Interim Director of Faith Development Wanted

First Unitarian Church in Worcester, Massachusetts, a thriving Unitarian Universalist congregation of 290 gathered in 1785, seeks an experienced, professional religious educator to serve full-time through July 2018.  

Working under the supervision of the Minister, and with the support of the Children’s Coordinator, Youth Ministry Assistant, lay leaders, and volunteers, the ideal candidate will provide leadership for the Faith Development programs which foster spiritual growth in children, youth and families.  In addition, together with the Minister and lay leaders, the Interim Director of Faith Development will evaluate current Faith Development programs, make recommendations for the future, and help prepare the church for a successful transition to a permanent Director of Faith Development.  

The Faith Development Program’s total enrollment is 90 children and youth.  During Sunday services, it provides childcare to the very young, and small classroom settings for children K-8.   A middle school youth group meets monthly, and a senior high youth group meets weekly on Sunday evenings.  Approximately once every six weeks, the Minister and Interim Director of Faith Development plan an intergenerational Sunday service.  

The Church follows UUA guidelines on salary and offers a competitive benefits package that includes professional development expenses. A full job description is below. Please send resume and letter of interest to minister@firstunitarian.com. Deadline for applications is Jan. 16, 2018.

First Unitarian Church in the Second Parish of Worcester, Massachusetts

Interim Director of Faith Development

Reports to: Minister

Effective date: December 19, 2017

Directly supervises: Children’s Coordinator

Status: Full-time, temporary (through July 2018)

FLSA: Exempt

Job Summary

Provide leadership for Faith Development programs which foster spiritual growth in children, youth and families. Together with the Minister and lay leaders, evaluate current Faith Development programs and help prepare the church for a successful relationship with a permanent Director of Faith Development.

Essential Functions

• Provide overall leadership for Faith Development programming for children, youth and families, with a goal of deepening spiritual identity
  

• Implement curricula for children and youth
  

• Lead Faith Development teams to recruit and support capable volunteers
  

• Manage smooth execution of the Sunday morning Faith Development program, including meeting contingencies
  

• Evaluate current Faith Development programs against the mission of the Church and the best practices within liberal religion
  

• Direct the work of the Faith Development staff to support children and youth programming
  

• Ensure robust communication of Faith Development programs throughout the Church community
  

• Manage the Faith Development budget within limits set by the Minister
  

Other Responsibilities

• Encourage the participation of children and youth in the life of the congregation
  

• Collaborate with the Minister on multigenerational worship services
  

• Maintain proper records of Faith Development registration and attendance
  

Minimum Qualifications

• 5 or more years of experience as a professional religious educator
  

• Experience administering and organizing volunteers and staff to meet goals
  

• Demonstrated knowledge of Unitarian Universalist theologies and faith development philosophies
  

• Strong computer skills, including MS Office, web-based applications and social media
  

• Strong written, interpersonal and public communication skills
  

Core Competencies

• Integrity and Trust: Is seen as trustworthy by others; practices direct, honest and transparent communication; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; doesn’t operate with hidden agendas; responds to situations with constancy and reliability.
  

• Creativity and Innovation: Generates new ideas; makes new connections among existing ideas to create fresh approaches; takes acceptable risks in pursuit of innovation; learns from mistakes; has good judgment about which creative ideas and suggestions will work
  

• Strategic Management: Is future oriented and can visualize the larger picture of where the congregation is heading; identifies and prioritizes strategic objectives that are consistent with the vision of the congregation; creates effective breakthrough objectives to carry out strategies; balances risk with desired outcomes.
  

• Safety: Affirms and follows all recommended safety guidelines for the protection and well-being of children, youth, members, and friends of the church; assesses risk wisely; takes on appropriate responsibility for the safety of those in their care
  

• Interpersonal Skills: Establishes good working relationships with all others who are relevant to the completion of work; works well with people at all levels of the congregation; builds appropriate rapport; considers the impact of their actions on others; uses diplomacy and tact; is approachable; avoids communication triangles.
  

• People/Volunteer Management: Provides direction, gains commitment, facilitates change and achieves results through the efficient, creative and responsible deployment of volunteers; engages people in their areas of giftedness and passion
  

Registration opens February 20, 2017

Summer Program runs from July 24-August 4

BYKOTA Trip to Central Rock Gym

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Dear Parents of BYKOTA youth,

Many of our young people are interested in going to the Central Rock Gym this coming Sunday to support BYKOTA member Reilly West’s fundraiser (see attached flyer) for her trip to the Bouldering Youth Nationals in Salt Lake City, Utah in February. We are working diligently to help coordinate this possibility for First U kids. 

Here are the things you need to know to make a decision about whether or not you and/or your child will participate:

• Between 1-4pm on Sunday, Jan. 22, the Central Rock Gym’s proceeds from the sale of day passes and equipment rentals will go towards Reilly’s travel expenses. 
• The day pass is $16 per person, kids or adults.
• The equipment rental is $8 per person, kids or adults. 
• The kids raised $217 from the congregation last Sunday to go toward their day passes. This money will pay a significant portion of the entrance fees for our BYKOTA participants which will, thus, go to Reilly’s fundraising efforts. The remain fees will come from the BYKOTA budget.
• There is no cost for parents/adults/chaperones who do not wish to climb.
• There is a lounge area for adult and/or parents wishing to stay in the building but not participate in the climbing activities. 
• There is wifi in the lounge area and non-partipating parents can see the kids and take pictures.
• The Gym staff says that it will be a rare youngster who makes it the full 3 hours. Many beginners only stay 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• We are in need of volunteers/adult drivers to carpool the participants to the Gym. 
• Pick up is at the Gym. We will NOT be returning to church.
• Parents are responsible for picking their children up at the Gym or making private arrangements with another parent for transportation home from the Gym.
• There will be an opportunity to buy pizza slices and snacks. This is not covered by the fundraising money.
• IMPORTANT: If your child is participating, you MUST complete the Gym’s online WAIVER form BEFORE your child goes to the Gym. The staff will be able to get our large group in and setup faster if the WAIVER is completed online ahead of time. The waiver can be found here: https://app.rockgympro.com/waiver/esign/centralrockworcester/454c5890-c6ab-42ab-8316-b75c9a6ce19e. This link can also be found on the front page of the Gym website: https://www.centralrockgym.com/worcester/
• In addition, the church needs the attached BYKOTA permission slip turned in to Abby Hannaford-Riccardi on Sunday morning. Any child without a signed permission slip will not be able to attend.

CRITICAL Please use this link to a brief, yet essential, questionnaire about your child’s participation. This is the tool we are using to organize the transportation and to better understand your family’s individual needs. UPDATE: Please skip Question #8 and answer Question #9 instead.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/36Y5WDK

If you know for sure that your child is NOT participating, please email dlevering@firstunitarian.com 

Part-time Lead Childcare Provider

First Unitarian Church of Worcester

Lead Childcare Provider Job Description 11/01/2016

Purpose: To provide dependable, safe, secure, and nurturing care to children ages 0-3years while at Church, in a clean environment. To support and guide teen volunteers to assist with safe, nurturing, and responsible caregiving.

Responsibilities 

·      Responsible for providing age-appropriate care which includes the following: maintaining a safe environment; holding or sitting with and cheerfully interacting with children through games, stories, and play. May include feeding, changing diapers, escorting to the bathroom.

·      Be polite, friendly, and courteous to all children, parents, and volunteers.

·      Arrive by 10:00AM each Sunday morning that childcare is provided and stay until 12 noon. You are expected to work all Sundays even if it falls on a holiday. You will have the option to work other church events, i.e. the Gala, Annual Meeting, etc. for which the age range of children needing care may be extended to age 10.

·      Stay until the children are secured with a responsible adult named on the child’s registration form. 

·      In the event of an emergency notify the parent via cell phone or pager. Notify the Children’s Program Assistant and the Director of Faith Development as soon as possible.

·      Straighten the room and regularly clean any toys, tables, and chairs. All toys that have had contact with saliva will require special attention. A sanitizing solution will be available to use in the nursery. 

·      Report to the Director of Faith Development issues which are hindering the carrying out of the duties or responsibilities. 

·      Communicate in advance, by phone or text, to the Director of Faith Development 1) any planned absences with a two week notice, and 2) any unplanned absences at least two hours prior to the shift. 

·      Attend an evaluation after a 60 day probationary period and thereafter annually. 

Qualifications 

·      Experience in caring for children between the ages of 0 to 3 with the ability to adapt and interact with a variety of personalities. 

·      At least 21 years of age preferred. 18-20 year old young adults with childcare experience are welcome to apply.

·      Satisfactory completion of background check. 

·      Satisfactory completion of CPR training for infants and children. Church will pay for training of selected candidate if they do not have current First Aid and/or CPR certification.

·      Three references

Termination Policy

·      There will be a 60 day probationary period where either party may terminate employment without cause. Beyond this a two week notice is expected. 

·      Dependability is essential. Tardiness and frequent absences cannot be tolerated and will result in termination of employment. 

·      Immediate termination will occur in cases of intentional verbal, physical, or emotional abuse or neglect of any child, parent, or church member.

·      Termination may occur for failure to carry out job duties as described above. 

Payment:

The pay rate for this position is $14/hour. Two hours (10-12noon) most Sundays through the second Sunday in June. Additional hours as needed and mutually agreed upon by Lead Childcare Provider and Director of Faith Development.

Lead Childcare Provider reports to the Director of Faith Development.

Applicants, please provide a letter of interest that includes specific childcare experience and 3 references to dlevering@firstunitarian.com or 

Deborah Levering

Director of Faith Development

First Unitarian Church

90 Main St.

Worcester, MA 01608

A new Faith Development Collaborative

This winter’s Focus Group conversations around Faith Development have been rich with ideas and energy around our children’s learning experiences and community-building opportunities. A big thank-you to all those who came and shared their perspective.

One of the wonderful results of our discussions is a new Faith Development Collaborative, a regular open meeting of parents, teachers, and congregants for the purpose of sharing joys, challenges, and the work of providing spirited and meaningful faith development opportunities for children, youth, and families. These 1^st-Sunday-of-the-month meetings are where we can work together on some of the nitty-gritty details of planning, designing, recruiting for, and implementing our deep desires for Children and Youth Faith Development and Family ministry. In our gatherings, we will be open to wisdom and traditions of First U’s education ministry and we will embrace the experience, creativity, and innovation of our current parents and teachers.

Agenda

At our first meeting, let’s consider the following--

• ·      Curriculum and recruitment planning for 2016-17
• ·      Ways to welcome and support new families
• ·      Special events like First Friday Fun Nights 

Please come. Bring your ideas and your questions. Childcare will be available with advance notice. RSVP and childcare signups here: http://bit.ly/1LUVlKI

We will meet the first Sundays of April, May and June from 9:00-10:00am in the Mirick room.

April 3

May 1

June 5

                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                 In Faith, 

                                                                                                                 Deborah

Our Children are collecting items to make Care Kits for folks living on the streets of Worcester. Please help by donating items from the list below. There is a box for your donations in the Bancroft room.

What we need

1-gallon size plastic bags, preferably with an easy zipper

·      warm socks

·      gloves

·      hats

·      heatpacks

·      band-aids

Hygiene items

(no mouthwash or hand sanitizer with alcohol)

·      anti-bacterial lotion

·      small (hotel size) soaps

·      small (hotel size) shampoos

·      lip balm

·      toothpaste

·      toothbrush

·      washcloth

·      comb

·      brush

·      razor

·      shaving cream

·      deodorant

Snacks and Water

·      nuts

·      crackers

·      dried fruit

·      trail mix

·      granola bars

·      breakfast bars

·      protein bars

·      instant noodles

·      other light-weight, quick snacks.

·      bottled water

Encouragement

·      card

·      note

·      prayer

·      money

Bring one of several kinds of items or bring one or more of one item.

       You decide what you’ll bring. Please bring to church by February 14.

Thank you!

We're the Love People

Welcome to the newest First Unitarian Church of Worcester blog. This one will replace the old Faith Development blog (with the orange background).

We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday--the first day of our children's classes and our YRU2 youth group's evening gathering!

Registering your children and youth is super easy this year. Click on the REGISTRATION tab above.

Whether you are a long time participant here at First Unitarian or a brand new family looking for a spiritual home and supportive community, we're glad you are here!

Please reach out and introduce yourself. I can't wait to see you!

Faithfully,
Deborah