by Rev. Bill Gupton

Summer is definitely here, and a somewhat “normal” summer at that. I – along with other Heritage staff members – will be taking time off for vacations, family business, summer camps, rest and reflection over the next several weeks. The pace of life around the church, both in person and virtually, will noticeably slow. But rest assured, when late August rolls around, there will once again be a lot going on at Heritage Church – more activity, in fact, than at any time since 2019. Remember those pre-COVID days?

Summer will also be a time of transition in the HUUC office. Our departing Church Administrator, Vali Dugan, is wrapping up her time on our staff this month. She will be helping welcome and orient our new Church Administrator, Martha Viehmann. Many of you will recognize Martha from her work with Greater Anderson Promotes Peace (GAPP), in which she has helped coordinate many events and programs at Heritage over the years. Welcome to our staff, Martha!

I want to thank those volunteers who have stepped up to bring in the mail, check the phone lines, even water the plants during this period when we have been short-staffed. It truly does “take a village.” Other volunteers continue to help us with worship services during our summer “slowdown,” when both Laci and I take some time off. Many thanks to those, and all our volunteers!

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay cool.

I look forward to seeing you at the end of the month.

Blessings,
Bill

July 2022.

by Michael Wilhite

When I wrote my first President’s Corner article nearly a year ago, I entitled it Gratitude to reflect my commitment to spread thanks throughout the year. My experience through this past year as Board President only reinforced why this is so important.

Let’s be honest – it was not an easy year for most of us. There were some real positives as Heritage emerged from the isolation of the COVID pandemic, but this came with both uncertainty and new challenges. This year’s Board adopted the theme of “Our Renew Normal.” This was my not so clever approach to merge our new reality with the opportunity to emerge even stronger. In hindsight, it is a pretty accurate description of this year. Our success is absolutely due to the committed and talented members of our community who stepped forward to help through this change. I could not be more thankful for your contributions.

Another wonderful part of my role serving on the Board is learning to appreciate the talents and gifts of our wonderful staff. I am so thankful for how much our community prioritizes supporting our staff, and they deserve our love. Les kept us connected through music through all our changes, but it was wonderful to have him reunited with Steve to bring back our full live music experience. I am so thankful that Laci chose Heritage, and love the energy and enthusiasm that is coming back to our community – along with the children. Vali may have been with us for a shorter time than we had hoped, but I am so thankful for the spirit and warmth that she brought to her role. While I hope Rev. Bill already understands how much I appreciate him through our partnership, I cannot underscore how thankful we all should be to have someone like Bill so committed to Heritage.

My thanks would not be complete if I did not include my fellow Board members who helped us through this past year. All of us unfortunately have the shared experience of serving during the impacts of COVID. While some of us started service with the blissful ignorance that the pandemic would be coming, most of this Board was courageous enough to actually step into service with full awareness of what was upon us. I have so much respect and love for all of you. I would not have wanted to walk through this past year with any other group. I am so grateful for your counsel and commitment. I needed each of you.

I also want to bank some gratitude to all of the future volunteers of Heritage. You will determine our success. I encourage everyone to find their path to serve our Heritage community. Like most organizations that are dependent on volunteers, we are also struggling to find the support we need. Explore your passions and gifts, and please find a way to contribute back to Heritage that works for you. It is tough with our hectic lives to think about taking on any more commitments – everyone understands this. However, I expect that you will find like most of us that what you receive from giving to this community is lasting and special.

This brings me to my final thanks. I want to sincerely thank you all for allowing me to serve this unique and loving community. You helped me grow by challenging my thinking, you gave us invaluable feedback to shape the Board’s decisions, and you always seemed to know when I needed a word of encouragement. You may never know the power of your words to uplift me when I needed it most. I am filled with gratitude. Thank you all so much.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy

June 24, 2022.

by Rev. Bill Gupton

This has been a remarkable, highly unusual, even (dare I use this overused word) unprecedented year in the life of our congregation. We began the church year that is now drawing to a close – the 195th year, in our historic church’s life! – worshipping together, outdoors, in the pavilion at the beautiful natural setting of Moundview Park, just up the road from church in Newtown. Remember the summer of 2021? There was another COVID resurgence, but we knew enough about the virus by then to understand that outdoor air flow patterns and sunlight were powerful mitigating factors, and so we had resumed in-person worship, outdoors.

When fall came, we moved to outdoors at church, on the patio outside the sanctuary. Then we ventured back into the sanctuary – briefly – before a short return to virtual-only services. Now, we are back at full capacity in our sanctuary, with online Zoom attendance always remaining an option. And we are hopeful that we will find continuity and consistency in this new “normal.”

Meanwhile this year, we have welcomed not one but two new staff members, following the retirement of two longtime professionals who had served us well and faithfully for many years. Our new Director of Lifespan Faith Development Laci Lee Adams, and our new Church Administrator Vali Dugan, have brought new energy and new perspectives to our community, immeasurably enriching our congregational life. So it is with sadness that we announce Vali will be leaving us this month – sadness, for us, but certainly joy and congratulations for her, as she has found a full-time administrative position with full benefits just five minutes from her home. We will miss her – and she will miss us (but not the half-hour commute!).

Our leadership team is just beginning the process of seeking a replacement. The summer months will be another time of transition for the church, with perhaps a need for volunteers to step up and take on parts of the Administrator role to augment any potential part-time, temporary professional help while we post the position and interview candidates. If you can help, please let either me, Laci, or Board Vice-President Julie Kane know what skills you would bring to our office. And if you know someone who might be a good fit for the permanent position, please pass along that information as well.

We are becoming accustomed to transitions. To change. But we are held together by a can-do spirit and an unwavering commitment to the spirit of Love that has defined our congregation for nearly two centuries. May it ever be so.

Namaste,
Rev. Bill

June 2022.

by Michael Wilhite

Happy Birthday to our Heritage community! It was exciting to be reminded of the history of Heritage during our recent 195th birthday celebration. Recognizing the powerful symbols carved in our altar reminds us of our legacy. Recalling how our church made a lasting imprint on UUism by cultivating leaders from our roots is humbling. Thinking of the beliefs and traditions that have changed or remained builds connection across our generations. To be a small part of this Heritage tradition is special.

It is hard for me to comprehend the highs and lows of the history of our church. It seems almost impossible that early in the life of the church that Universalism was a popular religion embraced by prominent local leaders. How inspiring to recall a thriving church in one of the fastest growing cities in the United States spreading a message of love and salvation for everyone. This seems such a contrast to less than 40 years ago after the move to Anderson Township that our church had dwindled to only dozens of members meeting in a “country club” style house. One may question where we would be today if not for the courage of those passionate members who took the leap of faith to establish our current Newtown Road home.

Our own myopic view of our personal history sometimes exaggerates the importance of contemporary events. Every generation seems to have this bias. Maybe when future generations take a look at what we currently see as a crisis, they may see only a minor blip in our history. That is not to deny the challenges of our current situation. We are living in a time of culture wars trying to turn back progress against the principles we hold dear. The challenge of the pandemic forced us to stay apart, undermining the spirit of community in our church. There are even hints of stagflation that may trigger haunting memories of the economic crisis of the 70s. Are these difficulties really all that extreme in our 195-year history? Maybe only history will tell.

What is most encouraging to me is the faith and hope of the current membership in our iteration of Heritage history. One truth that rings clear in the life of our First Universalist Society of Cincinnati is the courage of past generations that supported waves of growth and survival. Like many generations before, we have embraced the call for us to invest in our future to thrive. A shared belief in who we are and the role we play in this community has been proudly displayed. This feels like an exciting time in the history of our church. I must recognize my bias, but it makes me believe that history will see this as a special time in the history of this church.

June 2022.

by Laci Lee Adams, Director of Lifespan Faith Development

The pink triangle is considered one of the world’s most recognizable symbols of pride and resistance for the LGBTQ+ community. You might have noticed that the tattoo on my right wrist is a pink triangle outlined by a black triangle. I was in seminary when I made the decision to get this symbol of the LGBTQ+ pride on my hand. For a while, I know exactly what I wanted, but it took me a bit longer to decide where it should go. In the end, I decided on tattoo placement while leading worship. I realized that my right wrist would always be visible when I lifted my hands to do blessings or say the benediction or serve communion. There is no hiding my pink and black triangle, so there can be no hiding my truest, proudest, most authentic self.

After seminary, I worked for a while at a quilt store. A great many customers would notice the tattoo when I was cutting fabric for them and I got a lot of questions about my pink and black triangle. And every time, my answer started with the words, “During the Holocaust….” Many of us might associate the point up pink triangle with the HIV/AIDS activist group, ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) since it took center stage in ACT UP’s 1980s Silence=Death Campaign. What we might not know is that ACT UP wrestled and reclaimed that symbol from the horrors of Nazi persecution.

While Nazi’s most often marked Jewish people with the yellow Star of David, they marked a great many other people with inverted color triangles. The color visually designated people as criminals (green), political prisoners (red), anti-socials (black) or “homosexuals” (pink). So the point down pink triangle was used to target gay men and the point down black triangle was used to target lesbian, transgender, nonbinary and queer people for persecution. By taking hold of this symbol of denigration and separation and flipping it on its head, ACT UP taught us as LGBTQ+ people that we have the power to own our lives and truths, even when—or especially when—others might try to break us down. Act Up! Fight Back! Fight AIDS!

This impulse to take what might have hurt us and turn it into our pride started with the Stonewall Riots and blossomed with ACT UP and it just kept on gaining power. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, some LGBTQ+ people were starting to wrestle the word queer back from those that sought to traumatize, bully and devalue us with this word. Instead of losing our power to their limitations, our community started to talk about the political power of queerness, to embrace it as a label that could describe not just our sexuality and/or gender expression but our relationship to norms and power. LGBTQ+ theologians started talking about “queering” and “querying” biblical texts and LGBTQ+ theorists started expound on and expand our minds through queer theory. This queer revolution, it saved my life, it changed my life, it gave me life and language and power!

This is the power of Pride and queerness – to take what was is horrible and unimaginable and unbearable and create possibility out of it. I am reminded of the words of queer theorist, José Esteban Muñoz:

The future is queerness’s domain. The here and now is a prison house. We must strive, in the face of the here and now’s totalizing rendering of reality, to think and feel a then and there. Some will say that all we have are the pleasures of this moment, but we must never settle for that minimal transport; we must dream and enact new and better pleasures, other ways of being in the world, and ultimately new worlds.

For nearly half my life now, I have found that my faith and my queerness have made it possible for me to imagine what could be possible even when what is before us makes my heart sick. I have learned from my queer self how to live the life of faith – to live in hope and strive the fullness of the world to come. I hope that during this Pride month you can find your way into this radical space of possibility, to act on behalf of our whole and holy vision of interdependence, and to deepen your own well and faith.

June 2022.

by Rev. Bill Gupton, Senior Minister

I love this time of year! With birds chirping and buds blooming, with grass and trees greening and the chill of winter (finally?) behind us, there is much to celebrate every time I step outdoors. It is a time filled with potential and possibility, excitement and renewal. But it’s not just Mother Nature who inspires me this time of year; there is also much to celebrate, each year, when it comes to being part of this church family we call Heritage.

What a particular joy it is to participate in the annual ritual of Flower Communion (this year, on May 8), when we share fresh flowers with one another, connect across the miles and the years with other Unitarian Universalists, and remember the somber yet life-affirming origin of the Flower Communion ceremony itself.

Spring also brings our church’s Annual Meeting – a tradition that in this congregation dates back nearly 200 years. It is a time for members of the church to recommit to this community, to share from our abundance in maintaining this institution, to democratically conduct the important business of the church, and to reflect on another “church year” that will soon be simply notes and articles in the archives. If you haven’t yet made your pledge of support for HUUC for 2022-23, please follow this link: https://huuc.net/make-a-pledge-for-the-future/. And – if you are a member of Heritage Church, please plan to attend the Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 5.

And if you’re not yet a member of Heritage Church, but would like to be, spring always brings with it a New Member Ceremony. Those who wish to join the church will have an opportunity to do so on Mother’s Day – Sunday, May 8 – during the worship service. To learn more about membership, call me at 513-231-8634 or email me at:

Member or friend, young or old, newcomer or veteran – all invited to a FUN fundraiser the night before, on Saturday, June 4, beginning at 6:00 p.m. at church. Learn more here: https://huuc.net/spring-fundraiser/. And yes, Virginia, that is a picture of a much younger me. No amount of fundraising can turn the clock back that far (though we can try!).

Speaking of which, many thanks to all who offered me birthday wishes (maybe that’s another reason I love this season) – especially to Les Tacy for singing a particularly appropriate birthday ditty on the final Sunday morning in April. It’s truly a blessing to be part of this church community. Thank you for 20 wonderful years.

Happy Spring!

Rev. Bill

by Michael Wilhite, Board of Trustees President

UUism as a religious movement is undergoing a fundamental introspection with the formation of the Article II Study Commission. Article II of the UUA Bylaws, Principles and Purposes, is the foundation of our shared UU experiences.

Admittedly, I have mixed feelings about this work. Part of me embraces the humbleness of a religion that recognizes the need to continuously revisit, reaffirm, or modify our shared values. Part of me expects that our UU principles are so grounded in absolute truth that they should be evergreen. Exploration does not necessitate change, so I will be curious what the commission recommends and how the UU community reacts.

I suspect that many of you are aware of the process and its potential implications for Unitarian Universalists because of the rich conversation that we have been having as a community. Whether it is Rev. Bill giving us important historical context from the pulpit, our passionate volunteers who are digging in deep on this topic and sharing with our Heritage community, or the UUA learning and sharing through their channels, we have lots of resources available to learn. I encourage anyone who has a passion for being a UU to get informed.

As part of my role on the Board and especially as President this past year, I have looked to other models in churches that are thriving where we could learn, including other UU churches. I hope the Article II Study Commission is doing the same.

One of the most interesting of those is the All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It may be the largest UU church congregation in the US with a membership that exceeds 1,800 and with a thriving family community. Its staff leadership reflects the racial and gender diversity that most would desire. Most surprisingly, such a large UU church is not located in a huge liberal city in the US. Tulsa is only the 47th largest city in the US and has voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000. So, what is All Souls doing that is working?

This nearly century-old Church of the Free Spirit practices radical inclusion and embraces diversity as its core. One might expect a church that embraces “people from all walks of life, who hold a broad spectrum of personal and political views” might be too timid to pursue social justice. This is not so with 11 active social justice groups. This same church values “freedom of the pulpit to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” Maybe their most valuable idea is that we can accomplish the most good when we build the largest tent for people who are driven by love to create a more positive world. Their tagline says it simply – “Love Beyond Belief.”

When I found Heritage, I discovered a spiritual home that filled an important need in my life and that accepted my authentic self, so it really changed me. The Universalist roots of Heritage and our community shouted Love to me, and this is what I valued. I had spent nearly 45 years of my life rejecting my inherited religion and ignorant to the option of Unitarian Universalism, and then I found my people in Heritage. I proudly represent myself as UU and expect that this will be a constant for the remainder of my life.

Although I intellectually understand the need to review Article II, I will admit that there is a fear of the unknown that surfaces. Most other world religions have historical texts and often centuries of interpretation that reinforce their belief system. I trust in the democratic process, but the notion that a group of people operating within the Twitter society could rewrite our UU principles triggers some anxiety.

I do appreciate that the study commission is reaching out to learn, and I expect we will strike a balance between preserving our historical tenants while making them most relevant to today. I trust that our UU community will use their votes to shape the right path toward our shared values. Most importantly, I hope that we keep our principles accessible and relatable to the generations who may be looking for a religious home that is centered around Love. I expect it will be an interesting couple of years in the UU world.

May 2022.

by Laci Lee Adams, Director of Lifespan Faith Development

Five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes
Five hundred, twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
— Seasons of Love, Rent

I usually take an opportunity during a May newsletter to do a bit of taking stock since it is when I celebrate another circle around the sun! I have had the illustrious privilege of sharing my birthday with Cinco de Mayo, which actually celebrates the Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 and not the often miscited Mexican Independence. What a year it has been? Right?

I actually applied for this job just about two weeks after my 40th birthday last year, so this year has contained so many personal and professional firsts! On some level, all of my experiences at Heritage and with all of you have been firsts. From worshiping at Moundview to worshiping under a Sukkah on our grounds to worshiping in the sanctuary, I have had the privilege of seeing the world and being with all of you this year. Each relationship and connection has been the planting of a seed that is helping to make my 40’s bloom. Personally, my tiny human asserted for the first time and a great many subsequent times that they are “not baby” during this year of my life, so it seems that I have become the parent of a toddler this year as well.

The more I take stock of this year and look towards our communal life together next year, I am hungry for your measure of a year. How do you measure a year in your own life or in our communal life? What stands out or rises to the top? What at Heritage has helped you make meaning of your life this year? To help me honor this year in my life, please share those memories with me or with all of us on our Facebook page. Let’s measure this year together this month!

May 2022.

by Rev. Bill Gupton

What an exciting time to be a member of Heritage Church! This Spring brings many of us not only back together, at the church, but also offers opportunities to shape our shared future. What do I mean by that? Just keep reading…

At the beginning of April, we expect a couple dozen Heritage members and friends to gather at another nearby Anderson Township church for a six-hour retreat, to consider ways in which our worship experiences at HUUC might become more meaningful, more powerful, more relevant to the times in which we now live. The “Reimagining Worship” retreat, led by our own Bill Lyon as part of his seminary studies for the UU ministry, will bring together diverse elements of the congregation – all of whom share a common interest in lively and engaging worship services for the entire community. It will seek to address changing needs for worship and community in a digital, pandemic, and post-pandemic world. In some ways, our worship has changed significantly (especially “behind the scenes”) over the past two years of COVID – but in other ways, its public presentation has not evolved nearly enough.

The retreat group will, of course, consider all the feedback you have offered, as part of that process. Look for innovation – and be patient and open to change – as we move into the summer, and beyond.

Another way you can help shape our future is by answering the call to support Heritage Church during our spring Stewardship Campaign. It is easy to underestimate the crucial significance of this annual ritual, but I can assure you, this year, your pledge of financial support will go a long way toward determining what our church life looks like, and feels like, in the year – and years – ahead. Will we have the resources necessary to bring our aforementioned worship experiences in line with current technological advances and diverse needs? To maintain our facility, which was built now nearly 40 years ago? To retain our excellent staff? To focus on membership development and retention, at a time when our membership is actually shrinking? To fund our social justice work in the wider world?

As I said, this spring brings us opportunities to shape the future. There’s no more effective way to do that, than with a transformative financial contribution.

And then there’s the ongoing conversation happening at the national level, within Unitarian Universalism. A series of important worship services have (and will) continue to inform us of changes taking place in our religion. We’re also hosting two Community Conversations following services on April 10 and April 24, which will let you hear others’ opinions about all that’s going on – and voice your own.

You can also influence the direction of our wider world – not to mention perhaps creating a little more space inside your own heart – by taking advantage of reading and learning opportunities this spring. In particular, I’d like to lift up our Banned Books Groups. Make a self-appointed censor cringe. Expand your horizons. See what all the fuss is about (it’s usually not much at all, in my experience). You can also join an Anti-Racism Learning Circle. Sponsored by the UU Council of Greater Cincinnati, of which Heritage is a member, these discussions will begin soon, on Zoom.

This is a time of significant change in our world, in our faith, and in our church. Whether you can participate in person at church, or via Zoom – all I ask, is that you participate. Bring your unique perspective to the table. Help shape the future – for us, for our children, for generations to come. It takes all of us. Namaste!

Blessings,
Rev. Bill

April 2022.

by Michael Wilhite

I want to be up front that this month’s article will be a shameless plea for your support of our annual Stewardship Campaign that we successfully launched on Sunday, March 12th. We cannot thank Reid Hester enough for his continued leadership of both our budget planning process and stewardship efforts. He has been so dedicated, Reid himself has lost count of the number of years he’s served. Hope you will continue reading to learn more about the importance of this effort. I know this is an uncomfortable topic.

Spring is always connected to financial matters at Heritage. It is always budget planning season as we do the full preparation for our Annual Meeting in June. We have also historically hosted our fundraising event and silent auction, which has been more challenging during the COVID period. Looking forward to bringing this back in 2022. But the most important part of our spring finance season by far is the annual Stewardship Campaign, which determines our success for the coming year and whether we can support the fulfilling church experiences we want.

Our pledge donations to the church directly determine whether we can support our plans. While we have some other sources of income like building and parking rentals, along with fundraising activities, almost 90% of the annual income of Heritage depends on pledged donations. So, you can understand that the success of our year truly depends on stewardship. The other side of our financial statements on costs is also pretty clear, because nearly 80% of our spend is in direct support of our talented and giving staff. So, hopefully this connection is clear to everyone that like most churches, our pledged donations help us keep our minister and staff and their families whole. We should also recognize that, because we are beneficiaries of past Heritage generations who have provided us with a mortgage-free property, our total expenses are much lower than most independent churches.

Reid did a masterful job during Stewardship Sunday of outlining our aspirational goals that came from the great input from our volunteer teams and directly through our town meetings. The reality is that it will be difficult to add much to our current operating budget without an amazing stewardship campaign. Keeping up with inflationary pressure and striving to correct historical gaps for our minister and staff salaries takes a big commitment. Then, adding on opportunities to care for our aging building, funding capacity for staff support, and enhancing the security of our gatherings seems like an extraordinary stretch. These big ideas need our support.

Changes around us are creating financial uncertainty for many of us. In actuality, one of the most certain things is that the costs of nearly all of the spending in our lives is going up. Our Heritage church staff and operations are equally impacted by these inflationary trends. That is why the Board understands that this year’s stewardship goal is aspirational and bold. I don’t miss the irony that while our Heritage families feel the financial pressures in their lives, it becomes even more important to support our church experiencing the same pressures. We know that the ask to give is a big one. All I can do is thank you for your support of Heritage.

April 2022.