Rev. Maria Campbell
Pastor
pastormaria@heritageumc.org
Rev. Maria's Bio
Rev. Maria Campbell
Senior Pastor
Rev. Maria Campbell was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, in a close knit family of Italian immigrants. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English, with a minor in Education from Monmouth University and did her graduate work at the University of Arizona. She began her journey into ministry in 2002, while she was on staff at Valley View UMC as the Youth Minister. Her first appointment was at Metropolitan Avenue UMC and after graduating from Saint Paul School of Theology she began her first full time appointment at Central UMC in Lawrence. From there she served at Susanna Wesley UMC in Topeka before arriving at Heritage. Maria has been married to Keith Campbell for more than 40 years and they are the proud parents of daughter, Jessica, who graduated from the University of Kansas.
Maria loves preaching and people! Her passion is sharing the love of Jesus Christ with everyone she meet. In her free time she enjoy playing board games and hanging out with her family.
My favorite scripture is Romans 8:31-39 – What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Cindy Svec
Director of Adult Christian Education & Missions & Outreach & Congregational Care Coordinator
cindys@heritageumc.org
Cindy's Bio
Cindy Svec
Director Adult Christian Education, Missions & Outreach and Congregational Care Coordinator
Cindy enjoys engaging and connecting members with opportunities at Heritage. Opportunities to serve through Missions projects, opportunities to care for others through Congregational Care Ministries and opportunities to grow in faith and fellowship through adult small groups.
She was born in Wichita, KS and has lived in Kansas City since fifth grade. She attended Shawnee Mission West High School and Kansas State University earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Accounting. Cindy and her husband Bob Svec met at K-State and have been married since 1986 and have been members of Heritage UMC since 2002. They have two daughters, Taylor married to Jared Kaunley with two sons, Weston and Graham and Kristen who is married to Dr. Greg Hildebrand and expecting their first son in December.
Cindy joined the Heritage staff in 2007 and has previous work experience as a Portfolio Accounting Investment Manager and full-time community volunteer. During her free time, she enjoys K-State season football tickets, Sporting KC season tickets, serving as a volunteer with the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity, loving her golden retrievers and being a grandma to Weston, Graham, and Baby H!
Dawn Beck
Director of Worship Engagement
dawnb@heritageumc.org
Dawn's Bio
Dawn Beck
Director of Worship Engagement
Hi, my name is Dawn Beck. I enjoy serving Heritage in worship and membership ministries. I love helping connect people to their faith and their faith community through worship and involvement in Heritage ministries and activities.
I grew up in the United Methodist Church, on a farm in southcentral Kansas. I’ve lived in the city for 30 years but still consider myself a country girl at heart. As part of my ministry in the church and love for God, I enjoy sharing stories of growing up on the farm and life in a small Kansas town and how those experiences have shaped my faith.
My husband Kevin and I are both graduates of K-State and have been members of Heritage for more than 20 years. We have three amazing children, a wonderful son-in-law, and one cutie-patootie grandchild who all bring blessings into our lives every day. In my free time I love spending time with my family, going back to the farm for summer and fall harvest, traveling (road trips), perusing flea markets and antique stores, photography, crafting, spending time in nature, watching sports (basketball and football are my favorite), and cheering on the Wildcats and Chiefs!
Serving Heritage brings joy to my life because I get to do the work of the Lord with amazing people every day. I love building on the foundation of the traditional worship I grew up with and creating new ways our faith community can worship God and grow in our faith of Jesus Christ. It is my goal as Director of Worship Engagement to help Heritage be a place where people find Christ, where they grow in their faith with friends and where they feel like an integral part of our Heritage family.
My favorite Bible verse is Ecclesiastes 3:1, For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
Shari Boles
Director of Finance & Administration
sharib@heritageumc.org
Shari's Bio
Shari Boles
Director of Finance & Administration
Shari is a lifelong resident of the Kansas City metro area. After graduating from St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City, MO, she attended college in Omaha, NE. Unfortunately, the college closed after her first year. And so, she returned home and received her BA from the University of Missouri where she met her future husband. Their first journey away from home as a married couple was to Salt Lake City, Utah where her husband had received a post graduate scholarship. Through the years, as their family grew, they moved several times due to her husband’s career in finance, but they always returned to their home town. During those times, Shari developed an acuity for business management and accounting. She continued her post graduate education and career building while raising three daughters. She has been involved in many management positions, an owner of various enterprises, and has served on several non-profit boards over the years. She is the proud grandmother to four handsome grandsons and two beautiful granddaughters. Shari feels blessed to have joined the staff at Heritage United Methodist Church where devotion to Christian beliefs, common kindness, commendable stewardship and charitable outreach is present. She loves to garden, read, walk, practice yoga, and be with her family both near and far.
Deann Baiza
Director of Youth Ministry
youth@heritageumc.org
Deann's Bio
Deann Baiza
Director of Youth Ministry
Hi! My name is Deann. I have been attending Heritage for over 20 years after my neighbor invited me! My first service was the Christmas Cantata. The music hooked me, and we’ve been here ever since. Throughout those years I have served in many areas including music ministry, worship ministry, youth and children’s ministries and more. I am an Iowa farm girl but have lived in Olathe, KS for more than two decades. I am married to Dan and we have three adult children – Gabbie, Jamison, and Alex. I like watching football and wrestling (not the WWE kind), DIY, reading and singing. My passion is helping Youth explore their faith as they learn to live as a child of God.
My favorite scripture is 1 Corinthians 1:27 – But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.
Jake Weskamp
Director of Audio-Visual Ministries
jakew@heritageumc.org
Jake's Bio
Jake Weskamp
Director of Audio-Visual Ministries
Hi I’m Jake. I am from Nebraska where my family still lives. Moving away from my family makes my Heritage UMC family all the more special to me. I came to Heritage to join a small group and stayed for the small town church feel.
My favorite part of AV Ministry is working with my great team to remove technical obstacles from worshiping the Lord.
My favorite Bible verse is John 10:10, The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
Jacob Eppel
Director of Music Ministries
jacobe@heritageumc.org
Jacob's Bio
Jacob Eppel
Worship Song Leader
Jacob’s bio coming soon.