Rev. Bill Gupton

Today we honor the retirement of our Music Director, Les Tacy, by celebrating the central role that music plays in our lives, and in our Heritage Church worship experience. Les will play for us and sing a solo, the Choir will sing two pieces – one by Choir Director Steve McCamley and one by Heritage member Bruce Bowdon – and we’ll even sing a hymn composed by former Choir Director Clay Pendergrass. There will be other special music as well. After the service, join us for a retirement celebration honoring Les in the Great Hall.

Worship Associate: Lisa Prantl.

2023.

Laci Lee Adams

Considering its historical American ties to abolition, suffrage, and post-war reconciliation, Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to embrace the revolutionary potential of mothering to build community, inspire resilience and expand our definition of “care.” Join Laci Lee Adams, Director of Lifespan Faith Development, for this All Ages service that explores our collective commitment to raising up hope together as we birth new worlds!

Worship Associate: Rev. Bill Gupton.

2023.

Rev. Bill Gupton

This Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of the Flower Ceremony, a uniquely Unitarian Universalist rite of spring. Come celebrate the origins, and the modern vitality, of this ritual of springtime sharing. Each person (regardless of age) is asked to bring with them this morning a fresh flower, to place on our altar; everyone will leave with a different flower, brought by someone else in the congregation. We will enjoy music from our Choir and our retiring Music Director, Les Tacy, as we build our bouquet of beauty.

The service will also include a ceremony welcoming new members into the church. If you are interested in becoming a member of Heritage Church, or have questions about the process, please contact Rev. Bill at:

2023.

Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, President of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)

How do we stop systems based in relentless extraction and move towards ways of being that heal and restore? Communities in the front lines of the climate crisis are leading the way towards the transformations necessary for our collective survival and flourishing. Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, president of Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), shares stories of the remarkable work UUSC partners are engaging in around the world with our support.

The service will include a story for all ages and separate UUSC related activities for children during the sermon time. There will be a joint choir composed of singers from several local UU congregations and a joint house band to lead us in singing.

The joint UU multi-church worship service will take place on April 30, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at the FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF CINCINNATI, 536 Linton Street, Cincinnati OH 45219. People may attend in person at First Church or view the YouTube livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrnA57zRwsU.

Parking will be available in the lot across Linton Street from the church, and additional parking will be available in the Children’s Hospital lot next to the church. Representatives of the UUSC will be available during the coffee hour to answer questions about the UUSC. Pastries, coffee and tea will be provided. You are welcome to bring additional finger food to share.

This joint worship service is sponsored by the six-church Unitarian Universalist Council of Greater Cincinnati. The evening before the service, a joint UU multi-church potluck dinner will be held with Rev. Morn at St. John’s Unitarian Universalist Church. Click here to learn more about the potluck.

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After 30 years in faith-based leadership, the Rev. Mary Katherine Morn joined UUSC as President and Lead Executive Officer in 2018. She has helped to grow a number of progressive congregations serving their members and the larger community.

Mary Katherine contributed to efforts for economic, racial, and social justice in Macon, Georgia at the Economic Opportunity Council/ Headstart with the NAACP. She also worked deeply in the reproductive justice movement. In Nashville, Tennessee, she collaborated with the Interfaith Alliance and Industrial Areas Foundation. In Fairfax, Virginia, she worked with interfaith ministries addressing hunger and homelessness, collaborated with LGBTQI+ advocacy organizations, and served on the county’s homelessness task force.

Mary Katherine also served in volunteer leadership with the Unitarian Universalist Ministers’ Association and for four years as Director of Stewardship and Development for the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Led by the Heritage Church Pagan Circle

Let’s explore what it means to navigate life on this beautiful Blue Boat that we call home. This earth-based service will enhance our understanding of how to better steward our precious planet. We will utilize the Unitarian Universalist Sixth Source that affirms and promotes “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.” During this service, we’ll also hear wonderful music from our choir.

Worship Associate: Steph Tacy.

2023.

Service Leaders: The Gang of Us

How can the concepts of Karma and Cause & Effect bring us freedom from feeling we somehow “deserve” bad things that happen to us? Or, better, shed light that helps us reconsider our actions and even break the chain of causation?

Join us for some introspection, empowerment and inspiration!

Worship Associate: Bob Lamb.

2023.

Rev. Bill Gupton

We celebrate Easter Sunday this year with singing and rejoicing, words and silence, and reflections on the meaning of the season for Unitarian Universalists. Come hear the Choir, watch the kids hunt for Easter Eggs, and enjoy the warmth and companionship of the Heritage community. Fancy Easter hats optional, but always welcome! (Note: our monthly potluck lunch, which usually falls on the second Sunday of each month, will be postponed until next Sunday so that you can enjoy your Easter lunch or brunch with family or friends today.)

Worship Associate: Jenn Hester.

2023.

Rev. Mitra Jafarzadeh

Join the conversation this Sunday as we consider the wisdom of foolishness and the foolishness of wisdom. Often, the obvious is not so easy, and the quickly accomplished has little value. With such a mixed-up world, how are people of faith to grow or deepen in spirit? Bring your ideas and our guest preacher will bring hers – and together, we might just stumble into something true.

Worship Associate: Rev. Bill Gupton.

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Rev. Mitra Jafarzadeh has recently quit formal full-time ministry. She is exploring the meaning of “weekend” and learning to step away from her cell phone. Recent days have been dedicated to de-cluttering and discerning the transience and permanence of dust bunnies. Unable to leave her calling entirely behind, she continues to pursue certification as a life, death, and grief coach by seeing a few clients each week, and remaining available for pulpit supply. A recently trained volunteer dog walker for the local animal shelter, Mitra brings that work home to Scottie, her favorite blonde (and the best golden retriever mix ever). She and her husband live in Wyoming, Ohio, with many tropical fish, two cats, the aforementioned blonde dog, and a teenage son.

2023.

Rev. Bill Gupton and Reid Hester

One of the truly amazing, awe-inspiring things about a religious community – a church family, if you will – like ours, is that we each bring our own gifts to the table, and pool our resources for the common good. This month we have begun the conversation about what we want Heritage Church to look like, do, and be in the year ahead. Today we begin the process of making that vision a reality by committing (and recommitting) ourselves to support the work and mission of this church we love. Come be inspired by choral and congregational singing, by our shared dreams of the future, by our young people – and by the Love that is the spirit of this church!

Worship Associate: Barbara Rohrer

2023.

Rev. Bill Gupton

Three years ago this week, our church – and much of the world – entered what we believed, at the time, would be a brief one or two week pause. A short, surreal vacation. Little did anyone realize we were at the beginning of an almost complete shutdown. Little did we know how much our lives – and our world – were about to change. This morning we look back at what we’ve lost, what we’ve gained, and how different things are now – three years into the pandemic.

Worship Associate: Bob Lamb.

2023.