News Articles

The Heritage UU Church Board of Trustees met on March 10, 2025. The following summarizes their activities.

1. The Board has engaged Courage & Covenant (Reverend Mitra Jafarzadeh and Rabbi Jonathan Cohen) to assist us with our upcoming minister transition.  Courage & Covenant will be working with our community in a few different capacities over the coming months to help make our ministerial transition as successful as possible.
2. The Board has appointed the following people to our ministerial transition team: Jaime Castle, Katie Kpaeyeh, Bob Lamb, Louise Lawarre, Mimi Sinclair, Les Tacy, and Garry Wilson. Thank you all for your service!
3. The Board has appointed Rae Jane Araujo as a HUUC delegate to the Mid-America Regional Meeting. If anyone else is interested in serving as a delegate to this meeting, please speak with a Board member.
4. The facility improvements from the security grant are ongoing — cameras are in place, and the new doors will be going in soon!

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HUUC Board of Trustee members –
Front row: Jaime Castle, Rebecca Pace
Back row: Luke Walczewski, Antonio Ciolino, Garry Wilson, Susan Conley, Roger Miller

Image source: https://huuc.net/huuc-board-members/

The 2025 Heritage UU Church rummage sale, held March 6 – 8, 2025, was our most successful to date, reports Barbara Rohrer, coordinator of this annual fundraiser. The sale took in over $5,000, netting over $4,700 for this year’s church operating budget, once the $300 expense for signage was deducted, she says.

Barbara attributes the success of the sale to three factors: the myriad of donations of items to sell from many members of the congregation; the efforts of over 35 members who volunteered their time to help with set up, the sale itself, and clean up; and the marketing partnership with Lisa Johnson from the Early Bird Resale Shop. Click the following link to obtain more information about this firm: https://earlybirdresale.com/

The annual event proves more than a fundraiser for the church. As Heritage member and rummage sale volunteer, Karen Rush said, “I found it oddly satisfying to help the young woman who shopped near closing time. When she came to us, she had very little in her new home. She walked away with plates, glasses, and many other household items, all inexpensive and practical. Our donations found the right owner! In one perspective, the rummage sale is about generating revenue for the church. In another perspective, it’s about clearing out our basements and closets. In a higher perspective, it’s about service, and the infinite process of giving and receiving.”

Barbara asks members to start now putting aside items for next year’s sale. Planned for the early spring of 2026, a date has yet to be finalized.

Images source: courtesy of Barbara Rohrer

The Heritage UU Church Board of Trustees met on February 10, 2025. The following summarizes their activities.

1. Budget season is rolling around again! The Board had a preliminary conversation with Reid Hester to discuss requests and priorities for the upcoming budget cycle as he helps us prepare for our budget planning and creation process. Thank you again Reid — your continuous work is greatly appreciated!

2. HUUC will be co-ordaining Bill Lyon later this spring to officially make him a UU minister. Congratulations, Bill — looking forward to the celebration!

3. We’re still looking for a new Technology Coordinator following Kevin Palmer’s departure from the position. If you know anyone who might be interested, please talk to a Board member!

4. The security cameras that were purchased through the security grant have been installed and are functioning. The upgraded doors should be going in sometime in the next few months. Thank you to Susan Conley and the rest of the security team for all of their work in moving us forward on this!

5. The Board is in discussion with Rabbi Jonathan and Rev. Mitra regarding hiring them as consultants to help us through the minister transition process this spring. We are excited to work with them!

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HUUC Board of Trustee members –
Front row: Jaime Castle, Rebecca Pace
Back row: Luke Walczewski, Antonio Ciolino, Garry Wilson, Susan Conley, Roger Miller

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Image source: https://huuc.net/huuc-board-members/

On Sunday, February 23, 2025 at a special congregational meeting, HUUC (Heritage Unitarian Universalist Church) unanimously voted to ordain long-time Heritage member Bill Lyon. The UU Church of Lexington, where Bill did part of his ministerial training, will hold a similar vote at their special congregational meeting and join Heritage as a co-ordaining congregation.

The ordination ceremony will occur at Heritage on Sunday, April 13, 2025, at 4:00 p.m., followed by a reception. Please save the date and look for an invitation to which you are asked to RSVP.

Image source: courtesy of Bill Lyon

On February 17, 2025, the President’s Day holiday, at least 11 HUUC members and friends braved the cold and joined a crowd of others at the Cincinnati City Hall to protest the current actions of our federal government. The focus was that Donald J. Trump is not a king on Presidents Day.

According to NPR (National Public Radio) at https://www.npr.org/2025/02/17/nx-s1-5299915/dc-protests, this nationwide protest was part of the 50501 Movement. The name stands for 50 protests, 50 states, and 1 movement. The focus of the protests was a response to what organizers described as “the anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration.”

Image source: courtesy of Tracy Rossa