Did you know that there is a program of the Unitarian Universalist Association that credentials UU Religious Educators? Religious Education is a somewhat strange career, often one that people land in almost by accident. Many religious educators have a background and/or a degree in social work or education, but others come into the field with a background or degree in religion or theater or something else entirely.

The professional development of a religious educator usually begins after they are hired by a congregation and begin the work, and trainings don’t happen in any particular order. There are twelve trainings offered by the UUA, called Renaissance Modules, that are each 15-30 hours long and cover the “core competencies” of religious education, but up until recently these modules could be hard to find and were only offered occasionally in this part of the country.

About twenty years ago a plan was developed to provide more structure and to professionalize the work of religious education, and the Religious Education Credentialing Program of the UUA was born. I entered that program after I was hired by OUUC and received my Master Level Credential (the highest of three levels of Credential available) in 2014.

Three years ago, I joined the Religious Education Credentialing Committee of the UUA, and I now serve as the Chair. This is a volunteer role, which I have been very appreciative to have fully supported by OUUC. Your support of my work for this program is part of how you are supporting the denomination as a whole.

Next week is a big week for the Credentialing program: the annual credentialing interviews will be held. We have 18 candidates appearing before the committee next week, each having submitted a portfolio showing their best work in core and elective competency areas. Each candidate will give a presentation and then the committee will ask them questions and interview them for 40 minutes to further assess competency and commitment.

Normally, I would travel for this meeting; this year was meant to be in Orlando, Florida. Now, all our interviews and meetings will be held on Zoom instead. However, because it was all scheduled in Eastern Time Zone, I’m still going to be experiencing some “Jet Lag” each day as I will start my first meeting of the day at 5:00 am.

Because of this work, I will be “away” from OUUC from April 20-25th. I truly love this opportunity to serve my chosen profession and denomination and thank you all for your ongoing support of my professional work as a religious educator.

Stay Well, and I will see you again when I “return.”

Sara Lewis, Director of Lifespan Religious Education