Hebron Crossroads 10-24-04
By Jeff Gill

Thursday night is region-wide “Trick-or-Treat,” with 5:30 to 7:30 pm the designated times around the Hebron Crossroads. Remember that if the lights are out, the occupants aren’t playing this year.
Some of the village side streets get crowded, and the Hebron Police Department does a good job of trying to manage the congested spots (does our small village have traffic congestion? Sometimes, yes!), but keep a sharp eye out, everyone, around those hours on Oct. 28.
Do you remember the aurora borealis during Beggars’ Night? Could we be so lucky again . . .
Speaking of beggin’, the Citizens’ Advisory Committee of the Lakewood Board of Education is making a series of calls around the area to evaluate our delivery of educational services with a phone survey. We aren’t telemarketers, and we aren’t looking for money, only input.
Many of us making the calls to get surveys filled out have received hang-ups early on in the process; please know this is a legitimate effort on behalf of your Lakewood School District. With the millage rolled back (keeping the total collected in property tax the same even as more housing is added and values increase), the growth of the district will put stresses fiscal and demographic on our system. We need to hear your priorities as we build the school system of tomorrow . . . not a science fiction tomorrow, but the day after next tomorrow, which will be almost as strange and different.
The day after Nov. 2 will be a very different day than most Wednesdays. Assuming the election will be concluded by midnight, which is looking very 2000 right now (is Tim Russert polishing up his dry erase board?), in which case we won’t have “the day after the election” for possibly weeks. Sigh.
Lakewood got an unquestioned win against Columbus Academy last week, which is more than Ohio State or my beloved Boilermakers had in the victory column over the weekend. Way to believe in yourselves, team!
The Lakewood Marching Band is gearing up for their Highlights concerts to close the season November 5 and 6; if you want those hard-to-get tickets, see a band member NOW, not tomorrow.
Before then, “Club 180” is open to all youth after the Lakewood home games on Fridays Oct. 22 and 29, from 9 pm to Midnight at the former Licking Baptist Church building on Beaver Run, north and east of the Canyon Road intersection. This Christian ministry, spearheaded by Licking Baptist, is supported by many area church folk who want our young people to have a fun and safe Fifth Quarter experience such as Licking Valley has enjoyed for many years.
And on the other end of the Lakewood district, Jacksontown United Methodist is well along on their exciting building renovation to enhance their worship space, improve access to the sanctuary, and expand the basement “fellowship hall” area, which means more seating for the first Saturday breakfasts! Does it mean more entrees on Nov. 6? Probably not that soon, but stay tuned, or just go eat at 7 am that day or any other first Saturday, which is how they paid for the construction work.
This is the last week for the “Coats For Kids” drive at Hebron Christian Church by their active youth group, led by the McNichols who have a unique way of adding to the number at meetings (welcome, Joshua Michael!), and the United Methodist Church of Hebron is working their way through “The Purpose Driven Life” this fall. And New Life Community, renting at Lakewood Middle School’s auditorium Sunday mornings, is notching over 120 in worship, reaching many unchurched folk with contemporary praise music.
Whatever church you attend in the Lakewood region, don’t forget that Oct. 31 is “Time Change Morning,” setting our clocks back one hour. Otherwise, you may find yourself at Sunday School whether you intended it or not. On the other hand, there are worse mistakes you could make!

Jeff Gill has been known to teach Sunday school; on the other hand, so did Hugh Hefner, so don’t assume too much from that. If you have curriculum notes about Abraham and Sarah or Isaac and Rebecca to share, or news of local interest, send it to disciple@voyager.net.