Second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m., in person in the sanctuary, with Zoom available.

New Name for the Women’s Singing Circle! Help us spread the word as we open our circle wider and let our voices be heard!

SING OUT SISTERS

We are women who gather in circle to create sacred space through song. We sing simple songs and chants to celebrate the Divine Feminine and honor the lives of all women. Our themes include cycles of nature, cycles of life, women’s mysteries, community, and healing. We affirm that any woman can sing and all who identify as women are welcome. We have free membership and communal leadership, and no musical experience is necessary. We learn music through listening and repetition within a supportive sisterhood. Feel free to bring an altar item as we co-create the altar. We begin to sing at 7:00 p.m. and conclude by 8:30. We follow the guidelines of the church board which currently says masks and vaccines are optional. A Zoom link is also available.

Contact Tracy Jo for more information or the zoom link:

May 2022.

The Board Meeting was held on April 12, 2022. All Board Members and Ministers were present: Mark Buckley, Kay Inskeep, Julie Kane, Michelle Kelly, Meredith Meyer, John Sandman, Michael Wilhite, Rev. Bill Gupton, DLFD Laci Adams.

Financial Reports were reviewed, and there were no issues or findings.

Bill Gupton shared points from the Minister’s Report. The Worship Committee has disbanded, so Bill discussed some of the challenges that we would face with planning future services. Bill and Laci will focus on Worship, and the Board will focus on building community.

Laci Adams shared points from the DLFD Report. We have had success with increasing the number of children attending church in recent weeks. It has been a challenge to engage adults, so Laci will be considering how to create a feeling of belonging to community for Heritage adults.

The Board voted that Michelle Kelly will serve as the third Heritage delegate at the UUA MidAmerica Regional Assembly on April 30th. There is still a need for one more delegate.

The Board reviewed the COVID 19 Policy- The Board discussed their comfort levels with bringing back the potluck lunch after service. It was decided that we will start with a “Bring your own Lunch/Picnic” on the third Sunday in May (15th).

The Board was presented with the projected numbers for the next fiscal year’s budget. The annual pledge total will not allow us to operate as we have been, without another deficit budget year. The Board discussed how to present the potential deficit budget, so the congregation can offer feedback on priorities and possible budget cuts at the Town Hall Meeting.

It was decided that the Town Hall Meeting will be held on May 1, 2022, following the service.

A Budget Survey was distributed to the congregation (electronically), and the feedback provided clear guidance on financial priorities for next fiscal year.

The Board decided that it will meet on May 9th to determine and vote on the budget. The Board will hold a second Board meeting to handle the normal business on May 16th.

The Nominating Committee provided nominations for the Board of Trustees, the Committee on Ministry, the Endowment Committee, and the UU Council of Greater Cincinnati.

Saturday, May 14, 2022, at 10:30 a.m., via Zoom.

Starting in 2002, a group of people at Heritage UU Church led the congregation through a two-year program to become more welcoming and inclusive of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or otherwise don’t fit into society’s usual expectations regarding sexuality and gender. The result was that in 2004, Heritage was recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) as a “Welcoming Congregation.”

The UUA now offers a Welcoming Congregation Renewal program, to help congregations update what they do to be inclusive of people who are LGBT+*. The UU Council of Greater Cincinnati (UUCGC, consisting of the six area UU congregations) will hold a Zoom-based presentation and discussion on this program. The presentation is on May 14 and starts around 10:30 a.m., when the UUCGC completes its business meeting. It will be over by 11:30 a.m.

Are you interested in possibly participating in or leading a group at Heritage to help our congregation take the next steps regarding LGBT+ welcoming and inclusivity? If so, please contact UUCGC President Dan Schneider to get the meeting Zoom link. You can contact Dan at:

If you want to talk to someone who was in the Heritage Church group that supported our Welcoming Congregation program in 2002-2004, contact either Rae Jane Araujo or Russ Araujo.

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* At Heritage Church we have members who, in their past, were attacked when the Q-word was used against them in a derogatory manner. They have asked that people avoid using or referencing that word. For the usual acronym, we use LGBT+, allowing the “+” to reference inclusion of others who might not accurately or completely fit under the L, G, B, or T designation.

Sunday, May 15, after the service.

Plan to bring a brown bag lunch with you to church on Sunday, May 15, as we resume our tradition of a monthly after-service meal together. Not quite a “potluck” (yet), but an opportunity to share a meal after church, with both indoor and outdoor options.

2022.

Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at 7:00 p.m.

Perhaps the old phrase “so close and yet so far” might best sum up the next Heritage women’s book club chosen novel – The Space Between Us, by Thrity Umrigar. Set in present-day India, Amazon.com describes the plot of the Babes With Books (BWB) selection for their May 18 meeting as, “Though separated by their stations in life, two women share bonds of womanhood that prove far stronger than the divisions of class or culture.” Come join us in the Heritage Room from 7 to 9 p.m. to discuss the similarities and differences of the characters in this award-winning story.

Our future reading selections are as follows, subject to change a month prior to the meeting date:

June 15 – The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig

July 20 – Exit, by Belinda Bauer

August 17 – The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by Kim Michele Richardson

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 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 Vali in the office. For more BWB information, contact Barb at:

Sunday, May 1, following the service.

The HUUC Board of Trustees will host a Town Hall meeting following the service on Sunday, May 1st. We expect the discussion to begin around 11:30 a.m. We will continue in-person from the sanctuary or on the Zoom service link after a brief break when the service ends.

The focus of this meeting will follow our recent tradition of a deeper conversation regarding the coming year’s budget 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. We are providing the results of the member feedback survey on funding priorities for your review. Click here for the member feedback results. In the survey, for the 1 to 10 scale, higher number is more in favor. For the 1 or 2 scale, 1 is opposed, 2 is in favor.

We hope that a large group can join the meeting to provide the Board valuable input to focus our budget decisions. A successful meeting will mean that there are no surprises when you review the endorsed budget for our Annual Meeting vote.

Contact: Michael Wilhite, HUUC Board President, at:

2022.

Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. (new start time), via Zoom.

Our meeting will include what’s going on with regard to racial justice, healing relationships with indigenous peoples, LGBT+ issues, food security, housing and homelessness, and economic justice, as well as other topics.

We gather to share information and support each other around these passions. All Heritage Church members and friends are welcome. A Zoom link will appear on the church homepage prior to the meeting.

If you have questions, contact key members at:

This event has been cancelled.

Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at 7:00 p.m.

Join us in the sanctuary for an hour of peaceful contemplation as we reflect on our connection to our inner voice, the universe and the possibilities that lie before us under the first full moon of Spring. Our Vespers service is loosely patterned after vespers of the Taizé Monastic Community in France and was created to build a sense of communion with the holy through singing, readings, reflection, and silence. Please note that according to current church policies, the decision to wear a mask while in the building is now optional.

If you have questions, please contact Mimi Sinclair and Steph Tacy at:

Sunday, April 24, 2022, after the worship service.

This gathering, following the service on Sunday, April 24, is an opportunity for you to share your thoughts about being UU and moving our faith into the future. The Article II Study Commission (A2SC) invites every Unitarian Universalist to be part of this most important discussion. Using a series of discussion questions, the floor will be open to your input. You’ll have the opportunity to share what is essential to you about being a UU, what you think is missing from our covenants and faith language, and what we need to act on our commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression. A compilation (without names) of everyone’s input will be sent to the A2SC so the voices of Heritage members and friends will be included in the development of the revised Principles, inspirations, mission and covenant.

You can learn more at the UUA’s Article II Study Commission webpage. Through April 30, you can also answer much more in-depth questions via the Article II Individual Survey.