Announcements

OWL (Our Whole Lives) is a value and ethics based sexuality education program available for all ages (Kindergarten to Older Adults).  

City-wide OWL is planning to offer both Jr. High (7th to 9th graders) and Sr. High (9th to 12th graders) OWL this coming fall. We are seeking new teachers/facilitators to make that happen!   

We are so excited to offer facilitator training for teachers of both age groups the weekend of June 6-8th. If you are interested in helping lead OWL in the fall and want to find out more information about what is involved, please email Laci Adams at

Not able to join the team yourself, but have a suggestion? Please feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions with Laci, as well. We appreciate your support!

Image source: https://tinyurl.com/24nr65wz

How we care for our building — especially our kitchen — sets the tone in terms of how we care for each other and for our guests.

A clean, efficient, and welcoming kitchen can encourage harmony between congregants and guests. A clean kitchen can boost morale and certainly hygiene.

Remember there are no magical beings that come in and clean the kitchen. Spills in the refrigerator create unhealthy and unsightly mold! Please take pride in our building and leave it cleaner than you found it!

If you notice someone struggling with cleanliness or order, instead of criticizing or reprimanding them, offer guidance and support. Encourage them and acknowledge their efforts. Leading with kindness and understanding can make a significant impact. Laughter is the best detergent; try sprinkling some humor to encourage cleanliness.

Please also consider ways to be as “green” as possible with your food offerings in accordance with our UUA Green Sanctuary status. Please do not bring single-use water bottles, plastics, or Styrofoam cups into HUUC. Remember the mantra “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” has “recycle” as the final step.

Image source: https://tinyurl.com/5n6c9wec

The April 2025 religious education (RE) theme is Interdependence. It will focus on the many ways in which we are all connected to each other, to our community, to our wider world and to our earth.

On April 6, 2025, we start our learning together to discover the many forms of interdependence. 

On April 13, 2025, we will experience one form of interdependence in congregational life – an ordination in anticipation of Bill Lyon’s ordination later in the afternoon. We will actually be putting on a spirit play ordination during our religious education time!

On April 20, 2025, we will celebrate Easter (in its various forms) and then have a little fun during our post-worship Egg-stravaganza!

On April 27, 2025, we will experience our interdependence through a day of gardening.

Finally, a reminder – Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. is our Spring Service Day, with more information forthcoming.

Image source: courtesy of Laci Adams

The HUUC Board of Trustees will reach out through several publications to potential contract minister candidates as part of our ministerial transition process with the following.

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A full-time senior minister is sought by Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church (HUUC) in Cincinnati, Ohio. HUUC is an avidly Universalist congregation with deep traditions. It is a growing, mid-sized church — a liberal beacon welcoming members from the surrounding conservative suburban neighborhood, especially families with young children. The senior minister is retiring after serving more than two decades. The HUUC Board is seeking a contract minister, with options to extend by mutual agreement. Candidate interviews begin in April. Additional, qualified candidates may apply. Interested parties can reach the HUUC Search committee at:

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For more information on the ministerial transition, contact Board President Jaime Castle at:

Image source: https://tinyurl.com/wvja4dpd

On Sunday, March 23, 2025, four new HUUC members signed the membership book. The following introduces these new members: Cynthia Kufla, Aaron Bird, Rachel “Rai” Bosch , and Samuel Bosch-Bird to HUUC.

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Cynthia Kukla

Cynthia Kukla is relatively new to Heritage Church, but she has been a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington-Normal in Bloomington, Illinois, since the 1990’s. Since moving back to Ohio a few years ago, she has been wanting to reconnect with UU-ism and a UU church.

Her return to the Cincinnati area was driven by a desire to be closer to her grandchildren. Cynthia lives in West Clermont County, where she has completed construction of a “glorious art studio” right behind her house. She says that “the fun and effort involved in building my studio is what kept me from joining the church sooner. I only fired two contractors!”

Cynthia is an Emerita Professor of Art who started her career at Northern Kentucky University, a place that still holds many fond memories for her. She says, “I am still in touch with many of my former NKU students here – which is wonderful.”

Cynthia specializes in watercolors, and regularly teaches watercolor workshops at the Cincinnati Nature Center and Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park. She’s also an environmentalist, nature-lover, and casual gardener.

Aaron Bird 

Aaron Bird grew up in Elkins, West Virginia, in the Episcopal Church, where his father serves as the presiding priest at Grace Episcopal. His journey to Cincinnati began when a software corporation acquired his employer’s company, coinciding with his wife Rai’s pursuit of a PhD at the University of Cincinnati.

 Aaron works in AI implementation, and enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, cave exploring, and boating, as well as cheering on FC Cincinnati. Aaron and Rai began attending Heritage because they were seeking a welcoming community where their children, Samuel, Zach, and Tyler, could connect with like-minded peers. Aaron has been particularly inspired by the congregation’s commitment to kindness, love, and community, and now feels called to formally join the church, to, in his words, “help sustain this vibrant community for generations to come.”

 Rachel “Rai” Bosch 

Rachel “Rai” Bosch grew up in Cheshire, Connecticut, where her spiritual foundation was shaped at the Unitarian Society of New Haven. The UU principles have been a guiding force throughout Rai’s life.

After relocating to Cincinnati to pursue a PhD in geosciences, she and Aaron sought a welcoming spiritual home for their family – and Heritage became that safe, supportive community where their children could thrive.

Now a licensed professional geologist and environmental consultant specializing in caves, karst, and fractured rock systems, Rai’s scientific curiosity aligns with her reverence for the natural world.

They find joy in cave exploration, boating, swimming, cheering for FC Cincinnati with their family, and most recently, fly fishing. Rai’s spiritual path continues to be illuminated by the UU principles of the inherent human dignity, the free search for truth, and the pursuit of worldwide peace and justice. They cherish Heritage as a community where individuals support each other’s unique spiritual journeys while collectively working toward these shared ideals.

 Samuel Bosch-Bird 

Samuel Bosch-Bird was born in West Virginia, and then home-schooled in Michigan until sixth grade. In 2016, when its family moved to Cincinnati, some of its first friends in the area were made at Heritage.

Samuel came out as transgender in 2018. It studied Information Technology at U.C. for a year in 2022-23, but currently works in retail, with plans to slowly ease back into education to find a job in I.T. Samuel has multiple souls, most of which are animals, with the most important being a dragon; it does volunteer work online for a website about nonhuman-identifying people. Its special interest has been Minecraft since it started playing the game in 2013, and it’s been running Minecraft servers for fun since 2019.

Consistent throughout Samuel’s time at Heritage has been evidence of the love that is the spirit of the church. It says, “Heritage has a very warm, welcoming, and supportive community, with a clear commitment to support the wider community through service and charity.” Samuel has always felt joy and recognition at Heritage, and wants to continue to be part of such a community whose spirituality is full of love and support.

Images source: courtesy of Rev. Bill Gupton