End-of-March 2025
 
I have two exciting and important items to share with you.
 
First is that I am planning a three-month sabbatical, beginning next October. I am working with the board, Committee on Ministry, other key leaders, and staff members on all the details to make sure my duties and responsibilities are covered. A detailed fact sheet is available here. 

Second, as we develop a strategic plan to better serve our new mission and meet the needs of the day, I am considering how to reorganize our ministry teams, volunteering, and staff support. Initial thoughts are laid out in this report to the board. I hope to build on what’s already working well, and obviously nothing is likely to change quickly. Changes, though, also might include reenvisioning how we understand and carry out what we have called religious education. 
 
Traditional curriculum-based programs have been in decline since at least 2017, well before the pandemic. This demise is reviewed in this report from the UUA’s New England Region. Current conversations around “whole church faith formation” and family ministry expand it beyond children’s programming and curriculum. More information on this is available here and here. (If you would like to go down the rabbit hole, there are more links you can follow.)
 
This is such a big undertaking, I can’t possibly make these changes without your support, so I would love any and all questions, insights, and concerns. Please drop me a note, email [email protected], or schedule a one-on-one with me at https://calendly.com/uuseverson.
 
Thank you!
Rev. Eric