by Rev. Leslie Woodward

It is so hard to believe that this is my last column for the Heirloom! There have been times in this unusual fall when it has seemed surreal that I would be retiring without being in your physical presence again. But so it is to be. That fact has gotten more and more real as my last worship service approaches. And, as it gets more real, I find myself growing ever more emotional. There is sadness, yes, but also a sense of fullness and gratitude as I reflect on all that I have been honored to witness over these past eight years.

Then there is also that small voice in the back of my head. Have I shared all I wanted to share? Have I given all I could give? And — will I have made a lasting difference in the lives of the children and youth at Heritage?

Of course, these questions cannot be answered and perhaps shouldn’t even be contemplated, springing as they do from hubris. I know that this congregation is ready for a new voice with new ideas, programs and structure. And I know in the deepest part of my heart that you will do quite fine without me as your minister — indeed, that you will flourish.

Yet what religious education professional doesn’t want to be remembered, credited with having some influence on the lives of the young people they have served, however modest that influence might be?

This I know. Every child, youth, parent, and indeed adult, at Heritage has made a difference in my life. Your presence, support, and love has filled me with hope, lifted me with kindness, and enriched my days without measure. It may be a cliché but there is no greater truth that I have learned from each of you much, much more than I ever managed to teach.

Aloha ‘oe.
Until we meet again,
Rev. Leslie Woodward

December 2020.

by Rev. Leslie Woodward

How do you begin to wrap up all the loose ends of an eight-year ministry? Good question! Oops, forgot an important addition — how do you begin to wrap up all the loose ends of an eight-year ministry during a pandemic?

The words of Antonio Machado come to mind and, of course, Google helps me find the full quote:

“…there is no path
The path is made by walking.
By walking you make a path
And turning, you look back
At a way you will never tread again…”

The path is made by walking. Putting one foot in front of the other. Taking care of the day-to-day tasks all the while knowing that soon my to-do list will shrink back to walking the dog and caring for my family.

But, for now there is much to do! Meeting with children and youth online! Figuring out how to celebrate winter holidays with RE families! Collaborating on worship services! Downloading photos from my phone and uploading documents to the cloud! Not to mention separating RE items and books from my own personal stash here at home, returning them to Heritage Church and trying my best to organize these things in some semi-coherent manner. Whew!

And beginning to say goodbye. WAIT! Not yet! It’s still November. Two whole months before we say goodbye.

By walking, you … no, we make the path. Thank you for your love and indulgence as we navigate the rest of this journey together.

Rev. Leslie

November 2020.

by Rev. Bill Gupton

Friends, this will be my last monthly Heirloom column for a while. If it seems like you may have read those or similar words not that long ago, there’s good reason. On February 1, I began a six-month sabbatical that came to an abrupt end just a few weeks later when it became apparent that COVID-19 was going to alter our shared reality, disrupt our society, and threaten us all.

Thankfully, although the pandemic has indeed done all of those things and more, only a very few members of our Heritage family have contracted the coronavirus, and we have so far lost no one to this deadly disease. What we have done is rally around one another. We have found ways to continue much of our great programming virtually – including learning how to provide quality Zoom worship services, family chapel opportunities, and Vespers services. We expanded our staff to include a Zoom technician. We have created materials that go home to our families and children. We have started gathering, virtually, on our decks and now, with the coming of colder weather, in our homes.

In short, we are maintaining the connections that make our community what it is and what we have come to expect (even without the hugs). As most of you know, after the election is behind us, I will re-start that interrupted sabbatical – secure in the knowledge that there is strong, dedicated leadership to guide the congregation through the upcoming winter. Starting December 1, I will be on sabbatical for four months (through the end of March). In some respects, a sabbatical during a time of pandemic-enforced separation might be less disruptive than in “normal” times, since we are all, already, accustomed to not seeing one another in person.

In addition, I believe our Board of Trustees – led by President Tamilyn Moore, Vice-President Michael Wilhite, and Past President Jim Nolan – is well-positioned to lead us during this time of continued separation. They have developed a strong working relationship. Each and every Board member brings to the table a deep commitment to the health and long-term well-being of Heritage Church. The same can be said for our Worship Committee, which once again is lining up an impressive array of guest preachers for you while I am away. The co-chairs of that committee – Regina Pugh and Kathy Wade – are a delight to work with, and over the past several months, the committee has really deepened its understanding of worship in a time of drastically different expectations.

At a recent Town Hall meeting (on Zoom, of course), someone asked me what I plan to do during my resumed sabbatical. First and foremost, I am looking forward to spending more time – quality time – with my family. Patrick is back home from the New Zealand, but hopes to resume his world travels sometime in 2021, so I plan to squeeze in as much time with him as I can during the sabbatical. Similarly, with the pandemic Jennifer’s working from home a lot more now. So quality family time is high on my list. As is rest. Sleep has been at a premium lately; I hope that will soon change! And of course – just like I was beginning to do during my last sabbatical – I will devote time to guiding Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary, which is now open, into its next phase of development.

Speaking of Heritage Acres, you might want to pick up a copy of the December edition of Cincinnati Magazine – we will be prominently featured in it.

Finally, let me take a moment to say how blessed I have been, personally and professionally, to have Rev. Leslie Woodward as my colleague and fellow minister on staff for the past eight-plus years. Leslie’s retirement, which comes at the end of 2020, will leave a huge hole in our church community – and in my heart. I hope each of you will reach out directly to Rev. Leslie and let her know just how much she has meant to you, to your children, to your families, and to our church family. Leslie, you will be missed – tremendously. We wish you a very happy retirement. And I trust you will also get some much-needed sleep and rest starting in January!

May this upcoming month – which will be our last month together for a while – be an auspicious November filled with much to celebrate. May we experience the simple joys of relationship and connection as the holidays approach. And – as I say at the end of our times of shared silence – may we honor the Spirit of Life in each, and in all. Amen!

Rev. Bill

November 2020.

by Tamilyn Moore

Beautiful and colorful greetings to all! What amazing fall colors we are getting right now. I hope you’re all getting out to enjoy looking at the fall colors and get some crisp fall air.

Along with the fall colors comes some stress. The election is fast approaching. I hope everyone has gone to vote already, or returned your absentee ballot, or have a plan for voting on election day. If you need a place to calm or center yourself, the UUA is hosting some events through Facebook to help. Check out the Spiritual Grounding for Election Day hosted by Chalice UU-Events 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on November 3. There will be a Post-Election Vigil & Community Gathering on November 5 starting at 8 p.m. and it is hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Association from their Facebook page. So, take some time to check in there if you want to connect with other UUs during and after the election.

We are also getting into the colder months where socializing safely during a pandemic becomes harder. The holidays are fast approaching which as well can be a stressful time for some, and may be more stressful this year if you aren’t able to spend them with friends and family. Make sure to find ways to connect with others in ways that work for you. Call a friend. Meet and go for a walk together. Video chat with a group of friends. Write a letter to someone. Remember that self-care is very important. Be patient with yourself and others. Be kind to yourself and others. Know that the Heritage community is always sending you love!

The Interim RE Director Search Committee continues to work toward recommending an Interim RE Director for hire to the Board. We plan to hold interviews the last week of October and will meet on November 1 to discuss which applicant to recommend to the Board.

Wishing you the best and virtual hugs to all!

Tamilyn

November 2020.

by Rev. Bill Gupton

I hear you. I feel you. I share your pain.

Over the summer, and now into the fall, I have spoken with countless members and friends of the Heritage Church community. You have told me that you are hurting and heartbroken about the state of the world in which we live. That the pandemic we are living through, and the societal polarization we are experiencing, have taken their toll on you – emotionally, spiritually, even physically. Again, I share your pain. Sometimes it is hard even to get up in the morning. Sometimes (most times), it is difficult to get a good night’s sleep.

I want to encourage you – and maybe this is one of those cases of the preacher preaching to himself – to get outside, at least once each day. Get some exercise. Breathe the fresh air. The temperatures and the weather are wonderful right now.

Call a friend on the phone – one you haven’t spoken to in a while, one you need to reconnect with, and who just might need to reconnect with you. Support the postal service by sending someone a letter or card. Tune in to various opportunities, including but not limited to Sunday morning services, to see the faces and hear the voices of your Heritage family. Because that’s what we are – a family. A family not of birth, but of choice. And families, stick together in difficult times. They help and support one another.

I’m hoping to recharge and revitalize our calling circles (aka “caring pods”) this month, in order to keep us connected, as the days and the sunlight start to grow shorter, and as the news of the world grows more distressing. If you want to be included in a calling circle, please let me know. Send me an email at SeniorMinister1@huuc.net.

There’s one more thing I want to encourage you – no, plead with you – to do this month. It will make you feel good. Participate in this election. Our Unitarian Universalist principles call us to action, and to participation in “the democratic process within our congregations, and in society at large.” Be sure to double / triple check that you are registered to vote, at https://ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/site/government/resources/check-your-voter-registration. Do it before October 5, which is the last day to register to vote. And then vote. How our society will look, and what our lives will be like, for dozens of years to come – for a generation or more – will be decided in the next several weeks. Please don’t sit this one out!

May you, and may our country, be held in the Love that is the spirit of this church – now, and in all the days to come.

Blessings,
Rev. Bill

October 2020.

by Tamilyn Moore

Somehow it is suddenly October! Beautiful fall weather, lots of color in the trees, fresh apple cider to drink, open house windows with a cool breeze blowing through, and the Interim RE Search Committee meeting to find an Interim RE Director for Heritage after Rev. Leslie’s retirement.

On September 14, the Board met and appointed me, Kay Inskeep, Katie Kpaeyeh, Chad Inman, and Melissa Dunlap, along with Rev. Bill, to this committee. I have been an RE teacher in the past and also chaired the RE Committee for a bit several years ago. My children are 12 and 16 and are involved in the middle school and high school programs at Heritage. Kay’s kids are grown, but Kay has taught RE classes and been involved in the Heritage RE program for several years.

To provide some information about Katie, she is somewhat new to Heritage and began coming to Heritage with her husband, Alvin, about a year ago after they moved to Cincinnati from Charleston, SC. Katie and Alvin have a three-year-old, Sage, and a ten-month-old, Mari. Katie has taught English to Speakers of Other Languages for about thirteen years. She is excited to get more involved at Heritage and they are ecstatic to have found a place that embodies what is important to their family.

To provide some information about Chad, he has been a Unitarian Universalist since about 1995 and has been coming to Heritage with his wife, Kimberly and their son Isaac for about three years. Chad is a science teacher at Valley Middle School near Wheelersburg, Ohio where they live. Chad serves on the board of Queercraft, a gaming community for LGBTQIA+ youth. Chad is also a Walnut Hills alumni.

To provide some information about Melissa, she and her husband Brian have been coming to Heritage for about eight years. Melissa is currently homeschooling her seven-year-old, Delilah and three-year-old, Paul. Melissa has a background in branding, marketing, and communications and has worked with a variety of organizations. Melissa has volunteered with the Heritage Healthy Cooking Classes, Villedge, and the Parks and Recreation Commission for the City of Milford.

We will be working together over the next few months to bring in an Interim RE Director that will keep alive the programs that Rev. Leslie has going, bring in new programs and events to the RE program, and work with members of the church to determine what we are looking for long term for future RE leadership.

Virtual Hugs to all!

Tamilyn

October 2020.

Part of everyone’s self-care plan should include a rockin’ pity party!

Heritage families, let’s do it! Gather on Zoom on Wednesday, October 14th at 9 p.m. for the 2020 edition of the Parent Pity Party! (Tell your kids that you need to go to the P.P. party and to leave you alone for at least an hour!)

A Pity Party is the opportunity to complain in solidarity with no judgement allowed. Here’s how it will work:

1. Gather supplies:
   Comforting snacks, your beverage of choice (remember, no judgement!), and a big box of Kleenex are recommended. Sweats or PJs are preferred attire; please remember to wear clothes.
2. Practice and perfect your responses:
   Appropriate comments are “yeah, that really DOES suck!” or “That’s so unfair!” Not allowed: putting anything in perspective. That is NOT helpful at a Pity Party.
3. Log into Zoom and settle into a comfy chair or sofa for Round 1:
   Name the top three things you’re upset about losing due to the pandemic. Everyone takes a turn.
4. Rounds 2 & 3 & 4:
   Keep going! Name everything you need to complain about! Missing concerts! Restaurants! Everything you miss or are going to miss!
5. Next round: What are you afraid of?
   Get it out there. From the “could happen” to the ridiculous. Deep or petty. Naming the fears takes away their power.

Everyone with children or youth in their household (whether part-time or fulltime) is invited. If anyone dares to say something like “it could be worse” I will personally toss them out of the meeting!

Watch for the Zoom link on the HUUC website on October 14th. Contact Rev. Leslie with any questions or comments.

(Many thanks to my colleague Rev. Joanna Crawford for her recipe for a rockin’ pity party!)

Posted 9/24/2020.

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