and opportunities we have with these transitions. Sharon helped us brainstorm ideas and debate options for future staffing for Religious Exploration and a Church Administrator and doing that while Rev. Bill is on sabbatical.

During the retreat, the Board discussed ideas for nurturing and feeding the spirit of our community. Keep an eye out for upcoming opportunities to feed your spirit by being in community with others from Heritage. We will have some small in-person gatherings as well as virtual gatherings to fit the different needs of the community.

During the retreat we established three goals for this church year:

1. Nurture and feed the community through successful transitions to prepare for the bright future of our church and our church community.
2. Explore and implement digital and virtual opportunities for connection and community through the pandemic.
3. Repair and revitalize our church building and grounds in preparation for a return to in-person gatherings.

As we transition out of summer and into fall, into Rev. Bill’s sabbatical, into Leslie’s retirement, and into Denise’s retirement, be sure to honor what is, what is no longer, and what is not yet and the space between them. Do not sacrifice what is, in anticipation of what is yet to come. Together we will thrive into the next chapters of our shared story.

Virtual hugs to all!

Tamilyn Moore

by Rev. Leslie Woodward

Dear ones,

I have been blessed to serve Heritage as your assistant minister, responsible for guiding the spiritual growth of the amazing children and youth of this congregation, for more than 8 years. Thank you for the trust that you have placed in me.

Words cannot express the joy that filled my heart each Sunday morning, saying “Good Morning Heritage” and receiving back a palpable wall of warmth and love. Nothing can compare to the awe of seeing understanding in a child’s eyes as they realize that they are whole and holy and deeply loved, just as they are. The wisdom of the youth that I have served is both astounding and humbling. It has been a journey where they have indeed taught me more than I have ever taught them.

Yet this pandemic brings new fears to the forefront requiring new approaches, techniques and skills. Heritage families need a religious education professional who is excited by these new possibilities — with the energy and imagination to devise innovated ways of ministering to children, youth and families, both online and through the hybrid programs that are sure to follow in the months to come. That person is not me.

Some of you know that I had planned to retire from Heritage in June 2021, after my 65th birthday. But the effect of the pandemic on my life and my ministry has altered that timeline. I will retire from serving as your Assistant Minister for Religious Exploration at the end of this calendar year, on December 31, 2020.

New adventures await the children and youth of Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church. While I am incredibly saddened that I will no longer be part of those adventures, I know that my successor will be embraced with the love that is the Spirit of Heritage church.

As always, now and forever, I hold you all in my heart.

Faithfully, and with great love,

Rev. Leslie

August 10, 2020

by Rev. Bill Gupton

As this long, hot summer continues, I am growing more and more appreciative of the positive possibilities of virtual community. During a vacation (more accurately, I suppose, a “stay-cation”) last month, I “attended” the Southeast Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute, as well as a couple of webinars, and practiced lots of online yoga. I put quotation marks around the word attended for obvious reasons. I was never physically present in a room with a lot of other people; in fact, I never even left my house for any of the events (unless you count my deck or porch as leaving the house).

Nevertheless, I felt deeply, even powerfully, connected to people who were scattered all across the country and continent. IRT (“in real time”), if not IRL (“in real life”). Whether it’s a live-but-virtual yoga class with one of my regular teachers here in Cincinnati (or – and I could never have done this before – a new yoga teacher I found in upstate New York), whether it’s an expert presenting material in a webinar format, or whether it’s a worship service with hundreds of dear friends, these days technology is actually enhancing my ability to connect with, to see and hear, and to share an experience and a range of emotions with my fellow human beings. Who would have thought?

Many of you know that SUUSI is an annual touchstone for Jennifer, Patrick and me. The SUUSI community is our “tribe,” and for the better part of four decades, we’ve not missed a single summer. Yet for the first time ever, this year we had to do SUUSI virtually. Since Jennifer was this year’s Director, the pivot to creating online SUUSI was felt especially deeply in our household. But an incredible 920 people (about 75-80 percent of a normal year’s attendance) registered, and it was such a joy to see and reconnect with so many of our dearest friends. Jennifer and her team of volunteers put together a wide-ranging, impactful array of programs, worship services and meetups (there were even well-attended, virtual, shared dinner meals). I assure you, the smiles and the tears, the laughs and the lumps-in-the-throat were very, very real. The only thing missing was the hugs.

So as I return from vacation, and as we start a new “church year” while being physically apart, I am feeling a new-found comfort in virtual community, and perhaps even a new confidence in my Zoom capabilities. I am more accustomed to being in front of a camera. I am eager to begin working with a revitalized Worship Committee, and with our new Heritage Church Technology Coordinator, Danny Goldstein. Fittingly enough, Danny has the distinction of being our first staff member who lives outside the Cincinnati area; in fact, he lives just outside New York City.

It truly is a brave new world! And it’s a new church year. But the power of human community, the joys of relationships new and old, and of course the spirit of Love that holds us all together, will always remain the same. Blessings to you. Stay safe. Be well.

Namaste,
Rev. Bill

August 2020.

by Rev. Leslie Woodward

I love scanning the faces of Heritage members on Sunday morning, albeit on my computer screen, using the arrows to see every one of the video feeds. It’s a small yet important ritual that helps me feel connected to each and every one of you.

And every Sunday I have the same question — but where are the children?

I know that sitting in front of a computer screen is hard enough for adults and youth, and younger children have even more difficulty relating to things happening through a screen.

But ritual and continuity are important. Attending online church, even just for the chalice lighting or the benediction, help to ground our children in the sacred, beloved community that is Heritage UU Church. This can be especially important during the pandemic.

During this time of instability and losses of all types, I encourage parents to consider how bringing their children “into the room” on Sunday mornings might be of benefit. Attending church as a family gives young people something that they can hold onto amid ever-changing decisions about how we can be in community. It provides stability during a time of loss. And it provides a peaceful structure for the family to be all together.

Being at Heritage worship nurtures the sense of belonging to a faith community in your children. When they are present for worship, they are developing touchstones, just as adults do. They are seeing familiar faces, learning the narratives of our faith, and developing their sense of connection to the power of love, which some will call God.

Our worship committee is continually seeking out ways to include elements of worship specifically designed to engage people of all ages, and our new Family Chapel can help children relate to each other. Still, in our regular Sunday morning worship service, all the familiar segments — lighting our chalice, singing hymns, reciting our covenant, sharing Candles of Community — evoke memories in us and in our children. Consider bringing your children into the room, even if just for short parts of the service. Don’t worry if they happen to be a bit squirmy. Have them bring coloring pages, a snack, or a favorite toy. And don’t worry if they don’t appear to be paying attention. Children will get what they need from worship to help them get through the rest of the week, even if they never even glance at the computer screen.

When we gather on Sunday mornings, it helps us all to know that however long this is, however hard this gets, that we, together as a community, will make it through. Even if younger children are bringing in their toys and coloring pages, we hope that they will get the message that at this moment, all of us are held and loved.

by Tamilyn Moore

Hello Heritage Community! Thank you for allowing me to be your President of the Board this coming year. I look forward to working with Jim Nolan as Past President, Michael Wilhite as Vice President, Barb Lyon and Kay Inskeep as Co-Secretaries, and Mark Buckley and John Sandman as Board Members. Thanks to Bob Rush and Bob Booth for their service on the board.

I want to thank Jim Nolan for his leadership through Rev. Bill’s partial sabbatical and this pandemic. He has protected the health and safety of our community and guided us through virtual participation in the democratic process. I appreciate all of you who participated in the virtual emergency congregational meeting in April and the virtual annual congregational meeting in June. Your participation allowed us to continue with the business of the church, even when we can’t gather in person. Language has now been added to our constitution to allow the Board to take actions in emergency situations and provides clear direction on how to allow for virtual participation in congregation meeting.

For a little history on me, I have been a member of Heritage since 2007, my wife, Nicole Dangelo, joined in 2014. My mom, Nancy Moore, joined Heritage sometime between then. The first service I attended at the church was the water ceremony in August 2006. The sense of community I felt that day was what I had been looking for. Since then I have been part of and chair of the RE committee, social action team, the caring circle, and the auction team. I am grateful that my children were dedicated here and get to grow up in this community which encourages them to be who they are and to be proud of who they are. Nicole and I had Rev. Leslie officiate our private marriage in Indiana in June 2015 a few weeks before the Supreme Court issued the landmark decision for marriage equality. Rev. Bill officiated our wedding with many friends and family at Heritage in August 2015.

Over the past year, Jim Nolan has helped us all put our energy into action. We did this through participation in many activities inside and out of the church. Since March of this year, many of us have continued to put our energy into action in helping those who are not able to get out during the pandemic. Thank you to all who have helped!

This year the Board will focus on keeping the spirit of our community alive. During this time when we cannot be physically together, we will focus on virtually fostering the love that is the spirit of this church. The Board will establish our shared ministry goals for this year at our virtual retreat on August 22. At the beginning of the stay-at-home orders, my kids talked about their concern for those living alone. They started writing a couple letters a week to members of our church who live alone. I encourage each of you to reach out to someone in the community that you don’t regularly talk to. Check in with them. See how they are doing. Remind them that they are not alone.

Virtual hugs to you all!

Tamilyn Moore

August 2020.

by Rev. Leslie Woodward

“In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity.”

Albert Einstein said that — or at least that’s what google tells me. As the weeks and months go by and the novelty of the immediate crisis fades even as the danger remains, how do we re-imagine church life and find the opportunity within the crisis?

The metaphor of Blizzard, Winter and Ice Age resonates with me.

In “Leading Beyond the Blizzard” Andy Crouch, Kurt Keilhacker, and Dave Blanchard analyze three responses to the pandemic through the images of blizzard, winter, and ice age.

“In a Blizzard we can’t go out—zero visibility and hostile conditions. We need to shelter. In a Blizzard, we acknowledge that things are very difficult, provide emotional and practical support for immediate needs, and urge people to take extraordinary measures that not only would be unthinkable in ordinary times, but are unsustainable for long periods of time. If the crisis generated by COVID-19 is a blizzard, it will be over soon, we will all emerge from our shelter, and resume life roughly the way it was before. Our job in a blizzard is to wait it out.”

I remember back in March, there was a sense that we just needed to hunker down for a short time and all would be well. Maybe a few weeks? I clearly remember thinking that we might actually be back in our beloved sanctuary for Easter. That wish was dashed pretty quickly. But maybe in a few months? Crouch, Keilhacker and Blanchard go on to talk about the metaphor of winter:

“In Winter we can go out, but not for long. We need to wear protective clothing and check the forecast for storms. We need to survive. Winter might begin with a blizzard, but it is a season lasting months, not a single event. In cold climates, winter means that periodic acute events (blizzards) punctuate a continuous period in which human activity must adapt to bitterly inhospitable conditions. This is almost certainly the reality of COVID-19 in the United States and many other countries. This will not be an event lasting a few weeks.”

It was a shock to all of us at Heritage to realize that we needed to close down our building through the end of May, then through the end of September, and beyond to ensure the safety of everyone. So, if COVID 19 requires longer term thinking, maybe a different metaphor can help us envision the future. Crouch, Keilhacker and Blanchard propose that we begin thinking of the current crisis through the metaphor of a ‘mini ice age.’

“The metaphor is obvious. Just as winter is more chronic and long-lasting than a blizzard, and requires different sorts of adaptation, which are in many ways more far-reaching than merely hunkering down for a few days or weeks—so there are even larger-scale events that reshape the climate through countless successive seasons. A generally accepted timeframe for the wide deployment of an effective vaccine—though there are huge uncertainties here— is 18 months. But 18 months is not a season — it is, for many purposes, more like an age or an era.”

We need to acknowledge that we are not going back to normal! It seems increasingly clear that the coronavirus pandemic is not just something to “get through” for a few days or weeks or even months. Instead, it is a once-in-a-lifetime change that is likely to affect our lives, societies, and religious congregations for years.

What does that mean for our church and our children? We need to begin planning to survive the winter by building for the ice age—to do all that is necessary to sustain connections between our children and youth. To ensure that they know we consider them a vital part of our church community by consistently including them in worship and other online opportunities. We need to consider their well-being in every church decision about programming, budgets and re-opening our building and grounds. We need to build trust through regular, sustained contact with adult members of Heritage in ways that have yet to be imagined.

Throughout the past few weeks I’ve been talking with other UU religious professionals and religious education leaders of other faiths about the opportunities that lie within our current crisis. I’ve been pushing myself to learn new skills – video editing, desktop publishing, and an amazing newer artform, digital story telling — that will help as we envision a way forward for our children and youth.

But I can’t do this by myself. If we want families to continue to feel welcome at Heritage, it will take all of us to build new ways of connection with families, children and youth of all ages.

It’s going to be a wonderful (??) “mini-ice-age” at Heritage. Won’t you join us?

by Jim Nolan

Hello all –

Since this is my last “President’s Corner,” I am compelled to look back over the past year and reflect upon what has happened since I became President of the Board of Trustees.

Oh my.

I didn’t think I would look back fondly on a time when our biggest concern was a leaky roof and ruined carpet – but here we are.

• A new shed
• “Garden Parties”
• “Town Hall” meetings
• Political action and the 2020 election
• Rev. Bill’s sabbatical
• Jaime Castle leaving the board to run for U.S. Congress
• Incidents with a troubled individual that required legal intervention

It was already shaping up to be a crazy year before coronavirus; before lockdowns, before quarantine; before George Floyd; before the protests; before the counter-protests – before Bethel. Who knows? By the time I finish typing this, maybe some other new insanity will grab the headlines.

In a few days we will gather together (virtually) for our annual congregational meeting – a tradition that goes back for generations. We will meet, we will discuss and we will debate (maybe even argue) because we all feel passionately about both the present and the future of Heritage and what that means.

When we gather, I hope we can do so in a state that is mindful of the fact that we are part of a continuum. We will make decisions that are based on our past; but that affect the generations that come after us. Also when we gather, it will mark the end of my time as your president. I’d be lying if I didn’t say there is a bit of a feeling of relief that comes with that thought. I have no idea what the next year will have in store for us, but I can assure you that every member of the board will do their very best to address it in the spirit of our principles and our heritage.

Leadership is challenging and not something I often choose. As I’ve said before, I’m much more comfortable working in the background. But, I am so very grateful to you all for putting your trust in me this past year and I just hope that I have served you well.

Jim

by Rev. Bill Gupton

Many of us are being called upon to make difficult choices right now. Whether or not to attend a family reunion, a wedding, a child’s sports event, a Fourth of July picnic or parade – summer activities that most of us would have participated in without a second thought just a year ago – are now choices fraught with uncertainty and anxiety. Whether or not to attend a protest march or a Black Lives Matter rally has become a heart-wrenchingly difficult decision.

Each choice we make will be scrutinized – not just in our own conscience, and by our own families, but by friends and complete strangers alike. Each choice we make potentially has very serious ramifications. And each choice we make, sadly, has become politically charged, having the potential to spiral into a socially polarizing situation.

This is what the pandemic has done to us.

Wearing a mask in public – politicized. Common sense health choices – polarizing. Family members, people who live in the same house, sometimes do not agree on what level of safety measures to take. Church members, people who share a beloved faith community, are experiencing the same thing. Folks with whom we seem to agree on almost everything else, may not agree with us on what are perhaps the most important choices we can be making right now. It can be very disturbing, and disorienting. We have come to expect that so-and-so will agree with us on everything that really matters – but not so, any longer.

I want to give voice to these feelings because I hear them being expressed to me, nearly every day, by members of our community. So, too, I want to lift up those among us who have the most pertinent first-hand experience – those who have suffered from COVID-19 already. (Thankfully, we have not lost anyone in our church family to this terrible disease, although some of us have indeed lost members of our extended family, friends, co-workers and colleagues).

As a result of all these realities, some of us have made a carefully considered choice not to go out into the world, not to attend public gatherings, not to come back to church – until a vaccine is available and they have been vaccinated. Others have made a different choice: To resume travel, to take vacations, to go to public events and eat out at restaurants, to gather at church (outside).

We do not, and will not, all agree on the choices we make during this pandemic – or after. In one respect, that should not be surprising. Yet in this particular case, it is proving to be quite painful. I encourage all of us to take a deep breath. To grant grace and forgiveness. To affirm individual choice, even as we acknowledge the importance of the common good.

As your Senior Minister, I continue to find myself torn, with the choices I must make. Most of you know that I’m a “hugger.” I miss those physical expressions of love and support in our congregation. I miss being in the same space together, singing together, holding hands around the sanctuary during our weekly benediction. I miss visiting you in hospitals. I want to attend events at the church such as outdoor vespers, commemorations, meals, discussions. In happy times, and in sad – I want to be with you. In person, not just on a Zoom screen or smart phone.

But the fact is, I do not feel safe doing so at this time. It does not feel prudent, for me. I could offer explanations about age, underlying health conditions, science and statistics, the fact that COVID cases are rising dramatically in Hamilton County, and in Ohio – but those things, frankly, should not even matter. Because my choice, is my choice. Just as your choice, is your choice. And all our choices will not be the same.

For the foreseeable future, I choose to avoid large and even smaller in-person gatherings, in order to minimize the risk to myself and others. I am only comfortable being with a very few people, outdoors – more comfortable, if we are all wearing masks.

I recognize that I am privileged to be able to make these choices. To choose not to be indoors at grocery stores or the pharmacy, even the library. That I am blessed to have a job that allows me to do most if not all of my work virtually during this time. My wife’s workplace is beginning to hold in-person events again this month, and of course many among us hold jobs that have required us to interact with countless other citizens since the beginning of this pandemic. My appreciation and admiration go out to our health care workers and first responders, and to all those working in the various service industries. My heart breaks for those who have been furloughed from or have lost jobs, all those whose businesses have suffered, and all those whose livelihood and well-being are threatened by the economic fallout of the pandemic.

This virus has made one truth inescapable: We are all – each and every one of us – deeply interconnected. Being Unitarian Universalists, we affirm and celebrate “the interconnected web of existence.” That shared principle can often give us a warm, fuzzy feeling. But Coronavirus has highlighted the flip side – the inherent challenges – of such profound interconnection. As we each make our choices, during these difficult days, may we remember to honor the Spirit of Life, in each and in all. May we remember to give, and to receive, the Love that is the spirit of this church.

Until we meet again –

Namaste,
Rev. Bill

July 2020.

by Jim Nolan, Board of Trustees President

As I write this, I am weary.
I am weary of talking COVID.
I’m weary of thinking about COVID.

I’m weary of worrying about it; and trying to be prepared for it. I’m weary of making policies around it and weary of realizing that any and all plans and preparations might amount to nothing without a moment’s notice. I’m weary of knowing that real lives are at stake if we “under-react” – but also knowing that everyone else is weary too… and we all just want “get back to normal again.”

And therein lies the rub. There is no “getting back to normal.”

“Things” will never be “the same” again (and yes, I’m getting paid by the quotation mark).

My kids’ school will never be the same. My wife’s work will never be the same. A trip to the grocery store will never be the same. And, to be completely frank, I haven’t played hockey since March 8 and I’m going a bit crazy missing something that allows me to feel normal again.

I feel okay saying all of this to you because I’m certain you all feel the same way.

There’s a sadness to it, for sure – but I’m looking for the positive.

I’ve seen many incredible innovations. Several of my musician friends have lost all sources of income; they improvised by offering online music lessons or virtual concerts. I’ve seen folks turn a hobby into a revenue source. And I have seen countless parents learn how to become excellent teachers.

We adapt. We overcome. We stick together.

Amid the weariness, there is overwhelming gratitude.

And so, I want to acknowledge – by name – your Board of Trustees.

Bob Booth, Mark Buckley, Barb Lyon, Bob Rush, Tamilyn Thompson and Michael Wilhite – plus, of course, Rev. Bill Gupton and Rev. Leslie Woodward.

They have been my lifeline through all of this.

As I said when I started this position – I’ve never been the president of anything before. I am far more comfortable working behind-the-scenes than I am in a leadership role – and I probably would have been a flaming train-wreck from day one if it weren’t for these people – and Jaime Castle, who always leads by example. She taught me how it all works and I am incredibly grateful to her for it.

I am grateful to all of them. I am grateful to you for the trust you have put in me – and I am grateful for the lessons this horrible, horrible experience has taught me.

So yeah, I don’t know when we’ll see each other and that makes me sad; but I know that you’re out there.

And knowing that, assures me that the world is getting a little bit better every day.

Thank you.

Jim

(May 26, 2020.)