Visiting Maine & Ferry Beach During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Religious Educators Week
July 8 - July 14, 2023
July 8 - July 14, 2023
Description
Workshops
Conference Leadership
Pricing
Description
Join us for Religious Education Week at Ferry Beach! We explore faith development, spiritual growth, and leadership in a week for colleagues, friends and families.
Each summer we create a dynamic community of individual congregations and families to form this vibrant multigenerational gathering where all kinds of families work and play alongside religious educators. We come to learn as well as to put into practice what it means to be Unitarian Universalist leaders and be part of a beloved community. This year our intentional community includes child dedications for our community at the beginning of the week in addition to our annual bridging ceremony at the week’s end.
There are so many ways we're already shining stars at loving one another: from keeping watch over little ones to sharing our heartfelt stories of life. We take long walks and talks on the beach, laugh together at the fabulous Talent/No Talent Show and watch our children grow up! We'll have so many ways to explore what it means to LOVE in a community and take that love to other communities.
Whether you are an overwhelmed introvert, a sunburnt human, or someone who just needs a nap, we all need a little break every day. Although it is so hard to say no to any of the delicious offerings, we want to provide a strong holding space for quiet time as well.
Afternoons feature more professional and personal growth opportunities such as themed porch chats, which focus on issues relating to religious education and parenting. There will also be a variety of multigenerational spiritual and “just fun” workshops, as well as time to just relax on the beach, take a walk, or play.
Multigenerational evening programs often include a dance, drumming circle, campfire, and the Talent/No Talent show. Programming for the day ends with a Spirit Circle, a time to slow down, reflect, and connect.
Each summer we create a dynamic community of individual congregations and families to form this vibrant multigenerational gathering where all kinds of families work and play alongside religious educators. We come to learn as well as to put into practice what it means to be Unitarian Universalist leaders and be part of a beloved community. This year our intentional community includes child dedications for our community at the beginning of the week in addition to our annual bridging ceremony at the week’s end.
There are so many ways we're already shining stars at loving one another: from keeping watch over little ones to sharing our heartfelt stories of life. We take long walks and talks on the beach, laugh together at the fabulous Talent/No Talent Show and watch our children grow up! We'll have so many ways to explore what it means to LOVE in a community and take that love to other communities.
Whether you are an overwhelmed introvert, a sunburnt human, or someone who just needs a nap, we all need a little break every day. Although it is so hard to say no to any of the delicious offerings, we want to provide a strong holding space for quiet time as well.
Afternoons feature more professional and personal growth opportunities such as themed porch chats, which focus on issues relating to religious education and parenting. There will also be a variety of multigenerational spiritual and “just fun” workshops, as well as time to just relax on the beach, take a walk, or play.
Multigenerational evening programs often include a dance, drumming circle, campfire, and the Talent/No Talent show. Programming for the day ends with a Spirit Circle, a time to slow down, reflect, and connect.
Workshops
RE Week Workshops
Reseeding U.U. Youth Ministry Free (Sign-Up Required)
Jennica Davis-Hockett and Rev. Stevie Carmody Join the UUA’s Jennica Davis-Hockett & Rev. Stevie Carmody—both youth and young adult ministry staff in the Office of Lifespan Faith Engagement—for a professional development program all about UU Youth Ministry. We’ll immerse ourselves in U.U. Youth-styled games, songs, activities, theologies, worships, values-based decision-making, & other culture. In doing so, we’ll equip religious professionals for rebuilding U.U. Youth ministry programs in safe, heartfelt, & empowering ways. Come join us as we plan to reseed the garden of youth ministry. |
Sacred Seeing $20.00
Lynn Medley and Kate Sullivan
Space Is limited to 12 Participants
Join us in exploring the process of taking a photograph as a way to slow down, to notice things we often miss, and to see deeply with the “eyes of the heart.” Open yourself to wonder and awe, to the discovery of the holy all around you, and to photography as an act of silent worship. This year, we will explore the dance of light and shadow, what is hidden and what and is revealed in our images, ambiguity and mystery, discovering your holy places, and seeing the sacred all around us. Our photographs will be windows revealing what is both within and beyond what is often just simply seen.
Experience the divine in the world as we bring our camera to the eye and open ourselves to transformative power of sacred sight! NO SPECIAL EQUIPMENT or experience is necessary to fully participate. Bring your point & shoot, your big camera, your old Polaroid or your cell phone (which is what most people use!) This is a deep and FUN Multigenerational offering for people in High School on up. It is our 5th year of offering this course and we are so excited to welcome new and returning participants.
Lynn Medley is a Speech-Language Pathologist who spent a few years as a Director of Religious Education in a small UU fellowship in Pennsylvania. She has attended Ferry Beach’s RE Week for more than 13 years, and is the co-creator of this workshop, Sacred Seeing, with Kate Sullivan.
Kate Sullivan, long-time Ferry Beacher, is a Developmental Psychologist who has been working as an RE Director/consultant in UU churches for 15 years. She is also a photographer and has been working on bringing together her love of photography, building community and spiritual practice. Kate is the co-creator of this workshop, Sacred Seeing, with Lynn Medley, and is super excited to be offering it again this year during RE Week!
Lynn Medley and Kate Sullivan
Space Is limited to 12 Participants
Join us in exploring the process of taking a photograph as a way to slow down, to notice things we often miss, and to see deeply with the “eyes of the heart.” Open yourself to wonder and awe, to the discovery of the holy all around you, and to photography as an act of silent worship. This year, we will explore the dance of light and shadow, what is hidden and what and is revealed in our images, ambiguity and mystery, discovering your holy places, and seeing the sacred all around us. Our photographs will be windows revealing what is both within and beyond what is often just simply seen.
Experience the divine in the world as we bring our camera to the eye and open ourselves to transformative power of sacred sight! NO SPECIAL EQUIPMENT or experience is necessary to fully participate. Bring your point & shoot, your big camera, your old Polaroid or your cell phone (which is what most people use!) This is a deep and FUN Multigenerational offering for people in High School on up. It is our 5th year of offering this course and we are so excited to welcome new and returning participants.
Lynn Medley is a Speech-Language Pathologist who spent a few years as a Director of Religious Education in a small UU fellowship in Pennsylvania. She has attended Ferry Beach’s RE Week for more than 13 years, and is the co-creator of this workshop, Sacred Seeing, with Kate Sullivan.
Kate Sullivan, long-time Ferry Beacher, is a Developmental Psychologist who has been working as an RE Director/consultant in UU churches for 15 years. She is also a photographer and has been working on bringing together her love of photography, building community and spiritual practice. Kate is the co-creator of this workshop, Sacred Seeing, with Lynn Medley, and is super excited to be offering it again this year during RE Week!
Art & Yoga $25.00
Mandy Neff and "TBA"
A retreat-style morning workshop including time each day for movement and art making.
Take time to experience a journey of gently “returning to your senses”. We will use movement, breath work, and visualization to reawaken the sensory connections that we have taken for granted or overlooked during the past few years. In addition, we will explore new and varied pathways to a reimagined relationship with our inner and outer worlds through movement.
In our art explorations, take a healing journey with the natural materials of Ferry Beach to restore your creativity. Experience the ocean side with all your senses and your spirit, then bring the colors and textures of nature to some fun, approachable art making. You'll also connect and support each other with a group art project towards the end of the week.
Mandy Neff, a religious educator for over 20 years, enjoys upcycling, making mixed-media art journals, and creating land art with groups.
Mandy Neff and "TBA"
A retreat-style morning workshop including time each day for movement and art making.
Take time to experience a journey of gently “returning to your senses”. We will use movement, breath work, and visualization to reawaken the sensory connections that we have taken for granted or overlooked during the past few years. In addition, we will explore new and varied pathways to a reimagined relationship with our inner and outer worlds through movement.
In our art explorations, take a healing journey with the natural materials of Ferry Beach to restore your creativity. Experience the ocean side with all your senses and your spirit, then bring the colors and textures of nature to some fun, approachable art making. You'll also connect and support each other with a group art project towards the end of the week.
Mandy Neff, a religious educator for over 20 years, enjoys upcycling, making mixed-media art journals, and creating land art with groups.
Divination $25.00
Rayla D. Mattson
Space is limited 10 participants.
Divination can mean many different things; from tarot readings, speaking with ancestors and even reading bones. For others it can mean getting in touch with ones higher self or learning to read the energy around you and in others. It can also be as simple as focusing more on your inner thoughts and trusting yourself.
In this workshop we will learn the basic history of divination and practice tuning into ourselves as well as our higher self. We will practice different types of divination and everyone will receive a one-on-one reading through energy, tarot, fire, bones, crystals, etc based on what is moving around them.
Each participant will also be able to take home something from the workshop that both they and the practitioner feels is calling them so they can continue their work.
Rayla D. Mattson has been speaking with those on the other side of the veil since age 2. Walking this path has been a life long journey that has grown and changed over the years.
Some of the sessions will include guidance from Rayla’s daughter Kennedy who is 15 and is gifted in tarot readings and the calling of crystals.
Limited to 10 participants.
Rayla D. Mattson
Space is limited 10 participants.
Divination can mean many different things; from tarot readings, speaking with ancestors and even reading bones. For others it can mean getting in touch with ones higher self or learning to read the energy around you and in others. It can also be as simple as focusing more on your inner thoughts and trusting yourself.
In this workshop we will learn the basic history of divination and practice tuning into ourselves as well as our higher self. We will practice different types of divination and everyone will receive a one-on-one reading through energy, tarot, fire, bones, crystals, etc based on what is moving around them.
Each participant will also be able to take home something from the workshop that both they and the practitioner feels is calling them so they can continue their work.
Rayla D. Mattson has been speaking with those on the other side of the veil since age 2. Walking this path has been a life long journey that has grown and changed over the years.
Some of the sessions will include guidance from Rayla’s daughter Kennedy who is 15 and is gifted in tarot readings and the calling of crystals.
Limited to 10 participants.
Other Programing at RE Week
In addition to our morning workshop offerings, we will have programing for children, youth and young adults and bridging.
Conference Leadership
Pricing