"Resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”

United Methodist Baptismal Vows

Learning, Loving, Leading

As a result of violent events over the summer of 2020, members of Heritage UMC came together in the fall of 2020 in the hopes that the church would respond in a meaningful and sensitive way. Books, articles, podcasts, feelings, and opinions were discussed. Soon we sought to know what other churches were doing. Due to Covid restrictions, not much was found. The exception was the Quakers, who have a presence on the national level, as well as state advocacy groups (Friends Committee on National Legislation or FCNL). But we wanted something more local, something to address our church’s Clearwater community. The Social Principles of John Wesley were re-invigorated and adopted as the basis of our goals.

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Building a Beloved Community.

Mt. Olive, our sister church which is predominantly Black was willing, so “Racial Divide in Pinellas county” was organized--a 6-week course to share the white and black experiences of those individuals in church and society. Led by Cheryl Fairies, Program Coordinator of “The Church Facing Racism in Pinellas County”, we learned how housing, jobs, education, healthcare, and legal matters have an effect on everyday life, unfairly, depending on the color of one’s skin. It struck us as systemic racism in our institutions as something to work on to rectify-to the Glory of God, since all persons are God’s children.

Meet our sister church

Introducing Awareness to Action.

In December 2020, Awareness to Action was born, based on the social principles of John Wesley. Contact Janet Prueitt for more information.

We invite everyone into a life-changing relationship with Jesus by providing a challenge to social injustice, in any form, in order to build a sustainable, just, and equitable beloved community. We strive to achieve this by cultivating social justice and equality in our own hearts, in this church, and in our community. As we address the sin of injustice, we lead with compassion, understanding, and love. The Social Justice Team will achieve this by equipping and empowering individuals with the resources they need to end injustice, with the goal to transform hearts and minds toward the work of ending social injustice both within and outside the United Methodist Church.

— The Heritage SJ Team