We are half-way through our second interim year in Religious Education, an important milestone in the discernment of our progress so far and what work still lies ahead to prepare for a settled Religious Educator. At the December Board meeting, Sandra provided a status report on the interim work completed thus far, and recommended that the interim work continue through the end of the next church year, June 2017. Both Rev. Allison and the Board agreed that though we had done some good work with Meredith and in our first few months with Sandra, we needed more time to lay the groundwork for our settled Religious Educator to be successful.
Some of you know that Sandra’s contract was only for one year, but contained an option to renew for a second year. Sandra accepted our offer this week to renew her contract, and the two of us are excited to have another year and a half of collaboration in front of us.
This will give us three full years of interim RE work. By this time next year, we will be in the midst of a search process for a settled DLRE.
During General Assembly those of us who attend will begin to advertise the position and alert religious educators that we will be searching for a (full-time) settled educator. Sandra will attend the LREDA Fall Conference and spread the word there.
Next fall, we will form a search committee. Stay tuned for details about this process. The search for a settled Religious Educator is not as rigorous or regulated as the search for a minister, but we do want to put in enough time and energy to find a qualified, professional educator, who is a good match for our congregation.
Many folks may ask if we can offer the permanent position to Sandra, if she is interested. The agreement we have prohibits Sandra from applying. This prohibition provides for integrity in the interim process, allowing our interim DLRE to candidly assess our program and make recommendations. In addition, as Sandra has mentioned, she is looking to take her faith into a new direction by working directly in community-based organizations and in academic settings in the area of sexual health and justice.
We are looking forward to the next steps on this journey, and are grateful for your support as we embark on the second half of our Interim RE work.
In faith
Rev. Allison & Sandra