As most of you know, Mark LaPointe will not be returning in the fall as Director of Lifespan Religious Exploration. The time has come for First Parish to find an Interim DLRE to take over his duties. An interim director will assist us in this time of transition to assess our current lifespan RE program and help us to plan for the future.
A committee was recently chosen to embark on the search. The committee consists of Rev. Catie Scudera, Tony Cicala, Marianne McGowan, Jodi Rooney, Dana Robinson, and Zoë Bailey. Tony Cicala is on the Membership Committee, oversees the Big Questions forum as part of the lifetime RE program, and has worked with and mentored many youth during his time at First Parish. Marianne McGowan chairs the Youth Adult Committee, has taught RE, and has served as an adult lay leader for Senior Youth Group and the service trips. Both Marianne and Tony have had children graduate from our RE program. Jodi Rooney and Dana Robinson are co-chairs of the Religious Exploration Committee, RE teachers, and parents of current RE children. Zoë Bailey is a senior youth group member and a lifelong First Parish member.
The work begins by crafting a job posting that reflects our needs as a congregation, which we are working on presently. Once that is complete, the posting will be listed on the Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) and UUA websites. After the deadline for submissions is past, we will screen the applicants and interview the strongest candidates. Our goal is to get someone approved by the Parish Committee by the middle of June. We will schedule informal conversations with some groups in the congregation about the future of our lifespan RE program, and welcome comments and suggestions from the whole church community. The committee will also establish a Transition Team to support the new interim director.
If you have any questions, please email the committee at interimdlresearch@uuneedham.org. Stay tuned for updates!