For several years now, Heritage has supported the Inter Parish Ministry Holiday Adopt a Family program. It was no surprise that IPM had to adapt the way they would do this yearly gift-giving program that supplied so many families with toys, clothing, and other requested supplies such as cleaning and household items.

The plan this year was to supply each registered family member with a $25 gift card so they could choose items for themselves. Gift cards were delivered inside a stocking stuffed with a few additional items to bring some holiday cheer. Heritage came through big time with your donations to fund our stockings. Through your generosity, we were able to deliver 46 stockings stuffed with gift cards and surprises valued at just over $1,500. Thank you for all the ways you help keep our Heritage traditions alive while adapting to change.

December 2020.

The Heritage Choir is still meeting and singing together! We are doing that over Zoom! The quality time we share is very meaningful, even if we can’t actually hear each other sing. Steve McCamley works with the choir on three choral pieces for each rehearsal that we hold. Sherry McCamley plays the piano while Les Tacy plays the role of Zoom Host. This effort that Steve and Sherry are overseeing is a bonding gathering, without a performance as it’s end objective.

12/11/2020.

The story of how Heritage Acres Memorial Sanctuary came to be is prominently featured in the December edition of Cincinnati Magazine. Pick up a copy at your local newsstand, grocery or drugstore beginning December 1.

The article highlights not only Heritage Acres, but Heritage Church – our environmental mission and commitment to changing the way death is dealt with in our culture. There are gorgeous full-color photos, quotes from Heritage folks, and a loving tribute to the late Connie Booth. Get your copy soon, while supplies last!

A small and incredibly dedicated team has been providing a deep service to the Heritage UU Church community since mid-March. Core team members are Bob Drake, Jackie Drake, Marleen Johnson, Michelle Kelly, Ellie Lamb, Tracy Rossa, Julia Sandman, and Tracy Jo Small. We serve 12 to 17 families every other week. We continue to thank our amazing partner, LaSoupe, which is now located on East McMillan in Walnut Hills. Their mission is “Rescue Transform Share”. The day of the week and time will vary according to LaSoupe’s schedule.

March through May, our team prepared soups and dinners for our HUUC families. Now we rely mainly on rescued items. In the past, items from LaSoupe have included: lettuce, bananas, apples, broccoli, mangos, avocados, cabbage, leeks, limes, “lunchables,” cottage cheese, lunch meat, semi-prepared meal kits, potato salad, fruit trays, vegetable trays, chocolate milk, parmesan cheese, yogurt, onions, potatoes, squash, eggplant, avocado toast kits, breads, donuts, cakes, smoothie mix, biscuits, whole cooked turkeys, shredded carrots, rainbow carrots, celery, eggs, cheese, cookies, pears, brussels sprouts, zucchini, kale, beans and more (not all in one week).

The raised beds at HUUC are producing small, but lovely, amounts of peppers, beets, lettuce, arugula, carrots, beet greens, mint, kale, sage, thyme, dill, peas, tomatoes and radishes. We are able to include fresh, organic produce from our gardens in some of the food baskets each week. Some weeks the baskets contain herbs and vegetables from the gardens of Marleen Johnson, Lisa Prantl, Julia Sandman, and Tracy Jo Small.

This food is available for ANYONE. The food baskets are free of charge.

If you have produce to contribute to the food baskets, please email Tracy Jo at:

Huge thanks go to all our other contributors: the Eury family, Kerry and Jim Larson, Rebecca Pace, John Sandman, and Michelle Wilhite. The Caring Circle does much of the coordinating and delivering.

Mission Statement: Heritage Healthy Cooking Classes encourages people from all walks of life to think about where their food comes from. We believe that nutritious food should be available to all people every day. We provide basic culinary skills to empower people to cook healthy, simple foods with less waste. We teach people how to cook thoughtfully with love and care for themselves and the environment, to help them realize the importance of being present while eating and sharing food with others.

7/18/2020.

Due to the switch to online worship services and the immense technical burden it placed on Worship Committee members, Heritage Church has created a new part-time staff position, Technology Coordinator. The position was filled in July, 2020,  by Danny Goldstein. He works behind the scenes to make sure our virtual worship services run smoothly from a technical standpoint.

Danny has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kean University, where he studied Graphic Design. He loves folk music, and enjoys gaming and art as a hobby. He lives in New Jersey with his partner Josh.

At the June 28, 2020 congregational meeting, Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church members elected Kay Inskeep and John Sandman to the Board of Trustees. Kay and John join continuing Board members Mark Buckley, Barb Lyon, Jim Nolan, Tamilyn Moore, and Michael Wilhite to form the 2020-2021 Board of Trustees.

Leaving the Board of Trustees are two persons whose terms were up, Bob Booth and Bob Rush. We thank them for their service on the Board.

At the July 13, 2020 Board of Trustees meeting, the Board chose its officers. Tamilyn Moore is Board President, Michael Wilhite is Board Vice President, and Kay Inskeep and Barb Lyon share the duties of Board Secretary.

July 15, 2020.

In the wake of the May 25th death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, many Heritage UU Church members and friends joined in peaceful protest marches in our area. At least of two of them made the news.

The Journal-News on Sunday, May 31, ran a story “Hundreds Join Protest in Cincinnati for Second Day.” The article, which is not available online without a subscription, included this information: “Jaime Castle, another protester, said she joined the marches to get a different perspective. ‘I come from privilege, and I don’t understand the experience like a person of color will. So I am here, learning to be a good ally.’”

The Cincinnati Enquirer ran a story, which appeared on Cincinnati.com on June 1, under the title “What we know Monday: As many as 100 arrested Sunday as police use buses to transport.” Tracy Jo Small appears in picture #64 out of 82.
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2020/06/01/cincinnati-protests-monday-arrests-curfew-protests/5306579002/

Many thanks to everyone who marched for justice!

On Saturday, January 18, 2020, Heritage UU Church members and friends, along with many others, participated in the Cincinnati Women’s March, a sister march of the one held in Washington, D.C. Here are a few pictures.

 

On Sunday, December 15, 2019, performers both young and old treated the Heritage UU Church congregation to a Christmas pageant. Here are a few pictures of scenes and performers.

We are excited to expand and grow each and every year. Thank you to Heritage UU Church for your continued support of this vital ministry. “And service is our prayer” is seen in each class. We are now receiving surplus food supplies from LaSoupe in Newtown for each class.

The year 2020 will see monthly classes at Heritage with at-risk teens from the Villedge. We will hold summer classes again for the New Richmond Boys and Girls Club and Artsy Fartsy. Our team of volunteers is essential to the success of these classes. Deep gratitude to each and every team member. To volunteer your time, contact:

Our Mission Statement: Heritage Healthy Cooking Classes encourages people from all walks of life to think about where their food comes from. We believe that nutritious food should be available to all people every day. We provide basic culinary skills to empower people to cook healthy, simple foods with less waste. We teach people how to cook thoughtfully with love and care for themselves and the environment, to help them realize the importance of being present while eating and sharing food with others.

January 2020.