Recommendations

Here are some of the congregations with which Michele has worked with in the past two years.

Michele brought calm, strength and hope to our congregation.
We retained her because of our DRE left late in the year, we had no Religious Education
Committee (REC), and our program attendance was declining. When she worked with us, she
acted as part of our staff. As we stood up a new REC, Michele guided us with an expert and
gentle touch, recognizing both the need for healing and the importance of carrying forward Religious Education programming. She helped us choose the curriculum. She was a coach and supervisor to the teachers. She met with the REC twice a month over the course of our church year.

Michele also took a broader look at overall congregation policies, practices, & patterns, and at our long-term potential to offer lifespan religious education. She led a process in which she made herself available to all constituencies to listen attentively, comfort, and affirm their
experiences and perspectives. She reviewed and offered constructive guidance on things like
our Safe Congregation policy. She helped us bring back rituals (like the Bridging Ceremony) to honor youth and mentors alike.
Finally, she has been thoughtful and thoroughly professional in helping our new Director of RE
onboard and get a true sense of us and our congregation.
We are extremely grateful for the work that Michele did with us and are confident that we
were as successful as we were in our transition year because of her experience, guidance and
wisdom.

–The Religious Education Committee

First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church Lexington, MA (June 2022)