22 Sep Hi, I’m Ruth Owen, your new Interim DRE!
I am so looking forward to meeting everyone and getting the year started. Many of you may have questions about how an interim DRE is different from a “regular” DRE. Some of you may wonder why bother with an interim at all. An interim is hired for a specific, limited period of time, in my case two years. Then the church will hire a new, permanent DRE. During the interim time we will have a chance to work together to dream, plan, experiment, and imagine how the church would like the religious education program to be in the future.
Whatever the future may hold, it will probably not be exactly like the past and that can make some folks a little anxious or sad. Change can be hard. It can also be creative and exciting. Sometimes it can be all those things on the same day. A big part of my job as the interim DRE is to help support you, the church, through the coming change.
My regular office hours will be Monday –Thursday 9:30 –3:00. Please drop by anytime to talk. You are also welcome to make an appointment anytime. Please note I will be taking Friday and Saturday as my regular days off. I keep Friday as a Sabbath and do not look at email, texts etc. until Saturday.
This fall marks the beginning of my 25th year as a professional religious educator. This is my fourth congregation and my first experience of interim work. I am excited about the possibilities!