As noted in the news, the For the People Act establishes standards for voting, elections and representation, including congressional campaign financing and gerrymandering. It has passed the U.S. House but not the Senate. A procedural rule change that would increase the likelihood of passage in the Senate has been opposed by West Virginia senator Joe Manchin.

On Monday, June 14, the national Poor People’s Campaign held its Moral Monday rally in Charleston, West Virginia. The purpose was to add pressure for the rule change. Heritage member Rebecca Pace was there to show her support for the rule change and for the For the People Act.

Rebecca said “It was great to hear Rev. William Barber speak about the Poor People’s Campaign. I believe voting reform is the first step, to the policy changes we need, to address the poverty and inequality that plagues our country.”

2021.

As your Heritage UU Church Board of Trustees prepares to set guidance for reopening the church, we wanted to share the results of a recent survey that was sent out. We think the results offer very encouraging news and it has shaped our thoughts, so we appreciate your input greatly.

The net results are that we are a highly vaccinated community with interest in returning to in-person gatherings safely (and still having the option to Zoom). Your input and sharing with us are helping shape the guidelines created. Please read through the survey results below. If you have any questions, please follow up directly with John Sandman at:

Again, thank you for your input.

Survey Report

 

 

Survey Report Appendix

Provided below are comments posted in the survey.

I appreciate the thoughtfulness and communication throughout the pandemic.

Thanks for the work on this!

I appreciate the Board’s conservative approach throughout the pandemic. Knowing breakthrough cases of COVID occurs in those vaccinated and many cannot yet be vaccinated calls for continued caution.

Thank you for working so hard to keep the church and it’s community alive!!

None

Looking forward to reconnecting with the community. Thank you for all your hard work in providing the Zoom services.

I hope the streaming of the services will continue as I’m not able to attend in person these days.

maybe modify hand holding for benediction

I personally am comfortable with returning to in person services. I support also continuing with on line participation to accommodate those who for whatever reason are not prepared to attend in person.

Hi, looking forward to being back.

With vaccines readily available, it’s time to gather again. Those unvaccinated, including children should wear masks. The children do at school- why not at church?

My husband’s health situation is that he, although having two shots, is only 54 percent protected. He will need to remain masked, safely distanced and need to sit apart from others. We need assurance that the building is very clean, including the restrooms. What is the sanitizing plan for common areas?

I’d like Board to be more involved in Racial Justice.

I appreciate the Board’s cautious approach; thank you!

I would like our guidelines to mirror CDC guidelines. If vaccinated people are approved to gather without masks I think we should be free to do so.

I think in person fellowship is important for a healthy congregation and the future of our church community

It is hard to be engaged in the Zoom church services when me and my spouse are on Zoom all week 6- 8 hoppers a day, working remotely at also now working at least now 50% of my time in the office. Going to Zoom church just is exhausting for me and our family and have found other things to do on Sunday mornings that is not on the computer. We have engaged about 10 -15 times in the last year, but have found it is hard for us to be engaged when we are on our computers all day during the week. Our son is missing in person RE and does not like RE currently as most of the kids are not from our church. We felt it was best for him to re-engage when there is a permanent RE person back at Heritage and the people and kids he knew from his church. .

I am not in a rush to return to an indoor church service. While I miss seeing the pastor and choir in person, there are often occasions when it is much easier to work around an online service, especially because, with my husband’s frequent riding and showing, I can still enjoy the service when it’s online. Still, I do miss seeing everyone and do look forward to eventually being at services again, even though it’s a bit of a ride from Blue Ash to church!

If possible and feasible, I would much prefer that attendance for in person activities require proof of vaccination.

It’s going to be uncomfortable at first but looking forward to actually being with others.

I feel that in the next month or two everyone will have had the opportunity to be vaccinated and if they have not done so they probably are never going to do so. Therefore I would be comfortable with resuming services and use of the building as normal

I envision services being both in-person and online in the future, and I expect that I will sometimes (often?) choose to attend online.

While I myself am comfortable returning to church, indoors or out, and I don’t have children in my house under age 20+… I am not comfortable with young, unvaccinated children returning to the building just now. This is a safety issue for them and for any vulnerable persons in the congregation.

***

NONE

No other thoughts.

A lot will depend upon percentage of adults who complete the vaccination protocol.

I appreciate the tough decision facing the board, and I will support whatever the trustees decide.

While I don’t have any children in the house, it doesn’t feel ethical to choose an option that is not open for children too young to be vaccinated.

Everyone will never be vaccinated and eventually we will all be together, vaccinated and non. Might as well get on with it.

I want to be back, but I want everyone to be safe

THanks for your attention and consideration in this matter. I hope all will respond.

Thank you for taking this seriously.

I’m supporting church services on site with proper masking, air ventilation, and access to hand sanitizer. I would also hope that people who were unable or not comfortable in a church service due to Covid would be able to access some type of virtual service. These are of course ideals of what I would like and I am in support of what is able to happen safely and realistically.

Nothing else

I’m looking forward to returning, in whatever in person option is available. I felt like some of the closeness was lost in online streams, though I appreciated them very much.

I would only feel comfortable with outdoor services until the pandemic recedes or vaccination rates are higher. I would also want to have only vaccinated individuals participating in services.

I’d like a good (statistical) understanding of how the congregation views vaccination. In particular, by age group, how many will NOT get the vaccine. I’d also like there to be a process of updating such a survey weekly (yes, weekly).

Part of why I’d like hybrid is because we’ll be out of town over the summer (yay, traveling again!) and can join in from where we’ll be.

I’ll “chirp” in at next board meeting.

Remove the security guard.

Thank you for your approach to this dilemma this entire pandemic.

It’s okay to take this incrementally. IE in-person services start up in the bldg in Sept, but add potlucks, etc as we see how things go. Children’s RE will need to be up to RE committee, DRE and families.

Keep virtual services. They are a lifeline for those who have difficulties leaving home

There are always risks involved with reopening, yet we have and continue see the impacts of isolation and detachment that have and continue to result from the lack of in-person interaction.

Since it is likely that most of the unvaccinated members are children, perhaps education could be held outdoors.

I am looking forward to outdoor services this summer. I hope soon, enough people will be vaccinated to have safe indoor services.

Having been vaccinated, I am comfortable meeting indoors, perhaps with masks. If all people indoors have been vaccinated we could do without masks.

No other comments.

I have nothing else to add.

thanks for all you’ve done to help keep our community safe

none

It is imperative that the church only allow fully vaccinated adults for indoor services. It is fairly clear that fully vaccinated adults are highly unlikely to be carriers of the disease. I know that at least one member, maybe more, have been vaccinated but their immune system is so compromised by other illness that the vaccine is only about 50% effective. If everyone else is vaccinated, the immunocompromised people (and young children) will be protected. If we allow people who for whatever unscientific reason refuse to be vaccinated to attend in person we are putting the young and weak in danger.

I’m vaccinated so I am good with coming back, indoor or out. Although I have to say I REALLY like the Zoom services and would LOVE to see them continue even when all this is over. It doesn’t have to be Zoom, maybe a live stream of the alter would be enough.

.

We miss the church in our lives, thank you for considering reopening

What would/could be the “Covid-19” safeguards for in person Sunday service? With those in place, how many people could be in the sanctuary at one time?

I would like to restart inside services and RE as soon as possible. I do not find the risk at Church to be any different than the day to day risks most of us will be taking this summer at restaurants, reuniting with friends, kids at school, etc. With the latest CDC data I believe that vaccinated individuals will be safe in this setting and unvaccinated individuals will need to determine their risk profile and the steps they will take to protect themselves. It’s time to return.

Thank you to the Board for keeping people informed of their decisions with regular email updates. Thank you for all your hard work and what must have been many, many hours of discussion to produce the HUUC Covid rules and updates. How I wish I could have written the word guidelines instead of rules. Each of us make choices about risks every day. Entering the HUUC building for a meeting or a service is no different than any of these other risks we take or avoid. It is time to treat the congregants as consenting adults and begin to resume in-person activities in the building.

Continued mask wearing might be a good idea for the foreseeable future

?

None. Thanks for reaching out.

I am comfortable following CDC requirements. I am fully vaccinated.

I have no further comments, thanks for the survey!

Please don’t forget about the babies and toddlers – even though they’re too young to wear masks or protect themselves, they’re still part of our community. Outdoor activities would be greatly welcome, as long as parents/guardians are included. Many little ones have rarely seen other children due to the pandemic, and it would be so beneficial to let them gather safely

I’ve enjoyed the Zoom services and would like to continue them, perhaps on a hybrid basis, with half in church and half virtual

I do not intend to return to any in person HUUC activities in the foreseeable future.

Special filters for HVAC system so recirculating air doesn’t just recirculate Covid germs.

Not allowing singing does not make sense. It is a crucial part of our gathering together

I am not sure how to separate the vaccinated from those who won’t be- or if it is feasible. I would be much happier with gatherings of vaccinated adults. But with distancing and masks, I would attend indoors, no matter.

Love to return, but live outside of Cincinnati now and will rarely be able to attend church

Need to consider how to handle “visitors”. I am not offended if I would be asked to show my vaccination card.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this issue.

I thin it’s important that we get back in the building even if most people still participate remotely.

I believe that we are ready to return with some restrictions.

We are anxious to return in person!

N/A

Xxx

These have been hard times, and I want to express much gratitude for what you do for this community, keeping it healthy and strong….It means a lot to me, thanks.

I would like to discourage the linking of hands at the end of the service and the overuse of hugs. The hand linking spreads any disease and not everyone appreciates hugs. If the hand linking is re-instated, I will not participate and leave.

I think we need to let vaccinated individuals inside the church. There is a lot of work that needs to be done before we can even think of opening. Also the church grounds have been neglected.

It seems unlikely that we will truly reach herd immunity. Post-covid life will necessarily involve some level of risk. I hope that our church community can make the environment as safe as possible (good ventilation, for instance) and church members allow grace to different circumstances and acceptance of risk.

We are very comfortable going back to church with others who are vaccinated.

When we return to in-person worship there is sentiment toward a hybrid approach wherein live streaming is done for those choosing to, or needing to, stay home, while the in-person worship experience is happening. While I understand this approach as being beneficial, it needs to be noted that this will add a layer of complexity that will require additional volunteers to implement. There will also be additional cost. That is, we will be adding another layer without removing past practices for our worship services. This will take additional management and maintenance as well. We simply need to be aware of this reality.

At some point soon, we need to let personal responsibility prevail. Those not vaccinated for whatever reason can take additional safety measures. I don’t believe the fear of liability should delay our in-person community. I have not heard of any church or business being sued because someone got sick. We have been hyper vigilant and proved our caution as a defense, should someone choose to sue – which I very much doubt.

I still intend to wear a mask in large groups regardless of vacine or not.

I would like masks required until all ages can be vaccinated

Our chairs in our sanctuary are ridiculously too close together, they always have been since they do not accommodate the bodies of people with larger frames and mobility/pain issues. If we are going to have the chairs right next to each other with the ability of people from separate households to be unmasked near each other, that will drastically delay how quickly I would be returning to the church. You can practically reach someone two rows in front of and behind you, our chairs are so uncomfortably cramped, and singing space with that proximity would be potentially dangerous.

Feel safe starting back in person

I’m very comfortable going to in-person church, but I would not want to hug or hold hands until later in the year.

I am eager to return in person with Covid-19 safeguards in place. Although our gatherings will probably never be as unstructured as pre-Pandemic, we NEED each other for love, support, and community, and to work together on our larger UU missions. P.S. I also really miss singing in the choir–I consider it my “group therapy!!”

There are SO many options for meeting in-person! Let’s take advantage of our outdoor space. Let congregants make their own decisions about how and when to gather! Science Rocks! Let’s follow it. Thanks for FINALLY asking for our opinion-WE are the church! Would love for the board to organize a work day to begin to tackle housekeeping and gardening that have been neglected for over a year. Thanks for the in-person park services – it is time!

 

Article posted 5/26/2021.

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.

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.