‘Holy chaos’ indeed reigned over our Pop Up Christmas Pageant on December 21st! Our choir section was filled with stars and angels, our chancel crowded with shepherds, sheep, wise people, and animals of all shapes and kinds — not to mention Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus. I even saw some additional angels “pop up” in the congregation!

Many thanks to Glenn Lindmark and Jaime Castle for costume coordination and construction, to Kay Inskeep for on-the-spot costuming, to Les Tacy and additional wonderful singers and musicians, to our narrators Jill Beyette and Regina Pugh, and to all of you who took part in our no-rehearsal pageant or provided an enthusiastic audience. It was totally awesome!

Thanks also go out to Marleen Johnson and Kyle Mesrin for hosting the Heritage Family Holiday Night. Good cheer and fun accompanied gingerbread house and ornament construction.

Perhaps these events have launched some new holiday traditions for Heritage?

We barely get a moment to breathe before the New Year brings new opportunities to the forefront. In other places in this Heirloom you can read of HUUC’s plans during Rev. Bill’s sabbatical. Please read these carefully and be assured that our beloved community will continue to provide care for each other in his absence.

We also begin recruiting for our late winter/spring series of religious education classes. Our current courses conclude at the end of January and then we transition to new curricula and new teaching teams. Perhaps 2015 is your year to get to know our wonderful Heritage children and influence the future of Unitarian Universalism?

I invite you to click through these links to learn more and talk to me soon!

Preschool: Chalice Children

In a group setting, with loving adult guides, young children can engage in spiritual seeking, develop their openness to sharing, and experience the benefit of a supportive community. https://www.uua.org/re/tapestry/children/chalicechildren/

Kindergarten/First Grade: Creating Home

This program helps children develop a sense of home that is grounded in faith. https://www.uua.org/re/tapestry/children/home/

2nd/3rd Grade: Moral Tales

Provides children with spiritual and ethical tools to make choices and take actions that reflect their Unitarian Universalist beliefs and values. https://www.uua.org/re/tapestry/children/tales/

4th/5th Grade: Sing to the Power

Affirms our Unitarian Universalist heritage of confronting “powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love.” Participants experience their own power, and understand how it can help them to be leaders. https://www.uua.org/re/tapestry/children/sing/

Junior High: Building Bridges (continued)

A world religions program to deepen youth’s understanding of the dynamic, fascinating, and varied world in which they live. It seeks to broaden their knowledge of humanity and embolden their spiritual search. https://www.uua.org/re/tapestry/youth/bridges/

2014 was a great year. 2015 will be even better! Won’t you join us?

Faithfully,

Rev. Leslie Woodward,
Assistant Minister for Religious Education

Dear Heritage Community,

For the last six months or so I have experienced intermittent hearing loss in my left ear. After experiencing an episode of extreme vertigo earlier in December and consulting with several doctors, it appears I may have a chronic inner ear condition.

The good news is that some of my hearing loss may be reversible. The bad news is that this will take time and further testing and, until we know more, I am not a good candidate for a hearing aid. This is frustrating for me and I ask for your help in the coming days.

Some things that might help:

• Be sure you have my attention before speaking to me. If I don’t react I probably didn’t hear you call my name.
• Excuse me if I speak too loud (or too soft) occasionally. Sometimes I can’t hear myself well enough to regulate my own voice volume.
• Whisper only in my right ear, not my left.

I am of course available for questions. Testing is scheduled for mid-January and we should have more news by the end of the month.

Thank you for your patience!!

Faithfully,

Leslie

Once again, Heritage members were challenged to count their blessings this holiday season by counting all the first-world luxuries we enjoy, then using those tallies to determine a contribution to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). Last year Heritage’s collective contributions to UUSC were the highest ever! Although our program wasn’t as visible this year, I hope many families used this opportunity to recognize the many blessings they receive.

Tallying this year’s items was a bit easier for me as I wisely made a written record that our house has, for example, 46 light switches and 22 windows! With two boys away at college, counting shoes and computer screens was also quicker though somehow my husband and I had increased our own screen tally. I didn’t even try to count books and just estimated that we had 3,000 and left it at that.

My family’s grand total: $86.70.

Again it seems appropriate in light of all the conveniences we enjoy to double our contribution to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee to $173.40.

Even if you didn’t grab a calendar to ‘count your blessings’ with the HUUC schedule I hope you and your family will make a generous gift to UUSC. Contribution envelopes are still available in the foyer.

May the dawning of the New Year bring you many comforts and great joy!

Faithfully,

Rev. Leslie

No matter the weather, during our February 18 meeting the Babes with Books will go for a metaphorical walk with the national bestseller and “on the same page” book The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. According to an Amazon.com review, “Harold Fry–retired sales rep, beleaguered husband, passive observer of his own life–decides one morning to walk 600 miles across England to save an old friend. It might not work, mind you, but that’s hardly the point. In playwright Rachel Joyce’s pitch-perfect first novel, Harold wins us over with his classic antiheroism. Setting off on the long journey, he wears the wrong jacket, doesn’t have a toothbrush, and leaves his phone at home–in short, he is wholly, endearingly unprepared. But as he travels, Harold finally has time to reflect on his failings as a husband, father, and friend, and this helps him become someone we (and, more important, his wife Maureen) can respect. After walking for a while in Harold Fry’s very human shoes, you might find that your own fit a bit better.”

All Heritage women members and friends are invited to join us in the Heritage Room from 7-9 pm. Having attended previously or even have read the book is never required to join in what is always a delightful event. Our March 18 meeting will review Rescue by Anita Shreve.

Save the Date for the Heritage UU Church Auction!
April 25, 2015!

The auction committee is busy preparing for this amazing event that will be held on April 25. If you would like to join us, please attend our next meeting February 15 at 9:30 a.m. in one of the RE classrooms. We are looking for volunteers for all aspects, and specifically for the Children’s Area. We are looking for 1 or 2 people to lead the planning/coordinating for the children’s area during the auction. This does not require you to provide childcare the evening of the activity.

To enter a donation online, go to the auction catalog website at https://togetherauction.com/huuc and enter your donation.

Please call or email Tamilyn Thompson (513-310-4678 or HeritgeAuction@huuc.net) if you want to talk about this or if you have any questions. Thanks!

“The Spiritual Aspects of Romantic Love” will be the topic of February’s Wednesday Women’s Spirituality Group. Please join us on February 4 from 7-8:30 in the Heritage Room for this month’s “valentine” topic. We’ll look at how love and faith are similar; how romantic love has changed our lives; and how our own loving has changed the lives of others.

Note: you don’t have to be in, or even have been in, a romantic relationship with another person – because we’ll also be talking about the sacred relationship we form with self!

Kyle Mesrin, Vicki Summers, and Cori YvB will facilitate the discussion and activities.

Childcare provided.

Contact: Cori@fuse.net.

There will be a “Cutting Party” for any woman who wants to take part in the first stage of preparing the fleece blankets for the YWCA Safe Houses on Monday, Jan 26, at 10:00 in the Great Room at church.  All volunteers need to bring are a good pair of scissors and a yardstick or something similar if they have one.  We plan to meet for a couple of hours and get all the preliminary preparations completed so that other women can share in the finishing steps at home.  Questions: contact Joann Meyer (752-4889) ldyhwk37@gmail.com.

After partying hearty in December, the bodacious Babes with Books are back to work January 21 discussing Paris by Edward Rutherfurd. Get this one early since it is a longer than standard read.

All meetings are in the Heritage Room from 7:00-9:00 p.m. and all Heritage women members or friends are invited, whether or not they have read the book.

Using the large screen in the Heritage Room, Russ will give a tour of the new website, focusing on new content and capabilities, and answer your questions. Questions? Contact Webmaster@huuc.net.

Volunteers are needed from 8:30 a.m.to 4:00 p.m.; you can work a half day if you like. The location is 4112 Azalea Avenue in Madisonville. No handyman skills are needed.For more information, email Habitat@huuc.net.