The Guild of Interim Religious Education (GIRE) Consultants provide unique leadership for congregations in the midst of religious education transitions. The unique talents and flexibility of each consultant means that there is someone who will be able to meet your religious education transition goals.
Sandra has more than 20 years of experience with Unitarian Universalist communities, transitional lifespan religious education, Our Whole Lives, Conflict and Staffing Start-ups.
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Bailey Whiteman has extensive experience working in Unitarian Universalist music and choral settings and is well known for her ability to facilitate congregational music program and staffing transitions
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Andrea Perry Lerner has extensive experience working in religious education, and is well-known for her use of social networking to promote Unitarian Universalism.
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With a desire of building community, De Anna shares guidance through all the various aspects of transitional leadership within programs for lifespan faith formation.
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Deborah offers more than three decades of experience working with congregations and their leaders, and has worked with many Unitarian Universalist congregations.
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Lily is an experienced interim religious educator and has served numerous Unitarian Universalist congregations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Ohio.
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Michele is a 30+ year religious educator with 15 years of experience with the United Methodist church and 18 years of experience with the Unitarian Universalists.
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Pete is a life-long Unitarian Universalist. Since 1986, he has been a member of Accotink UU Church in Burke, VA, and has served in RE-related positions with the congregation.
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By Amy Huntereece, PhD candidate, M. Ed., January 2021 Is your congregation in the midst of transition? Perhaps you are even experiencing transition on multiple levels. Remodeling or building new facilities, ministerial leadership shifting to new energy, updating your religious education program, and careful scrutiny of the operating budget to make ends meet in the upcoming fiscal year all qualify as transitional work. La Sonde Anastos (2017) encourages us to remember that we are “in a time of change, not a time of crisis” (p. 98). You may notice your response to… Read More
In the early days of the twenty-first century, a group of Unitarian Universalist religious educators looked at the changing landscape of lifespan religious education and discerned the need for intentional transitional leadership. Change happens quickly and often in congregations and many of these changes focus on the lifespan religious education program. This changes may center on religious education leadership transitions. It may also center on the fact that a congregation’s religious education mission and vision shift to meet a modern community’s needs. No matter the reason, interim religious educators work with congregations… Read More