At Heritage Church, we encourage members and friends to participate musically in our worship services. We hope that many of you will consider joining the Choir for the 2022 -23 church year. Rehearsals for the choir will resume on Thursday, August 18, 2022. Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Anyone who enjoys singing and helping to enhance the worship experience is very welcome, especially Tenor and Bass voices! If interested, please email Steve McCamley at:
Heritage Members Attend Safety/Security Seminar
On June 25, 2022, three Heritage members attended an informational seminar conducted by The Ohio Crime Prevention Association. Chris Burroughs, Susan Conley and Garry Wilson joined nearly 200 other representatives from Tri-State area churches to gain information on the risks that might face houses of worship and how to address those risks. The leaders, John DiPietro and Justin Schultz, stated that a risk can be identified as something or someone who presents a safety concern to the church property or participants. A few examples include a robber, disgruntled member, building access, landscaping, or armed intruder…and others.
A strong recommendation was for each church to form a Safety/Security Committee to identify risks, perhaps with the professional help of a person trained in risk management. The professional help could be of modest cost if the church’s insurance company provides such support. The committee would then propose revisions to the Emergency Operations Plan of Heritage UU Church, last updated in 2016. The new plan and its implementation could include changes to our outdoor environment, indoor spaces, awareness training for groups renting or using a church space, adding more sophisticated first aid kits or installing security cameras.
Such an effort will require devoted volunteer leadership and an energetic team. Persons with an interest in learning how to be involved may contact Julie Kane, Board President, at:
Finding a New Way
by Rev. Leslie Woodward
One of my favorite singer/songwriters has a song titled “A Light in the Window” that includes these lyrics:
“Now the old has already passed away; but the new is too new to be born today.”
That sounds like church life to me. What do we do when we can’t find ushers, can’t find RE teachers, can’t find worship techs or willing hands to complete any of the hundreds of tasks that keep Heritage open and serving our members? As the old quip goes, if I could answer that question, I could make a million bucks — or maybe at least a hundred dollars or so.
Ideas abound. Maybe we could require service hours in the manner of many high school programs. Perhaps we could offer a monetary stipend to people who take on essential tasks. What if we asked members for a service pledge in addition to their monetary pledge?
Usually we just keep doing what we’ve been doing — make endless announcements and emails asking people to step up.
Don’t get me wrong! There are people who devote many hours of time and service to our church, including our marvelous Caring Circle, our worship associates, the social justice collaborative, and an informal crew of fix-it people that tend to our aging building. And there are many, many others that do things, often quietly without fanfare or acknowledgement.
What about you?
If you are part of the group described in the above paragraph, thank you! We would not have a church without you!
If you are looking for a way to serve, talk to me, our Board President Jim Nolan or any Board member. Serving Heritage might take the form of completing an individual task, participating on a medium-term project team, or making a longer-term commitment to be an usher, a teacher, a worship tech, or be a building and grounds steward.
The need is real. The time is now. Won’t you join us?
Rev. Leslie
Opening Up the Opportunities to Show We Care
Heritage Church’s Caring Circle is changing how it arranges for meals for people who could use a little support.
Until now, when the Caring Circle learned that a congregant had a health emergency or a tragedy and therefore could use a few meals, the Circle sent notices to a group of people who had signed up to provide meals when needed. But not everyone who wanted to help in this way knew about the group or how to get on the list to be notified.
The Caring Circle will be trying out a new process by sending the notice on the HUUC Announcements Google Group. The notice that meals are needed will include a link, where you can go to a website and sign up to provide a meal on a specific date.
We’re going to see how this works for a while. If needed, we’ll switch back to using the smaller group (and will let everyone know how to volunteer to be in the group if that happens).
The Caring Circle arranges a few meals for people in the church who are suffering an acute health incident, a bereavement, or a tragedy. If you know of a congregant who needs a meal, please contact the Caring Circle.
May 2019.