Sunday, May 28, at Noon, and Wednesday, May 31, at 7:00 p.m.

Church members and friends alike are urged to attend one or both of the upcoming special Town Hall meetings to learn more about, and provide feedback on, financial and budget proposals for the HUUC 2023-24 fiscal year. The congregation will be asked to adopt an operating budget at the Annual Meeting after the worship service on Sunday, June 4, beginning at noon.

This year’s budgeting process began with a projected shortfall of $52,000, necessitating significant spending cuts proposed by the Board of Trustees. By now, everyone should have received information about this situation, as well as a copy of the current, proposed operating budget for 2023-24. (If you haven’t received this information, please contact the church office promptly to request it).

Two Town Hall meetings will offer us an opportunity to discuss and discern how to resolve our budget issues. They are scheduled for noon on Sunday, May 28, right after church, and on Wednesday evening, May 31, at 7:00 p.m. Zoom participation will also be available on Sunday, May 28.

Don’t miss these important Town Hall conversations!

2023.

For May 20 – 26, donate on Sunday at Heritage, or online. Our donations go to an organization that celebrates the power of hope and healing by providing opportunities for children to learn, compose, and perform music for hospital patients, members of the armed services, and more. Learn more and donate at The Tacy Foundation.

Sunday, May 28, around 12 p.m., and Wednesday, May 31, at 7 p.m.

The Heritage UU Church Board of Trustees will host two Town Hall meetings, both of which will address budget planning. On Sunday, May 28, we expect the discussion to begin around 12 p.m. after a brief break when the worship service ends, continuing in-person from the sanctuary or on the Zoom service link. The second meeting will be on Wednesday, May 31, at 7 p.m., and will take place in-person only.

The focus of these meetings will follow our recent tradition of a deeper conversation regarding the coming year’s budget, in order to gather feedback and gain alignment from members prior to the annual meeting. You can expect an update on the results of the stewardship campaign, direction from the Board on the overall budget goals, and discussion of funding priorities. Please join us for one or both meetings.

If you have questions about these meetings, please contact our Board President, Julie Kane.

Posted 5/15/2023.

Saturday, May 6, at 12:30 p.m., at Heritage UU Church.

Please join Heritage and EarthSpirit of St. John’s Unitarian Universalist Church as we walk for world peace.

There will be a presentation about labyrinth history and use at 12:30 p.m. We will walk as ONE at 1:00. Louise Lawarre will also lead us in the “Elm Dance” around the labyrinth. Please join us for snacks and socializing afterward.

Feel free to walk the labyrinth at any time that day and you will be spiritually connected to others walking around the planet.

World Labyrinth Day is an annual international event sponsored by The Labyrinth Society. Every year on the first Saturday in May, thousands of people around the world participate in this moving meditation for world peace and celebration of the labyrinth experience. Many “Walk as One at 1” local time on Saturday to create a rolling wave of peaceful energy across the globe.

2023.

Fridays, May 12 and May 19, 2023, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Do you support LGBTQ+ inclusion, but still have questions? Are you a long-term ally looking to make more community connections? Are you a parent of a queer, trans or gender-expansive kiddo and are concerned about the hate-based legislation working its way through the state legislature? Are you an LGBTQ+ person looking for connection with a safe and affirming community?

Join us for this two-part series on LGBTQ+ inclusion!

These programs will answer questions and encourage dialogue and understanding about critical issues for:

• folks who support LGBTQ+ inclusion
• long-term allies looking for community connections
• parents of queer, trans, or gender expansive children
• citizens concerned about hate-based legislation
• LGBTQ+ folks looking for affirming community

The programs will take place at Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church, 2710 Newtown Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45244 (in Anderson Township).

Doors open (and snacks are available!) at 6:30 p.m., to allow time for community and connection. The first hour of each night’s event will be more informational and the second hour will be more interactive (either Q&A, panel or small groups).

These programs are brought to you by Greater Anderson Promotes Peace (GAPP) (https://www.gappeace.org/) and Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church (https://huuc.net/).

For more information, please visit the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/900107291045526/900108494378739/?ref=newsfeed

If you have questions, contact gapp.peace@gmail.com

4/29/2023.

 

Heritage Church Music Director Les Tacy will retire this month after serving HUUC in various music staff roles since 2014. His final Sunday as our Music Director will be May 21, a special “Celebrating the Joy of Music” Sunday that will feature a solo by Les.

Following the service that day, there will be a retirement celebration in the Great Hall.

Les, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education, joined Heritage as a member in 2006 along with his wife Steph. Not long after, he began occasionally filling in on piano as needed, occasionally accompanying hymns or the choir and leading songs. Our search for a professional Church Musician led to hiring him in 2014 for that role.

“We are grateful for having had the gift of Les Tacy’s music ministry at Heritage,” said Rev. Bill Gupton, Senior Minister. “For Les, church music has always been a calling. He brings profound musicianship combined with a deep sense of the sacred to every piece he plays. I know we will all miss seeing him at the piano on Sunday mornings.”

As Les transitions to “a seat in the congregation,” he says he will continue to be an active member of the church, and looks forward to helping his successor, Sherry McCamley, in any way he can.

Congratulations on your retirement, Les!

1. The board discussed possible increases to our insurance coverages through Church Mutual. We have not reviewed our insurance coverage in a number of years, and there is some concern that we are not sufficiently protected, especially since the market value of our property has increased over the years. The board agreed to schedule a building assessment to determine the insurable value of our building before moving forward with any commitments to increase insurance amounts.

2. Dina from the nursery has resigned effective March 12, 2023. Rather than immediately rehiring this position, we are planning to reassess whether this is the best use of our resources given our current congregation membership. DLFD Laci Lee Adams will review and bring a recommendation at a future meeting.

 

Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at 7:30 p.m., Zoom Meeting (the only meeting platform this month)

May’s Banned Book, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews, ranks seventh on ALA’s list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021, and was tied for tenth on the list of the Top Most Challenged Books of 2022, despite being originally published in 2012!

To find out more about May’s read, check out the awesome Challenged Book Spotlight on the Intellectual Freedom Blog of The Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association here: https://www.oif.ala.org/challenged-book-spotlight-me-and-earl-and-the-dying-girl/

If you have not previously joined the Banned Book Club, please contact Laci Lee Adams so that you can get the Zoom link.

Saturday, May 13, 2023, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Eastern time.

All Unitarian Universalists are invited to this convocation of the UU Multiracial Unity Action Council (UUMUAC.org).  To register, send an email to the email address below. Zoom codes will be sent the day before the convocation. Send registration request email to:

Session 1. MLK’S “Beloved Community,” Dr. Matthew Shear

Session 2. My Aunt Emma’s Vision of the Beloved Community, Rev. Dr. Finley C. Campbell

Session 3. The Meaning of “Love” in the Judeo-Christian Tradition, Rev. Richard Trudeau

Session 4. The Importance of Open Discussion and Honest Sharing, Rev. Richard Trudeau

Session 5. Frederick Douglass’ “Plea for Freedom of Speech in Boston,” Rev. Beverly Seese

The five sessions will be followed by open conversation.

4/22/2023.

Wednesday, May 17, 2023, 7:00 p.m.

Amazon.com describes the Heritage Woman’s book club (known as the Babes with Books or BWB) selection for their May 17 meeting as “A suspenseful and page-turning descent into obsession, love, and murder in the wake of San Francisco’s most deadly earthquake.” Follow the trail of 1906 potential killers, bigamy, ghosts, and madness as author Suzanne Rindell spins her tale in The Two Mrs. Carlyles. Grab a copy early, since it is a slightly longer than usual read for the BWB in a single month and copies are limited through the library systems.

The BWB’s established reading future selections and meeting dates are as follows:

June 21 – Transcendent Kingdom, by Yaa Gyasi

July 19 – Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Gamus

The following meeting dates and reading selections are subject to change.

August 16 – pool party with a location to be determined. If we party, our selection will be the BWB’s classic, “sacred” text The Sweet Potato Queens Book of Love, by Jill Conner Browne. Copies are limited through the Hamilton and Clermont library systems, but Babes really need to own their own copy of this writing that speaks to the BWB. (Personally, mine is dog-eared and highlighted!)

Should the pool party occur, the following selections will possibly occur on the following meeting dates. Should the pool party not happen, the following reads will move up to the preceding month.

September 20 – Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro

October 18 – Horse, by Geraldine Brooks (Currently extremely popular, this selection may have to wait a few months, but grab a copy if you can.)

November 15 – The Engineer’s Wife, by Tracey Emerson Wood

December 20 – Holiday Party and Movie TBD

All meetings are held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Heritage Room, unless otherwise announced.

All women (be they members, or friends) are always invited to any BWB meeting – whether they have read the book or not. Unless otherwise announced, the meeting’s book selection is available on hold for the Heritage Book Club at the Anderson Township branch of the Hamilton County library approximately a month in advance.

For inclusion in the BWB Google group emails, contact the Heritage office.