“Honor the space between no longer and not yet.” Nancy Levin
Dear UCM members and friends,
As many of you know, UCM has been in a transition process with our religious education program and staffing since the retirement of former Director of Religious Education, Sally Armstrong, at the end of the 2015-2016 church year. That spring, UCM searched for an Acting DRE and hired Liza Earle-Centers to take on that position for the 2016-2017 church year.
Since the fall, the Religious Education Committee, Adult Religious Education Committee, Rev. Joan, Liza, the Executive Team, and some key church leaders, RE teachers and parents involved with RE have engaged in a process of discernment to examine the history of our program and begin to re-envision how to nurture our spiritual journeys across the lifespan at UCM. This process takes time as stories are shared, broader questions are posed, and we allow ourselves to think outside the box of what is possible.
After some consideration, the Executive Team, with the support of the RE committees and Board, has decided to extend the Acting DRE position another year. This means that Liza will be joining our staff for another church year as this transition process continues.
This spring, the RE committees will be inviting more people to participate with them in this re-envisioning process beginning with the Committee of Chairs on April 11. They plan to take what is learned and to develop a process for the entire congregation to be part of this visioning in the fall.
If you have any questions or concerns about this process, feel free to reach out to Rev. Joan, Liza, any of the Executive Team members, RE Committee Chair, Kairn Kelley, or Adult RE Committee Chair, Kristin Glaser.
In faith and service,
Rev. Joan