Ferry Beach Retreat & Conference Center
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Ferry Beach Schedule
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Circles of Life
Saturday, August 2 - Friday, August 8, 2025
Description
Workshops
Conference Leadership
Kids Program
Pricing
Description
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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  • Sandcastle contest
  • Singing and musical instruments
  • “Pick-up” Choir
  • Outdoor games
  • Ice cream social
  • Campfire sing & s'mores
  • Sing down
  • Talent / No-Talent Night
  • Dancing
  • Yoga

REGISTER TODAY!

Register for 2025 here
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!
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 Location

Ferry Beach is a beachfront retreat center in Southern Maine (Saco, ME). A respite away from the everyday world, with 32 acres including porches, a wonderful dining center, volleyball court, playgrounds, art studio, meeting spaces, an outdoor chapel and of course the beach! ​
Learn More

 Lodging

Choose the desired lodging accommodation that works best for you/your loved ones. We have a wide variety of cabins & cottages, dorm rooms (single/double/family size) and campsites to choose from. ​
View Lodging

What to Expect

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Looking for suggestions on what to pack, wondering what your experience will entail and all other details regarding your stay? Click "read more" below to help you prepare. Standard arrival check-in for retreats is 4:00pm and room check-out is at 10:00am.
Read More

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.  
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Workshops

2025 Workshops:

​THEME SPEAKER: Brilliance in the Collective with Gwendolyn Forrest and Greg Pehrson

Our theme speakers this year will facilitate a series drawing on their experiences as community organizers, people of faith, and folks committed to the collective. 
Questions we will explore together include: 
  • How can we expand from activism to organizing? 
  • What is our own stake in collective liberation? 
  • How can we practice compassionate curiosity with folks with whom we don’t agree in a way that helps to shift perspectives? 
  • What do we know as members of congregations and communities of faith that could help us show up for justice in ways that align with our values?
Gwen and Greg are new to Ferry Beach and Circles of Life, you can learn more about them in the Conference Leadership section.

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.
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!
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DRUMMING with Shirley Riga

Let’s get together and drum while learning rhythms, chants, singing all culminating with a final performance at the end of the week. Bring a drum(s) and I will have drums and percussion instruments to share. Meet daily.
Shirley Riga found drumming in the mid 90’s, having studied with Ubaka Hill at a women’s retreat. She is the percussionist with the Larger Circle Band, an international folk band. She formed Chrone Drummers and performed at the Heron Music Festival, and is a member of the Upbeat Drummers. She does  drumming for empowerment, drumming for healing, drumming for dancing and drumming in workshops. Shirley has a collection of Djembes, Ashikos and frame drums, along with other sound instruments including crystal singing bowls and is currently learning to play a Shruti box, similar to a harmonium, using it to augment her spiritual practice in meditation.
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Afternoon Workshops:
Some of these workshops are daily, and some are single offerings or happen a few times- see descriptions for details!
THE THREE FACES OF POWER with Jodi Cohen Hayashida
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In this moment, every one of us is needed to hold the line and push forward to create a safe, just, and loving society. Join us as we explore three interlocking forms of power- narrative power, people power, and legislative power, that together give us both the strength we need and a path forward to get the work done. This workshop is planned for Tuesday afternoon.
​

Jodi's bio: Firmly rooted in the call to work towards the creation of a community of fierce hope and radical love, Rev. Dr. Jodi Cohen Hayashida (she/her) served as the settled minister in Auburn, Maine for more than 20 yrs before moving into a justice-based community ministry in 2023. She now develops and organizes Multifaith Justice Maine under the auspices of the Maine People’s Alliance. Jodi also serves on the board of the Maine Council of Churches and its public policy committee, works with the harm reduction community, and is a tri-chair of the Maine Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
DAY TRIPPIN with friends
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Two trips off campus will be led by different community members.
  • 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. Organized by Dave Kassay
  • Second trip TBD, led by Martha Egnal and her three kids, Jay, Sylvia and Rylee.
BOOK DISCUSSIONS- Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler with Jay Egnal
​

Get together one afternoon to discuss this timely, informative and compelling work of speculative fiction.

Jay Egnal is a young adult who is interested in imagining alternate, community-oriented futures and discussing these ideas with people who can help co-create a world that takes care of all of us.   
GENTLE YOGA with Anne Falkowski

Each afternoon Anne will teach a gentle yoga class to relax your mind and body. All bodies welcome.

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 & FIBER ARTS with Mary Feathers

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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. 
The following three afternoon workshops are all offered by Thea Iberall
TURN YOUR MEMORIES INTO STORIES 

Have you ever wondered how to turn your memories into stories that people want to hear or read? Have you watched a storyteller and thought “I’d sure like to do that.” Now’s your chance. Storyteller and novelist Thea will teach you how.

Dr. Thea Iberall is a poet, playwright, and scientist. Iberall has had over 50 poems published in anthologies and journals including in Blood to Remember: American Poets on the Holocaust. She is featured in the documentary “Poets, Passion and Poetry.” Her book of contextual poems, The Sanctuary of Artemis, explores the roots of patriarchal domination. Her musical We Did It For You! Women’s Journey Through History has been seen by thousands including the California Women’s Suffrage Centennial Celebration. In her novel, The Swallow and the Nightingale, a modern scientist is guided by a 12th century Sufi poet to realize the real moral issue of today: disrespect of the Earth and its inhabitants. The author of three scientific textbooks, Iberall has a Master's Degree in Writing (USC) and a Ph.D. in Computational Neuroscience (UMass). In 2015, she was inducted into the International Educators' Hall of Fame. Plus, she was a clown for 20 years and studied, juggling with circus clowns.
LEARN TO JUGGLE

Join Thea to learn the basics of three-ball juggling. Whether you are a master juggler or just a beginner, come do some juggling. Bring your own equipment or use the balls, clubs, and rings that Thea will have.
THE SEVEN VALLEYS TOWARD PEACE: LEARNING FROM A SUFI MASTER

12th century Sufi master Attar shares a fable where the wisest of the birds lead the other birds through seven valleys towards enlightenment. Since each of the birds represent a human fault, Attar offers his readers stories as life lessons for each of the valleys. I’ve studied this book for over 30 years and found the valleys a useful way to face problems, pain, and uncertainty. This activity might not bring you enlightenment, but it may provide you a tool for illuminating your way towards peace in your heart and mind.
GAMES with Dan Marchessault 

Dan has been coming to Ferry Beach since before he can remember. He is a big board game enthusiast with an even bigger board game collection, and is looking forward to running this workshop. We will be playing games of all kinds- lots of One Night Ultimate Werewolf as well as  some other, longer, more complex board games, party games, and card games. He is very much looking forward to seeing everyone this year and having lots of fun at his workshop!

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.  
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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
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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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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.
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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. 

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Theme Speaker: Gwendolyn Forrest and Greg Pehrson

Gwendolyn Forrest is invested in the shift from an extractive economic and social system to one that is regenerative and based on our shared humanity, and in being together with others in ways that make this shift real. She came up in community organizing, with community-based nonprofits in working class communities and national organizing networks. She now works as a coach and facilitator for people and organizations on a path of collective liberation, from national groups to community-based organizations in Maine. Buddhist practice is a steady part of her life, and she loves foster parenting, making music, and being part of the natural world. Gwendolyn grew up in the Northeast and lives in Maine, Wabanaki homeland, where she is putting down roots for the long haul.



​Greg Pehrson
's life work has been building people power for a just world. He was a co-founder and Executive Director of Fuerza Laboral, an immigrant worker organizing center in Rhode Island; worked for regional and national coalitions and organizing networks; and has trained groups in community organizing and collective leadership around the country, from meatpacking plant workers in Iowa to nurses in Montana. He was an Upper Elementary and Middle School Spanish and Rock Band teacher during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and coordinated his school's White Anti-Racist Affinity Group for those grades. 

Greg grew up as the son of a United Methodist pastor who centered "spiritual multilingualism," community and justice. Greg is a Zen Buddhist practitioner, Dharma Teacher, and Vice Abbot of the Plymouth (MA) Zen Group, and is guided by inclusion, interconnectedness (solidarity), compassion, mutuality, nonviolence, and restorative justice. He loves music and mountains and resides in Massachusetts on Wampanoag land.



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.  
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Kids Program

​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. Opportunities for kids at Circles of Life also include use of the Art Room, and age-appropriate intergenerational activities and afternoon workshops like Games and Field Trippin'.

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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! 


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Art Room Coordinator: Rylee Myers

Rylee has been coming to Circles of Life at Ferry Beach since she was small. She is currently pursuing her BFA at Western New Mexico University in Silver City, NM, and has many years of experience in early childhood education- both as an assistant and as a lead guide in a Montessori primary classroom working with 3-6 year olds.

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.  
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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].
Ferry Beach Retreat & Conference Center is a 501(c)3 membership organization. 
Our mission is to awaken hearts to explore, grow and renew the spirit of universal love.  We accomplish our mission through work in the areas of
​arts & culture, education, spirituality, sustainability, personal growth and justice & action.
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Copyright © 2024
Ferry Beach Retreat & Conference Center
5 Boardwalk Drive, Saco, ME 04072 - Our Address has Changed.  Click here to learn more.
​phone 207.282.4489  • fax 207.690.4800
​
[email protected]
Privacy Policy
​Accessibility Statement
Email Webmaster
  • Home
  • Organization
    • Governance
    • Board of Directors
    • Board Interest
    • Staff
    • Work at Ferry Beach
  • Membership
    • For Members >
      • Strategic Plan
  • Giving
    • One-Time Giving
    • Sustaining Gifts
    • Donation Pot
    • The Beachkeeper Program
    • Quillen Shinn Society
    • Memorial Garden
    • Endowment Fund
    • Scholarship Program
    • Capital Campaigns
  • About
    • Our Mission & Values
    • History
    • Contact Us
    • Directions
    • CELEBRATING 125 YEARS
  • Schedule
    • Community Dinner
    • Coffee Hour
    • Quilting Retreats
    • Summer Solstice
    • Annual Meeting
    • Personal Retreaters Week
    • Outdoor Work Week
    • Concert
    • Sand and Stars
    • Independence Getaway
    • RE Week
    • Choral Fest
    • GAYLA
    • Women's Healing
    • Family & Friends
    • Circles of Life
    • Company of Women
    • Circle of Music
    • Sacred Circle Dance
    • Motivational Interviewing
    • Quilting by the Bay
    • The Beach Getaway
    • Labor Day Weekend
    • Summer Cookouts
    • AFG
    • SOS Saco Bay Conference
    • Vintage Improv
    • Kindred Spirits
  • What to Expect
    • Our Facility
    • Our Retreats
    • Our Dining Center
    • Our Accessibility
    • Our Policies
  • Lodging
  • News
    • Discovery
    • Maine Storm & Climate News
    • Blog
  • Plan a Gathering
    • Gathering Spaces
    • Planning Resources
  • Store