A Good October for Our Religious Education Program
by Linda Lane-Hamilton
Our children’s religious education program is up and running as of Oct. 19th. We offer a nursery and classes for grades K-3 and 4-6, from 10:30 - 11:30 in the McGiffert wing. We now see our children, and their families, in our Sunday services from 10 - 10:30, with some of those children heading to their special rug/play space when they arrive, and we sing them out at 10:30 as they leave for classes with their teachers.
Grades 4-6, with four to eight children, meet in room 108 with teachers Jackson Verburg, Kimberly McHugh, and Hilda Gomez. The current four or five children in grades K-3 meet in 109 with lead teacher Abby Rasmussen (a William & Mary student) and Karen Eversole, and our young one(s) in the nursery can easily move back and forth between the nursery and the K-3 room. Thank you to WUU President Helen Hansen for teaching K-3 the first two Sundays in October and to Margarita Riofrio for her nursery help.
Once a month Rev. Jude and the Worship Associates plan for intentional multigenerational services so religious education teachers and our families can attend entire services. The next multigenerational service is Sunday, Nov. 9.
Thank you to the board-appointed Religious Education Task Force, which met almost weekly since August to plan for and set up our religious education program: co-chairs Rachel Delbos and Dave Wilcox; members Helen Hansen, Linda Lane-Hamilton, Anne Stevens, Jackson Verburg and Rev. Jude, whose experience and wisdom guided the Task Force decisions.
The Task Force has now been replaced by the new RE Committee, which begins this month--Donna Stanford, chair; Rachel Delbos, Jackson Verburg, and Susan Walkley, joined by Rev. Jude until WUU hires a new half-time Director of Religious Education. The RE Committee will support a new director and will help plan and coordinate our children’s activities.
A search team has been taking applications and interviewing candidates for the half-time DRE position--thank you to Rachel Delbos, Susan Walkley and Rev. Jude for serving on this team.
Everyone associated with religious education is enthusiastic, hopeful and excited for this new year. Teachers would much appreciate some extra help--as a potential teacher, or as an assistant in the classroom. WUU always places two adults in each classroom and the nursery--and we are needing another nursery person and more help with each of the two classes.