News Articles

  • Musical Parody to Rev. Bill

    Musical Parody to Rev. Bill

    Our Music Director and Accompanist, Sherry McCamley, wrote and lead the HUUC choir in a musical parody to Rev. Bill Gupton at the recent Open House to celebrate his upcoming retirement. Due to many requests for the lyrics, Sherry has supplied them below.  

    Bye Bye Rev. Bill
    (sung to the tune of American Pie)
    By Sherry McCamley

    A long, long time ago, HUUC hired a new minister named Bill
    And he knew if he had his chance, he could help us sing and dance
    And he knew we’d be happy for awhile
    In joy and love, we did shiver with every sermon he’d deliver
    Good news on our doorstep, he helped us take one more step
    Toward social justice for everyone
    And we’d make a difference when day was done
    Bill has touched us, everyone, and now we say goodbye

    Chorus:
    So bye, bye, Reverend Bill’s a great guy
    Won’t be pastor but he’s lasted a long time so don’t cry
    He won’t be far, a few miles as the crow flies
    Digging holes & planting trees that won’t die
    Digging holes & planting trees that won’t die

    Bill believes in the power of love & he gave us faith in the universe above
    He’s led the people with that love
    And he believes in rock ‘n’ roll, the Beatles are part of his mortal soul
    And we sing “Imagine” real slow
    We pass the plate but we give it away, to some others who really need it today Our abundance we can share, Bill’s made it very fair
    With Candles of Community, our connection’s strong as you can see
    Our Bill has left a legacy, so we say thanks and goodbye

    Chorus:

    For 23 years through good times and strife
    Thru weddings, births and celebrations of life
    Bill’s been there to lend a hand
    He’s headed to Heritage Acres now, where he shows folks the best way how
    To preserve and protect our land

    So now we honor Bill for real with stories, songs and vegan meals
    No gluten for him please – just rice and frozen peas
    And while he munches on serviceberries in the park
    The choir sings folk songs in the dark
    We sure will miss your intense spark
    As we must say goodbye

    So bye, bye, Reverend Bill’s a great guy
    Won’t be pastor but he’s lasted a long time so don’t cry
    He won’t be far, a few miles as the crow flies
    So we won’t be really saying goodbye, we won’t be really saying goodbye

    Image source: https://tinyurl.com/m942kb2m


  • Heritage at the Forest Hills 5K Run/Walk

    Heritage at the Forest Hills 5K Run/Walk

    Over 2,300 folks participated in in this year’s Forest Hills 5K Run/Walk and After Party on May 10, 2025 — including about a dozen from Heritage. Some ran, walked, or “strollered.” Laci and a couple of volunteers met/interacted with families at the Heritage booth promoting this summer’s Peace and Pride Camps. Parents and teens expressed appreciation for the welcome and encouragement they received and for the ways Heritage has shown up to support our LGBTQ kids and others in the community.

    Images source: courtesy of Bill Lyon


  • HUUC Receives Thanks from UUJEC

    HUUC Receives Thanks from UUJEC

    Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community (UUJEC) showed appreciation to HUUC with a hand-written thank you note regarding our recent donation as part of our annual gift from the Social Justice Collaborative. The letter read as follows:

    Dear Friends,

    Thanks so much for your recent contribution of $150 to UUJEC. Your support means a lot to us.

    With your help we’ve been able to continue developing and distributing resources for use in social justice work by UU congregations across the country.
    We hope your members will visit our website at UUJEC.org and review some of our past webinars and book reviews. We also hope you stop by our booth at the Baltimore GA this summer. Our board members would enjoy meeting and speaking with your members about your social justice work.

    Keep up the good work,

    Jane Bannon, Treasurer, UUJEC
    Jane Bannor
    2701 W. Fitch Ave.
    Chicago, IL 60645

    For more information on UUJEC, check out their website at https://uujec.org/

    Image source: https://tinyurl.com/2b8nd923


  • HUUC Supports UU Our Senators

    HUUC Supports UU Our Senators

    Rae Jane and Russ Araujo recently invited HUUC members and friends to sign postcards to elected officials. The postcards were pre-printed with a message and the addressees’ names and addresses, and the postage stamps were provided. This pre-printing helped. This effort was done as part of an informal group called “UU Our Senators,” made up of people from Ohio UU churches.

    Image source: https://tinyurl.com/42e6jn6s


  • Rev. Bill Lyon Ordained by HUUC & UUCL

    Rev. Bill Lyon Ordained by HUUC & UUCL

    An overflowing crowd of well-wishers, a choir of over 20 voices, a team of ten religious professionals, Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church (HUUC), Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington (UUCL), and dozens of online viewers participated in the ordination of Bill Lyon on Sunday, April 13, 2025 at HUUC, followed by a lavish reception in the Great Hall.

    For those who missed it or who want to revisit the ceremony, here are links you may find interesting:

    The following group, composed of now colleagues from Bill’s road to the ministry, each conducted a different aspect of the ceremony.

    • Rev. Bill Gupton – Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church Senior Minister- Welcome / Laying on of Hands
    • Rev. Bruce Beisner – All Peoples Unitarian Universalist Congregation Senior Minister – Call to Worship
    • Rev. Sharon Dittmar – UUA Congregational Life Consultant – Greetings from the UUA
    • Laci Lee Adams – Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church Director of Lifespan Faith Development – Greetings from our Youth
    • Rabbi Julie Schwartz – Clinical Pastorial Education Center Director at Jewish Hospital – Interfaith Prayer
    • Rev. Angeline Jackson – UU Church of Davis, California – Call to Offering
    • Rev. Dr. Lee Barker – President Emeritus of Meadville Lombard Theological School – Sermon
    • Rev. Dr. Doak Mansfield – HUUC Minister Emeritus – Collegial Welcome
    • Rev. Dr. Brian Chenowith – UUCL Senior Minister – Charge to Minister
    • Rev. Mitra Jafarazadeh – St. John’s retired minister and consultant – Prayer & Silence

    Thanks to all who made this a special occasion for Bill, his family and friends, and the two UU congregations.

    Images source: Lisa Sullivan