Most UUs are familiar with our Seven Principles. We live out these Principles within a “living tradition” of wisdom and spirituality, drawn from sources as diverse as science, poetry, scripture, and personal experience. The Sixth Source states that we affirm and promote: “Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.”

Like most things, the HUUC Pagan Group has radically changed during the pandemic. Over the past year we have met in very small groups for all the holy days. We celebrated the Spring Equinox outside with eight households in attendance.

Though low-key; we are very active. For more information contact:

3/31/2021.

The Board approved a Humidifier/de-humidifier for piano ($600 system which includes installation).

Update on Church Administrator Search Committee – the position has been posted for search and the committee has identified 30 candidates with several being very qualified. Goal is to have 2-3 candidates for Bill to review in early April.

The Annual Meeting date is June 6th @ 1:30 pm. This will be virtual.

The Board meeting to review and finalize budget is May 3rd at 7 pm.

Town Hall Meeting is scheduled for May 16th at 1:30 pm- The Board will share the budget with congregation. This will be virtual.

In 2020, over $5,000 in money was donated to Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) by a five-church cluster that includes Heritage Church. This money was in addition to gift cards and in-kind donations that members of those churches provided.

IHN is a network of congregations that work together to provide meals and shelter to homeless families while they seek permanent housing. In normal times, four homeless families stay in a church, synagogue or mosque, usually for a week at a time before being rotated to another congregational host. In our case, First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati hosted families, and four other congregations—St. John’s UU Church, Heritage UU Church, a Baptist church, and a Mennonite church—provided support resources and volunteers.

In 2020, restrictions under the pandemic made this approach impossible, and IHN switched to housing its client families in motel suites. This allowed the families to maintain social distancing and to cook their own food. Such an approach nearly eliminated the need for volunteers but required far greater funds. Heritage and the other churches came through with monetary donations to pay for the motels, gift cards that allowed families to obtain food and supplies, and in-kind donations such as cleaning supplies.

If you are interested in learning more about Heritage’s involvement in IHN, or possibly volunteering when those roles open up again, please contact Rae Jane Araujo at:

2/13/20212.

Have you noticed the familiar face of Jill Beyette joining our Sunday Worship Zoom Services? Jill and husband Rick, and their daughters Claire and Anna, are Life Members of Heritage UU Church, though they now live in Athens, Georgia, where they lead busy lives at the University of Georgia. Rick is the Founding Chair of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Jill is a professor in the Biology Department.

During their nine years as members of HUUC, all four family members devoted their time and talents to serving the Heritage community. Both Jill and Rick have experience serving on the Worship Committee, as well as practical experience using technology in their professional fields. As local Worship Committee members continue to rotate off the committee, it can be challenging to fill vacancies. It occurred to Rev. Bill Gupton that, since our worship services are currently produced online (our Tech Coordinator, Danny Goldstein, is located in New Jersey), it seemed natural to tap individuals like Jill—with deep roots to HUUC—who could step in easily as a Worship Committee member, at least for the short-term.

Jill happily joined the Worship Committee on January 1, 2021. Says Jill, “Heritage and its members are one of the great joys in my life, and I’m very happy to return to this sacred corner of Cincinnati once again-virtually speaking. I have enjoyed joining in the past few worship services, and experience that spark of Heritage inspiration that I’ve missed since we moved to Athens. It’s like coming home. I look forward to serving in community with the other worship associates, and to being with you in Spirit and in Zoom.” Welcome, Jill!

1/25/2021.

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!

11/23/2020.

In the United States, over one-third of all available food goes uneaten through loss or waste. Worldwide loss is about 40%. When food is tossed aside, so too are opportunities for improved food security, economic growth, and environmental prosperity. Our partnership with La Soupe helps to address this systemic problem. New estimates from Penn State University suggest that an average household wastes about $1,900 per year—translating to $240 billion in wasted food nationally.

We are deeply grateful to partner with La Soupe, which is now located in Walnut Hills. In the past, items from La Soupe have included: lettuce, bananas, apples, broccoli, cabbage, leeks, limes, “lunchables,” cottage cheese, lunch meat, semi-prepared meal kits, potato salad, fruit trays, vegetable trays, sandwiches, chocolate milk, yogurt, onions, potatoes, squash, eggplant, avocado toast kits, breads, donuts, cakes, whole cooked turkeys, shredded carrots, rainbow carrots, celery, eggs, cheese, cookies, pears, brussel sprouts, zucchini, kale, beans and more. The day and time vary according to La Soupe’s schedule. The items depend on what foods La Soupe has rescued from places like Kroger’s, Gordon Food Service, Trader Joe’s, Pop’s Donut Shop, Bread Smith, Servati’s, LaRosa’s, Jungle Jim’s etc.

This year Heritage Healthy Cooking Classes has had 22 food distributions that have served over 600 people! We have done this with very little cost and over 400 volunteer hours. Huge thanks to the drivers, gardeners, packers, delivery and clean up teams! This was an experimental year for the raised beds behind the church. They actually produced a fair amount of produce. We plan to improve the beds next year.

We delivered an oversized, heartfelt thank you card to La Soupe during our last pick-up. They are deeply touched by our gratitude.

Click here to support the mission and work of La Soupe: https://lasoupe.org/donate

If you have questions or want to help with the Heritage Healthy Cooking Classes food distribution, please contact Tracy Jo at:

 

 

 

 

11/17/2020.

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.

11/16/2020.