Rev. Bill Gupton

10:30 a.m., In Person, Outside, at Heritage UU Church.

(Viewing by livestream will also be available.)

Our congregation, which was founded in 1827 as the First Universalist Society of Cincinnati, has always had an interesting relationship with Unitarian Universalism (which was created in 1961 by the joining of the Universalists and the Unitarians). For one thing, our congregational ancestors voted against that merger. Until 1985, when we moved into our brand new building on Newtown Road in Anderson Township, the word “Unitarian” wasn’t even in our church’s name. For generations, we’ve kept ourselves rather removed from the inevitable vagaries and volatility of denominational debate and discussion.

This morning’s in-person worship service will be part history lesson, part “present” lesson, and part future speculation. As the present-day Unitarian Universalist Association seeks to navigate its way – and be a leader – in our current world, where do we fit in? Where do we want to fit in? What’s going on in the UUA? Rev. Bill will offer his thoughts on these timely questions.

Parents and guardians please note that today is the first day of our fall Religious Education program.

Worship Associate: Bill Lyon.

2021.

Rev. Bill Gupton

10:30 a.m., via Zoom.

Join us online today for an abbreviated worship service with all our favorite traditions, starting at 10:30 a.m., then stick around for an important congregational town hall meeting to discuss ideas related to returning to worship in our sanctuary once the weather grows colder.

Worship Associate: Bob Drake.

2021.

Laci Lee Adams

10:30 a.m., In Person, Outside, at Heritage UU Church.

(Viewing by livestream will also be available.)

Join us in celebrating the Jewish Harvest Festival, or Sukkot, named after the booth or huts that farmers would live in during the last hectic period of harvest before the winter rains. Our interactive, multi-generational worship will allow opportunities to learn about Sukkot, deepen our relationships to each other and encounter the natural world. Sukkot is a holiday of joy! Laci Lee Adams, Director of Lifespan Faith Development, will be leading worship.

Worship Associate: Rev. Bill Gupton.

2021

Rev. Bill Gupton

10:30 a.m., via Zoom.

This week we move from summer into fall. Many religions celebrate the “new year” at this time of year, and even we Unitarian Universalists celebrate the start of a new “church year” – as we did last week by returning to the sacred space that is our lovely grounds at Heritage Church. Change is, quite literally, in the air. For everything, there is a season.

Today our Senior Minister will reflect on some of these changes – on where we have been, and where we may be going – and on the importance of spiritual community in such times of transition.

Worship Associate: Kathy Wade.

2021.

Rev. Bill Gupton

10:30 a.m., In Person, Outside, at Heritage UU Church.

(Viewing by livestream will also be available.)

After a year and a half away from our beloved Heritage Church, we gather again to reclaim our sacred space with a traditional-yet-reimagined Ingathering and Water Ceremony worship service suitable for the times in which we live. Today, we will be worshipping together, in person, outdoors, on the holy ground that is our church home – at 2710 Newtown Road!

For the Water Ceremony, please bring with you some water from a location or event that has spiritual significance for you, as we merge our waters into one common vessel and create our Heritage holy water for the upcoming year. We will also be renewing our congregation by welcoming new members into our church family today; if you would like to join Heritage Church today, please contact Rev. Bill.

In addition, there will be special music, including a beautiful anthem from our Choir. We will hear thoughts from both Rev. Bill and our new Director of Lifespan Faith Development, Laci Lee Adams. And we will – in the words of our church mission statement – begin exploring new ways to “create community” in person and together once again!

Logistical details about exactly how and where on the church grounds we will gather are still being worked out, but this we do know: All ages are invited to worship together outdoors (rain or shine – tents will be set up) at HUUC. Please bring masks, as we will no doubt be in relatively close proximity to others at certain points in the morning. You may park in the church parking lot. There will be seating for those who need it, but many of us will be asked to stand if able. The service will be livestreamed on the internet for those who cannot attend, but we hope you will consider joining us at HUUC on this day of joy and celebration!

Worship Associates: Steph Tacy and Bill Lyon.

2021.

Rev. Nic Cable

10:30 a.m., via Zoom.

As a community of memory, we are called to remember what we have lost and gained in our journey through the pandemic. As we remember who we are and whose we are, the work before us will become clearer for this year ahead. Join Unitarian Universalist minister Nic Cable as he explores how we might renew our commitments to ourselves and to one another. What are we called to do within, among, and beyond our UU communities?

Rev. Nic Cable serves as Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus, Indiana. He received his B.A. summa cum laude in 2011 from DePaul University in both Religious Studies and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies. He went on to receive his Master of Divinity summa cum laude in 2014 from Chicago Theological Seminary. Rev. Cable has received several Fellowships for interfaith and religious leadership from DePaul University, the Forum for Theological Exploration, and the Interfaith Youth Core. Most recently, he was named a 2018 Germanacos Fellow for social entrepreneurship. Rev. Cable has traveled nationally and internationally to build bridges among diverse communities, including in Nicaragua, Japan, and Israel and Palestine. Locally, Nic serves on the board of the State Street Area Association, on the Guiding Team for Imagine Columbus, which is a city-wide inclusion initiative, and as the Executive Director of the newly founded Columbus Interfaith Campus and Community. He is married to his best friend, Hattie Cable, who is a child welfare attorney in the Columbus area..

Worship Associate: Shannon Murley.

2021.

Rev. Bill Gupton

10:30 a.m. in person at Moundview Park, 3130 Newtown Road, Newtown Ohio.

(Viewing by livestream will also be available.)

Based on a song by Carrie Newcomer, today’s reflection invites us into the beauty and wonder of impermanence. That which is fleeting is made even more precious.

Worship Associate: Shannon Murley.

2021.

Rev. Bill Gupton

10:30 a.m., via Zoom.

Drones on Mars, strangely behaving black holes and clouds in space, quantum computers and more. This has been a year of crazy scientific discoveries, advances, and (as yet) unexplainable mysteries. Isn’t it about time for another of Rev. Bill’s way-out “Weird Science” services?

Worship Associate: Jenny Hamerstadt.

2021.

Erin McCamley

10:30a.m. in person at Moundview Park, 3130 Newtown Road, Newtown Ohio.

(Viewing by livestream will also be available.)

In today’s service, we welcome back Erin McCamley, beloved former choir director of Heritage Church, as she leads us in exploring the concept of Imagination. Specifically, the process of imagination: how we imagine, who has the freedom to imagine, and why. What we imagine for ourselves and others. What imagining creates by being present, and what it destroys by being limited. How it affects relationships. “So much of the work of oppression is about policing the imagination.” We have the ability to unlock some barriers of our own, imagined and very real.

Erin is a musician, educator, and activist. She was also the Choir Director at Heritage for 3.5 years. She and her wife are happy to be back in Cincinnati after a few years in New York. Erin is currently working on two albums of original music, performing a show she co-wrote about mental health called “She’s Crazy,” taking care of her sweet dog, Paloma, and healing.

Worship Associates: Steph Tacy and Shannon Murley.

2021.

Rev. Bill Gupton

10:30 a.m., via Zoom.

When Rev. Bill heard this phrase used in a workshop during this summer’s Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly, it instantly resonated with him. We say that love is the spirit of our church, but we also take it further – Heritage Church exists for the purpose of institutionalizing (embodying and sustaining, from generation to generation) love.

Worship Associate: Kathy Wade.

2021.