Alumni News

Director of Christian Education, Part-Time, UCC: Sudbury, MA

By sthalum July 6th, 2022 in Job Postings

Memorial Congregational Church in Sudbury, MA is a progressive faith community with the United Church of Christ. We are searching for a dynamic leader for our evolving youth ministry. Through programming on Sunday mornings and Youth Group for Middle and High School, the ideal candidate will:

-Teach our children to be good people based on a foundation of Christianity (love God, love neighbor, love self);
-Organize and lead Social Justice activities;
-Support children of all ages to better comprehend their emotions and foster empathy for others;
-Facilitate relationship building between peers and across generations.

You’ll be supported by our spiritual team of staff and volunteers as you work with youth and their families to help them explore their faith through worshiping God and serving humanity. You will also work in connection with our Minister of Music who runs youth choirs covering pre-K through High School.

We are seeking a forward-looking candidate who is interested in helping our ministries meet the needs of a changing world. MCC values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and members of historically underrepresented groups to apply.

While the vast majority of this position focuses on the youth, should the candidate be ordained or ordainable this position may include other pastoral opportunities.

This position requires 25 hours/week. However, specific days and hours are flexible and ample vacation time is offered to allow for a healthy work/life balance.
Salary offered is $27,000 - $32,000/year depending on experience.

MCC is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. We genuinely welcome everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Most areas of the building are universally accessible; the Church School wing is accessible by portable ramps present in the building. An accessible, gender-neutral, family restroom with changing table is available.

Please contact Rev. Tom O’Brien at pastor@mccsudbury.org to learn more about this position or to submit a resumé.

Director of Children and Youth Ministries, Part-time, UMC: Needham, MA

By sthalum July 6th, 2022 in Job Postings

The Director of Children and Youth Ministries (DCYM), working with the Senior Pastor, provides the vision, structure and coordination to develop and execute a holistic program of faith formation and spiritual development for the children and youth at Carter Memorial UMC.  The DCYM collaborates with the Senior Pastor and Children and Youth Ministry Team to identify needs, develop curriculum, and guide their implementation, including empowering laity involvement.

Read the full job description here: Director of Children and Youth Ministries - Job description 2022.7.6

If interested, please reach out to Rev. Sandra Bonnette-Kim <pastor@carterumc.org>

Carter Memorial UMC
800 Highland Ave
Needham, MA 02494

Religious Education Assistant, Part Time, UU:

By sthalum July 6th, 2022 in Job Postings

First Parish of Norwell is located in the town of Norwell, and draws congregants from many neighboring communities. Our membership is about 130, plus friends, and we currently have a children/youth program with 19 families including 30 children/teens. The current Contract Minister is expected to become the Settled Minister in 2023, and the Church is in the early stages of enacting a Strategic Plan with a focus on outreach and social justice. In the time of COVID, First Parish has held service online. Fall 2021 we conducted outdoor worship in person and we have now returned to in person worship inside our recently refreshed meeting house while continuing to broadcast the service online. We are excited about the new dawn when we get to implement fresh ideas, while building off of what we love about our congregation and contribute to the wider community.

We seek a Religious Education Assistant that shares in our mission and wants to support the Religious Education program at First Parish of Norwell. The primary responsibility will be to work with the Director of Community Engagement to deliver religious programming for the young people and youth of the church.

This is a part time position with in-person responsibilities on Sundays (September through June) 9am - 12pm weekly and 4pm - 7pm once a month for youth group. There is also approximately 2 hours of preparation required each week which can be done at-home.

Supervision: This position is supervised by the minister
Qualifications:
1. Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent level of knowledge and experience in
religion, education, or related field;
2. Successful experience teaching young people;
3. Self-starter and ability to work collaboratively with a team;
4. Effective written and oral communication skills, including public speaking; and
5. Familiarity and appreciation for liberal religion, preferably knowledge of Unitarian Universalist traditions.

Responsibilities:
1. Work with the Director of Community Engagement to lead Sunday morning religious education classes for young people, including serving as lead instructor for one class;
2. Serve as Youth Group advisor and attend Youth Group gatherings at least one time per month;
3. Work with the Director of Community Engagement to oversee/teach Our Whole Lives (comprehensive sex education classes) for teenagers (training for Our Whole Lives would be paid by the church);
4. Work under the guidance of the Director of Community Engagement to oversee the youth Coming of Age program;
5. Develop and present a story for the Time for All Ages during Sunday morning services once a month or at the discretion of the Director of Community Engagement.

Compensation: $ 40/ hour; for 3 hours each Sunday morning, 3 hours Sunday evening once a month, and 2 hours of preparation each week. Funding and time for professional development and collegial support with other UU personnel is available.

Candidates may submit a cover letter, resume and references no later than July 20 to:
Rev. Susan Chorley
minister@firstparishnorwell.org

Please include “Religious Education Assistant” in the subject heading of your email. Our preference is to have someone in the role beginning September 1st.

Director of Community Engagement, Full-Time, UU: Norwell, MA

By sthalum July 6th, 2022 in Job Postings

First Parish of Norwell is located in the town of Norwell, and draws congregants from many neighboring communities. Our membership is about 130, plus friends, and we currently have a children/youth program with 19 families including 30 children/teens. The current Contract Minister is expected to become the Settled Minister in 2023, and the Church is in the early stages of enacting a Strategic Plan with a focus on outreach and social justice. In the time of COVID, First Parish has held service online. Fall 2021 we conducted outdoor worship in person and we have now returned to in person worship inside our recently refreshed meeting house while continuing to broadcast the service online. We are excited about the new dawn when we get to implement fresh ideas, while building off of what we love about our congregation and contribute to the wider community.

We seek a Director of Community Engagement that shares in our mission and wants to develop and lead programming for people of all ages. The primary roles will be to oversee and facilitate Religious Education programming, promote Membership growth and retention, and establish and maintain effective Communications. If interested, the Director of Community Engagement will have the option to preach and lead worship on occasion and at the discretion of the minister.

Supervision: This position is supervised by the minister
Qualifications:

1. Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent level of knowledge and experience in religion, education, or related field;
2. Successful experience working independently and collaboratively in teams with colleagues, volunteers, and individuals of all ages and backgrounds;
3. Demonstrated ability to recruit, manage, and support volunteers;
4. Effective written and oral communication skills, including public speaking and use of social media;
5. Familiarity and appreciation for liberal religion, preferably knowledge of Unitarian Universalist traditions; and
6. Creativity, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn and grow;

Responsibilities for Religious Education
1. Oversee the Religious Education (RE) programming including strategic planning with the minister, the RE Committee, the Religious Education Assistant, and the Parish Committee;
2. Select and implement appropriate curricula;
3. Develop and implement opportunities for social and spiritual growth for children, youth, adults, and families, and be willing to innovate and seek new ways to welcome and inspire the religious community;
4. Recruit, train, encourage, manage, and support religious education volunteers;
5. Administer and oversee the Our Whole Lives (OWL) program (a comprehensive sex education program);
6. Provide leadership and support to the high school youth group, including supervision of youth advisors;
7. Organize social justice, community service, community building, and/or other special events and activities for our children, youth, adults, families, and religious community.

Responsibilities for Membership
1. Develop and implement an outreach plan that encourages involvement from the broader community, particularly from towns in which our members reside;
2. Maintain a database of visitors;
3. Interact and follow up with all new visitors and inactive members;
4. Maintain regular communication with members.

Responsibilities for Communication
1. Communicate with members through individual and small group discussion, the church newsletter, church website, social media, and other channels as needed.
2. Write a monthly report for the Parish Committee and attend Parish Committee meetings;
3. Support committees by promoting and advertising events across social and print media platforms;
4. Maintain First Parish of Norwell website content;
5. Collaborate with the greater UU community to encourage engagement of First Parish of Norwell youth and adults with other UU congregations.

Salary / Benefits: $55,000; approximately 40 hrs/week with availability on Sunday mornings with one Sunday off each month, some weekends, and some evenings. Benefits include Life and LTD insurance, plus 3 weeks paid vacation during the church year, and paid holidays. Funding and time for professional development and collegial support with other UU personnel. If interested, the Director of Community Engagement will have the option to preach and lead worship on occasion at the discretion of the minister.

Candidates may submit a cover letter, resume and references no later than July 20th to:
Rev. Susan Chorley
minister@firstparishnorwell.org

Please include “Director of Community Engagement” in the subject heading of your email. Our preference is to have someone in the role beginning September 1

Director of Christian Education and Community Life, Part-Time, Baptist: Newton, MA

By sthalum July 6th, 2022 in Job Postings

First Baptist Church in Newton is seeking a half-time Director of Christian Education and Community Life to help reenergize our children’s and family programming as we return more fully to in person worship and activities.

Job Description

  • Recommend/develop curriculum and plan weekly children’s program lessons and activities
  • Recruit and support children’s program volunteers
  • Build positive relationships with children, teenagers, and parents
  • Coordinate and supervise nursery care
  • Communicate children’s activities through newsletter and weekly email updates
  • Maintain children and youth rooms, resources, and supplies
  • Monitor Christian Education budget in coordination with Council members.
  • Meet regularly with the Christian Education team
  • Work with pastor to plan one intergenerational event per month to build relationships within the community
  • Work with the pastor to plan intergenerational worship experiences.
  • Engage in professional development through reading, classes, workshops, etc.

Qualifications

  • Experience working with children, youth, and volunteers
  • Christian faith and a commitment to Christian education and faith development
  • Collaborative and creative
  • Strong organizational and communication skills
  • Experience in a church setting, volunteer or paid
  • Commitment to our Welcoming & Affirming values, caring for our diverse church whose members speak different languages and represent different cultural, political and religious backgrounds, sexual orientations and gender identities.
  • Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience

Salary $24,000 per year

Please submit a cover letter and resume to Rev. Jana Yeaton at minister@fbcnewton.org.

First Baptist Church
848 Beacon Street
Newton, MA 02459

Interim Religious Education Director, Part-Time, UU: Watertown, MA

By sthalum July 6th, 2022 in Job Postings

First Parish of Watertown, MA seeks an experienced Interim Religious Education Director for 25 hours a week beginning September 2022 through mid-June 2023, extendable to the next church year.

First Parish of Watertown enthusiastically welcomed our new Minister in the fall of 2021. Now, following the end of eleven years of service from our previous DRE, we seek a skilled youth educator to manage our thriving nursery – grade 12 program and help guide us through the process of defining and envisioning RE for our children, youth, teens and families as we emerge from the pandemic. Our ideal candidate should be experienced at delivering youth programs and bring enthusiasm and creativity to the process of educating our youth in the context of Unitarian Universalist (UU) principles and anti-bias, anti-racism and LGBTQIA+ perspectives.

The Interim Religious Education Director will manage our nursery – grade 12 program as well as assist leadership in assessing the current program for strengths and “growing edges” with an eye to determine a course of action going forward. The interim DRE will be experienced at working with families and leadership to assess the RE program and identify the key issues and priorities which need to be addressed before a permanent person is hired into this role. The Interim DRE, in collaboration with the RE committee, is responsible for week-to-week operation of our nursery – grade 12 programs including weekly spiritual exploration classes, milestone ceremonies and OWL (lifespan sexuality training). Opportunities to deliver Time for All Ages (messages from the pulpit oriented toward children) are welcomed.

First Parish of Watertown is a theologically diverse community and is one of the oldest congregations in North America. Together we strive to build community, promote spiritual growth and connection, preserve our living earth and pursue social justice and antiracism work. We recently adopted the UU 8th principle and are beginning the work to accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.

FPW provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This position is a part time (.625 FTE), exempt position with optional retirement benefits. Salary is competitive based on experience and credentials. To apply, please send a resume along with a letter telling us why the position interests you to: idresearch@fpwatertown.org

Our new minister is Rev. Sophia Lyons, an STH alumni! To find out more about our church, please visit our website: https://fpwatertown.org. We are a kind and loving people who would love to welcome you to our church and staff!

Director of Children and Youth Ministries, Full-Time, UMC:Sheridan, Arkansas

By sthalum July 6th, 2022 in Job Postings

First United Methodist Church (https://www.sheridanfumc.org) is a well-established, warm, welcoming congregation located in historic Sheridan, Arkansas. FUMC is an active, mission-minded church seeking a full-time Director of Children and Youth Ministries that will encourage and equip youth and families on a lifelong journey as disciples of Jesus. This individual will be responsible for creating programs and opportunities to inspire and launch the faith of children and youth, partner with and establish trust with parents, and build a vibrant volunteer culture where volunteers love to serve. First United Methodist Church is looking for a candidate who:

  • Has a deep-rooted faith and a desire to guide children and youth as they grow in their relationship with Jesus.
  • Is able to connect relationally with students, families, and volunteers.
  • Has the ability to provide vision and infrastructure for sustainable ministries.
  • Creates a safe environment where children and youth feel welcomed and loved.
  • Is skilled in recruiting, leading, and equipping volunteer teams.

Qualifications for this position include strong relational, communication, administrative, and organizational skills. Interested candidates should have a bachelor’s degree and three-five years of ministry experience.

Resumes, along with a cover letter, can be sent to Elaine Pendergrass (elaine.pendergrass@ministryarchitects.com).

Director of Christian Education, Part-Time, UCC: Kingston, RI

By sthalum July 6th, 2022 in Job Postings

Kingston Congregational Church's (KCC) Director of Christian Education is a valuable member of our staff team whose primary responsibility is to oversee and support Christian education and faith formation ministries for all ages. Our Director of Christian Education coordinates and works with the Board of Christian Education, the Pastor and other church leaders and members, to create and sustain programs, activities, events and resources that enable members of all ages to deepen their understanding and practice of their Christian faith. As Director of Christian Education, you will have a primary leadership role for children’s and family/intergenerational programs, and a direct support role for youth and adult programs. Your creativity, organization, warmth and faith will assist us in moving toward our vision and goals for faith formation at KCC.

Our Vision and Goals for Christian Education and Faith Formation:
After the disruption of the past few years that have included a world-wide pandemic and a decline in participation in religious life in general, we envision the next few years to be a time of renewing, rethinking and reforming our CE and faith formation programs. We have a small corp of dedicated and generous Church School leaders and active families and we wish to renew and refresh our Sunday morning programs with their help. We also want to reach out and reengage with families whose participation has declined and promote our Sunday morning Church School to new neighbors. We want to rethink how we invite the larger community to explore Christian faith by launching a “Messy Church” (www.messychurchusa.org) program. We wish to put greater focus on intergenerational learning and service, bringing all ages together to grow and give. We wish to revive our youth/teen programming after several years of dormancy. We intend to continue and build upon our strong foundation of adult faith formation (a weekly Bible study and a weekly small group). While we may never be a large church again, we envision a thriving, joyful, growing (in spirit and maybe numbers), diverse community, generously and faithfully serving the world as we deepen our own discipleship to Jesus Christ.

Responsibilities and Areas of Leadership:

  • In partnership with the Board of Christian Education, the Pastor and other church leaders and members plan, lead, evaluate and improve current and anticipated CE offerings, including Church School, Confirmation, Youth Group and intergenerational programs.
  • Convene and lead the planning team for a “Messy Church” ministry.
  • Be a promoter and cheerleader for KCC’s CE and faith formation programs: communicate opportunities, actively invite participation and celebrate events and programs through available media.
  • Nurture warm and caring relationships: among leaders, participants and newcomers, young and old.
  • Be an active and positive participant on your teams: Board of Christian Ed, staff and event/ program task forces and volunteers.
  • Help our CE program stay organized so we can function effectively and at our highest: create budgets, keep records, maintain resources, oversee CE spaces.
  • Care for others and yourself by communicating and keeping your work/life balance.
  • Be a role model for faith and learning by committing to life-long learning and availing yourself of relevant training.

Ministry Partners
The Director of Christian works most closely with the Board of Christian Education and the Pastor, both of whom support and evaluate your work. The Director of Christian Education works cooperatively with others in the educational program (volunteer teachers, youth advisors, etc.), the Church Staff (Office Administrator, Director of Music, Director of Communications Technology, Sexton), and other church boards in areas of mutual interest.

Needed Qualities:

  • A person of Christian faith and commitment, able to provide leadership in the context of a wide range and diversity of beliefs, values, and needs.
  • A team player. As a member of the staff and a colleague, ability to work cooperatively and in unity as a team player is paramount.
  • Creativity and energy for experimentation with new ideas, and a positive, enthusiastic attitude.
  • Skills: Human relations and interpersonal skills, communication skills in speaking and in writing, administrative skills, with strong abilities to attend to details.
  • Education and experience: Sufficient educational background and experience to coordinate a program for a congregation. If you do not have experience in religious education, a willingness to engage in available certification/training programs and/or mentoring.
  • Proof of a criminal background check (BCI) within the last two years and an update every three years thereafter

Terms of the Position
This is a part-time position, on average 15 hours per week, 48 weeks per year. Presence on Sunday mornings (approximately 3 hrs) is a must, with remaining flexible hours that coincide with the tasks that need to be accomplished.

Salary and Benefits: $16,000-$17,250 annual salary (according to experience and qualifications); FICA, and professional expense account. If training or mentoring is needed: continuing education funds negotiable.

Desired start date: August 2022 or earlier

Please send an email expressing interest to revjan@kingcongchurch.org

Prof. Steven Sandage Featured Guest on The Anomalous Mind Podcast

By Kimberly Macdonald June 29th, 2022 in Alumni/ae News, Faculty Publications, Media, News

In April 2022, Albert and Jessie Danielsen Professor of Psychology of Religion and Theology Steven J. Sandage was the featured guest speaker on The Anomalous Mind podcast, hosted by John Maier. The podcast features scholars in the fields of psychiatry, mental health, philosophy or linguistics, and the episodes discuss why their work matters. In this episode, Prof. Sandage discusses his work on humility among faith leaders and the effects of positive psychology.

Listen to the Podcast

Tagged: , , ,