Can you believe that it’s already June! Summer is an exciting time with more sunlight, different routines, water fun of so many kinds, and if we are lucky an opportunity or two to get into new or different surroundings.

Summer will also bring a few changes to our Religious Education program! Since we know that summer activities, family experiences, and sometimes travel can disrupt our usual weekly patterns, we wanted to create a unique summer experience that keeps folks engaged but also responds to our changing pattern of life.

RE programming over the summer will include a monthly RE summer program offered during our regular church time, a few intentional All Ages services, and then some one-off pop-up social opportunities.

The dates for our Summer RE Sundays are:

• June 4th: Regular RE on Annual Meeting Sunday
• June 11th: RE Pride Program during church
• July 9th: RE Outside Program during church
• July 16th: Mid-Summer All Ages Service lead by Laci
• August 13th: RE Peace Program during church
• August 27th: All Ages Water Communion Service

You will be texted about one-off events, so make sure that we have updated contact information to ensure you are getting updates through the summer!

If you have questions, please contact Laci Lee Adams.

June 2023.

Monday-Friday, August 7 – 11, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

We are so excited to be offering our families and broader community our second annual Peace Camp at Heritage! Camp will run each day from Monday, August 7th, until Friday, August 11th, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Peace Camp is a week-long day camp dedicated to giving school-aged kids immersive experiences so that they can learn about themselves, the world around them, and each other. Campers have daily experiences cooking or baking (yes! they make their own lunches), learning about the natural world through exploration of Heritage’s grounds, expressing themselves through arts and crafts, and cultivating peace practices such as yoga and meditation. We will also be adding a stronger musical component to this year’s Peace Camp!

In addition to all of the “structured activities”, campers will learn how to connect with one another, to build community, and to cultivate skills that help them navigate conflict. Our hope is that each camper finishes the week with a greater sense of self, more resilience, and exhausted from all the fun!

There are lots of ways to be involved; check out ways to connect below:

~ If you would like to register your kids as campers, junior counselors or counselors, now is the time to do it! Rising Kindergartners through 6th graders are welcome to attend as campers (cost is $275 or sliding scale). Middle and early high schoolers (under 16) can serve as junior counselors (at no cost, with an appreciation gift at the end). If any high schoolers (over 16) are interested in serving as counselors, compensation may be available. Register here for campers and junior counselors: https://huuc.breezechms.com/form/36931951 Interested counselors should contact Laci at dlfdhuuc@gmail.com

~ Anyone interested in volunteering would be welcome to do so! Camp will include time in nature, meditation, singing, cooking, baking and crafting just to name a new of the exciting activities. If you have an hour or a day or the entire week that you would like to volunteer or have a related interest or skill, please reach out to Laci (dlfdhuuc@gmail.com) to find a way to connect.

~ If you are excited about Peace Camp, but none of these opportunities are right for you, please consider making a donation specifically for Peace Camp! Fees from camp will cover most of the costs of camp staff, but donations make it possible for us to offer a sliding fee scale, give us additional funds for supplies, and could allow us a splurge item or two this year.

2023.

We need your piece of the puzzle for our community to thrive! One of our Lifespan Faith Development goals for the 2022-23 year is to staff our Religious Education classes primarily with volunteers that are NOT parents of kids participating in your program. That’s right!

Intergenerational connection is essential to the thriving of a community. Parents are already the primary religious educators of their children. Consequently, parents need the bandwidth to connect with each other and with other adults in our church and our young people need other perspectives and connections to adults in our community.

Please consider exploring the world with our school age kids, serving as an Our Whole Lives (OWL) teacher (especially if you have previously been trained to do so), reflecting on your beliefs and experiences with our coming-of-age group, or supporting the leadership of our youth! Reach out by email to Laci Lee Adams, Director of Lifespan Faith Development, or schedule a meeting on Calendly (https://calendly.com/dlfdhuuc/45min) to find the right opportunity to connect with our young people and strengthen a vital ministry of our church. Laci’s email address is:

P.S. If you have read this and you still aren’t sure about volunteering in our RE program, but would like to find a way to deepen your relationship to Heritage—still reach out to Laci! There is an opportunity or need for all of us in this community!

September 2022.