Circles of Life
Saturday, August 2 - Friday, August 8, 2025
Saturday, August 2 - Friday, August 8, 2025
Description
Workshops
Conference Leadership
Kids Program
Pricing
Description
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Welcome to Circles of Life!
We welcome people and families of all kinds. We welcome singles, children, teens, elders, young adults and you - however you identify and define yourself! We have something for everyone, with morning workshops and activities for adults and children, along with plenty of multigenerational activities in the afternoons and evenings. Come off the beach in the late afternoon, join friends for social hour, then dine in the DeWolfe Dining Hall or out on the Gitchell Porch. After dinner, join the friendship circle or grab an ice cream at the Ferry Beach Store. Join in the inclusive dancing each night, (including international folk dance and more) led by skilled instructors.
Mornings Each morning begins with a short chapel for all led by our Minister of the Week, Rev. Mark Robel. Music is an integral part of our worship, led by Verne McArthur, our Musician of the Week. On Sunday morning, we have a full-length multigenerational service. Adult Workshops Following chapel each morning, adults gather for the Theme Talk. After a short break, there are a variety of workshops for adults. Find details in the "Workshops" and “Conference Leadership” tabs above. Children/ Youth programming During the week while their adults are in their morning workshops, children spend time with their peers. Groups are organized by age (age cutoffs shift based on enrollment.) Each is led by 2 (or more) adults attending Circles of Life, who have completed a background check. Kids will play games, create art and music, and explore local ecology. Intergenerational Activities
Each evening and most afternoons, there are scheduled activities for all ages. Some favorites include:
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Young Adults Work Play Program:
The young adults work/play program is intended for those aged 18-25 to learn the values of work while enjoying fun during their stay. Program participants will work 3 hours a day in one of these areas: maintenance, housekeeping, program/set up, & kitchen/dinning hall. In compensation program participants lodging and conference fee is waived. Participants just pay for meals during their stay. Want to be part of this program? Please fill out the form here and afterwards register here. Photos from previous years of Circle of Life..
UUFAF—Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and Fun – has now joined the ranks of our other historical names (CVD and CBD). We have chosen our new name to more accurately reflect the nature of our welcoming and inclusive conference. We will continue to focus on our Unitarian Universalist heritage. Our goal of having FUN remains at the heart of our conference!
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Our week is a special time-shared with others on the beautiful Southern Maine coastline. There’s time for laughter and reflection, long beach walks and quick swims, new friendships and family togetherness, sandcastles and sunrises. As a Circles of Life conferee, you are welcome to participate as you choose. We hope that you come as you are, that you find what you need, and that you return home feeling a little richer for the magic and joy you’ve shared in our Circle at the Beach.
Our mission at Ferry Beach is to awaken hearts to explore, grow and renew the spirit of universal love.
We work by creating programing and events in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Spirituality, Sustainability, Personal Growth and Justice & Action.
We work by creating programing and events in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Spirituality, Sustainability, Personal Growth and Justice & Action.
Workshops
2025 Workshops:
THEME SPEAKER: TBD
More info to come!
More info to come!
Morning Workshops:
CONVERSATIONS ON AGING with Jackie Shanti
What a gift to sit with friends, new and old, to listen and learn from one another about our experiences of aging! Each workshop session will ask questions about a particular aspect of our journey:
We’ll explore “10 tips for aging gracefully” and share which ones intrigue us, work for us, or just don’t make our top 10! There will be time to add your own tips to the list!
Beginnings and endings offer an opportunity to begin anew, to review the past, make adjustments and face our continuing journey with renewed vision and hope. What new "beginnings" have you been faced with during the past year? What "endings" have you experienced? Have they been related?
How old is too old? And how are we (elders) changing America? What does it mean as an “elder” to live in a Beloved Community?
What are the challenges of caregiving as we grow older, for ourselves and our loved ones? Have we come up with a game plan, or are we avoiding it? We’ll share where we are and what’s on our minds and hearts!
Jackie Shanti will facilitate our conversations. She is a long-time Ferry Beacher, a retired RN and has a certificate as an End-of-Life Doula.
What a gift to sit with friends, new and old, to listen and learn from one another about our experiences of aging! Each workshop session will ask questions about a particular aspect of our journey:
We’ll explore “10 tips for aging gracefully” and share which ones intrigue us, work for us, or just don’t make our top 10! There will be time to add your own tips to the list!
Beginnings and endings offer an opportunity to begin anew, to review the past, make adjustments and face our continuing journey with renewed vision and hope. What new "beginnings" have you been faced with during the past year? What "endings" have you experienced? Have they been related?
How old is too old? And how are we (elders) changing America? What does it mean as an “elder” to live in a Beloved Community?
What are the challenges of caregiving as we grow older, for ourselves and our loved ones? Have we come up with a game plan, or are we avoiding it? We’ll share where we are and what’s on our minds and hearts!
Jackie Shanti will facilitate our conversations. She is a long-time Ferry Beacher, a retired RN and has a certificate as an End-of-Life Doula.
SMASH ART MOSAIC with Elizabeth Thomas
Learn the history and basics of mosaic art making. Participants may choose to work on a stepping stone, heart mirror or clay flower pot. Just bring an old towel and a willingness to get messy. Everything else provided. No experience necessary, just a creative attitude and desire to learn something new! Elizabeth has been smashing things and creating mosaic art for about 20 years. She hosts mosaic children’s parties, adult ‘smashed’ parties and potluck home parties with lots of broken things…and wine!
Learn the history and basics of mosaic art making. Participants may choose to work on a stepping stone, heart mirror or clay flower pot. Just bring an old towel and a willingness to get messy. Everything else provided. No experience necessary, just a creative attitude and desire to learn something new! Elizabeth has been smashing things and creating mosaic art for about 20 years. She hosts mosaic children’s parties, adult ‘smashed’ parties and potluck home parties with lots of broken things…and wine!
DRUMMING with Shirley Riga
Description coming soon...
Description coming soon...
Afternoon Workshops:
Some of these workshops are daily, and some are single offerings or happen a few times- see descriptions for details!
Plants, Plants, Plants…….and a Field Trip!
Join Wes Kasprow for a conversation about plant based cooking. Tips, tricks and advice for vegans, the vegan curious, and people who just love good food and want to expand their plant palette! Then come along on a field trip.
Join Wes Kasprow for a conversation about plant based cooking. Tips, tricks and advice for vegans, the vegan curious, and people who just love good food and want to expand their plant palette! Then come along on a field trip.
Poor People’s Campaign with Jodi Cohen Hayashida
DAY TRIPPIN with Tim.
Two trips off campus will be led by Tim Marr.
Two trips off campus will be led by Tim Marr.
- A trip to Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center for kayaking on the Scarborough river. Rentals will be available at the center, so you do not need to bring your own kayak. The date/time of the trip will depend on the tides.
- A short hike/nature walk to Ferry Beach State park, including the boardwalk through the Tupelo marsh. It will be either Tuesday or Thursday morning after the theme speaker.
BOOK DISCUSSION- Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler with Jay Egnal
ALL LEVELS YOGA with Anne Falkowski
Each afternoon, Anne will teach a creative, eclectic blend of many yogic traditions and styles. Modifications of postures are made to accommodate everyone, allowing both beginning and advanced students the opportunity to enjoy a satisfying, accessible, and energetic experience.
Anne has been teaching yoga full time for over 20 years. In 2001, she created Samadhi Yoga Studio of Manchester and was the director of Samadhi Yoga Teacher Training up until Covid. She is passionate about writing and has many essays on yoga and body image which can be found online. Her teaching style is to be as present as possible, to see everyone in the room, and to speak the language of yoga from a place of grace and humility. Her yoga style is a hybrid blend of Kripalu, Forrest, and her own observations from many years of practice and teaching.
Each afternoon, Anne will teach a creative, eclectic blend of many yogic traditions and styles. Modifications of postures are made to accommodate everyone, allowing both beginning and advanced students the opportunity to enjoy a satisfying, accessible, and energetic experience.
Anne has been teaching yoga full time for over 20 years. In 2001, she created Samadhi Yoga Studio of Manchester and was the director of Samadhi Yoga Teacher Training up until Covid. She is passionate about writing and has many essays on yoga and body image which can be found online. Her teaching style is to be as present as possible, to see everyone in the room, and to speak the language of yoga from a place of grace and humility. Her yoga style is a hybrid blend of Kripalu, Forrest, and her own observations from many years of practice and teaching.
Community Knitting and Fiber Arts with Mary Feathers
Community Crafting Invitation. Work on your own project or get basic instruction in knitting from Mary. For folks who know the basics of casting on, knit and purl. Gather together and have the opportunity to use your talents to create warm and useful items for others. Beginning knitters are welcome, of course, but the emphasis is on what to do with the basic skills. The group will decide the recipients of the knitted gifts. Patterns and some materials will be available and ideas to beneficially use those leftover bits we all accumulate. Community Crafting Invitation. Work on your own project or get basic instruction in knitting from Mary. For folks who know the basics of casting on, knit and purl. Gather together and have the opportunity to use your talents to create warm and useful items for others. Beginning knitters are welcome, of course, but the emphasis is on what to do with the basic skills. The group will decide the recipients of the knitted gifts. Patterns and some materials will be available and ideas to beneficially use those leftover bits we all accumulate. You are encouraged to bring supplies to use or share.
Community Crafting Invitation. Work on your own project or get basic instruction in knitting from Mary. For folks who know the basics of casting on, knit and purl. Gather together and have the opportunity to use your talents to create warm and useful items for others. Beginning knitters are welcome, of course, but the emphasis is on what to do with the basic skills. The group will decide the recipients of the knitted gifts. Patterns and some materials will be available and ideas to beneficially use those leftover bits we all accumulate. Community Crafting Invitation. Work on your own project or get basic instruction in knitting from Mary. For folks who know the basics of casting on, knit and purl. Gather together and have the opportunity to use your talents to create warm and useful items for others. Beginning knitters are welcome, of course, but the emphasis is on what to do with the basic skills. The group will decide the recipients of the knitted gifts. Patterns and some materials will be available and ideas to beneficially use those leftover bits we all accumulate. You are encouraged to bring supplies to use or share.
BOOKS OF THE YEAR Discussion with Julie Haupt
GAMES with Dan Marchessault
Our mission at Ferry Beach is to awaken hearts to explore, grow and renew the spirit of universal love.
We work by creating programing and events in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Spirituality, Sustainability, Personal Growth and Justice & Action.
We work by creating programing and events in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Spirituality, Sustainability, Personal Growth and Justice & Action.
Conference Leadership
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Martha Egnal, Conference Co-Coordinator
Martha has been attending Circles of Life at Ferry Beach, through its various incarnations, since 1981. As a young person, she attended several UU camps on the east coast, including Star Island and Rowe Camp, and also had the opportunity to work for a summer at DeBenneville Pines, a UU camp in the San Bernardino mountains of Southern California. Her background includes gardening, permaculture, water harvesting, community organizing, educational leadership, and ecological restoration. She currently works with the National Forest Foundation as the Southern NM Program Coordinator where she oversees projects in the Gila National Forest, located near her home in Silver City, New Mexico. She is also the mother of three wonderful, grown children, a bluegrass musician, and a fierce advocate for civil rights and social justice. Returning to Ferry Beach with her children and family over the years has been an important point of reconnection, and she is excited to give back by helping to organize this year’s Circles of Life conference. |
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Anne Falkowski, Conference Co-Coordinator
This will be Anne’s fourth time coordinating Circles of Life. She has attended this conference, along with her family, since 1998. She’s watched her kids grow up at Ferry Beach and this conference week has become a meaningful part of her life especially during turbulent times. Anne has taught yoga at Ferry Beach for over 20 years and believes in the capacity of our bodies to heal with gentle yoga, art, music, friendship, meditation, and the ocean. She owned a yoga studio in CT for twenty years. Currently she teaches yoga and writing workshops. She looks forward to meeting new friends and connecting with old friends and all the gifts Ferry Beach has to offer. |
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Youth Coordinator: Megan Cullinane
Read more about our amazing youth coordinator on the "Kids Program" page! |
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Minister of the Week: Rev. Mark Robel
Rev. Mark began his tenure as a contract minister at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Wellesley Hills in January 2022, and was called as their settled minister in February 2023. He received his MDiv. in 2018 from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and completed a two-year internship at First Church Sterling, MA. Prior to answering his call to ministry, Rev. Mark has had a career as a Pediatric Nurse/Nurse Practitioner for twenty-five years. He holds an RN diploma in Nursing from Somerville Hospital School of Nursing, Somerville, MA, and an MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) from Simmons College in Boston. His years as a pediatric nurse have had a profoundly effect on his understanding of compassion and empathy. Rev. Mark lives in New London, CT with his husband Tom and their rescue dog “Harley.” Both love living close to the beach and are avid gardeners. Their son Mark lives in Boston and all three of them have spent many happy weeks enjoying Ferry Beach. |
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Musician of the Week: Verne McArthur
Verne McArthur is a retired college teacher, non-retired activist, workshop leader, song-leader, and long-time member of the Springfield, MA, UU congregation. He periodically leads Sunday services at UU congregations in New England. He also offers workshops on environmental awareness and on using singing in community work. Verne uses singing to inspire collaboration and to make activism fun! He has been Musician of the Week at Ferry Beach several times. |
Theme Speaker: TBD
Our mission at Ferry Beach is to awaken hearts to explore, grow and renew the spirit of universal love.
We work by creating programing and events in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Spirituality, Sustainability, Personal Growth and Justice & Action.
We work by creating programing and events in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Spirituality, Sustainability, Personal Growth and Justice & Action.
Kids Program
More Information Coming Soon....
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Youth Coordinator: Megan Cullinane
Megan is the coordinator of the youth programs for Circles of Life at Ferry Beach. She is a certified K-12 music educator in Philadelphia during the school year, and looks forward to fun and fulfillment each summer at Ferry Beach! Our programming focuses on daily mornings in group, where youth enjoy age specific crafts and activities. Special highlights of the week include the Jetty Walk, preparing for the Talent/ No Talent Show, and the most epic game of Capture the Flag. Each summer, we make new memories to last a lifetime. |
Our mission at Ferry Beach is to awaken hearts to explore, grow and renew the spirit of universal love.
We work by creating programing and events in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Spirituality, Sustainability, Personal Growth and Justice & Action.
We work by creating programing and events in the areas of Arts & Culture, Education, Spirituality, Sustainability, Personal Growth and Justice & Action.
Pricing
Conference Package (Pricing per Person) |
Conference Package for Lodgers: Adult: $546 (Includes Conference Fees + Daily Meals) Youth: $432 (Includes Conference Fees + Daily Meals) Meals are included, there is no way to separate meals from the package price. Note: Lodging is not included in the conference package price, it's added on, the price varies depending on your desired lodging accommodation, see below. |
Lodging |
Lodging Prices Vary Base on Selection. See our Lodging Page for pricing information. |
Membership |
Membership must be paid to attend any Ferry Beach program and is due annually. Individual Membership: $40 Family Membership: $65 See our Membership Page to learn more and to purchase or renew a membership. You can also renew your membership on your reservation. |
Register |
To register online click here, or call the office at 207-282-4489. You can also email [email protected]. |
