It is time to register for the UU Delmarva Cluster Fall Retreat taking place on the chesapeake Bay this Oct 2-4! You can register by downloading the registration form and mailing it in to First U along with your fee. You may also pickup and drop off your registration in the church office during the week or Parish Hall on Sundays.

 

Don’t hesitate to register. Since this event is now open to more than 1200 people, we expect much higher attendance this year. While we probably have enough housing for everyone that might want to stay with us one or both nights, we have limited housing right near the center of activities. Our overflow housing is marginally less comfortable, a little farther away from the dining hall and only offers shared bathrooms a short walk from the cabins. With a few exceptions for physical needs, we will assign housing on a first come first serve basis. So don’t delay; sign up today!

 

We have some time planned for Saturday that will allow all age groups to gather around some common areas of interest. If you are considering attending, please fill out this short questionnaire to help us help you get connected.

 

Thanks to your generous contributions we are making good progress toward our fundraising goals. Two special collections this summer raised $1103.50 that will help more people be able to afford to join us in October. We have also had $1,000 pledged jointly by all the congregations of the Delmarva Cluster, and a large contribution from the Joseph Priestley District as well.

 

We have one more fund drive planned in the form of an online crowdfunding campaign. Crowdfunding systems are systems like kickstarter.com. There is a relatively new crowdfunding system run by Unitarian Universalists for UU activities, called faithify.org.

 

Finally, if you are still not sure whether you would like to join us, here are some more reasons and resources to help with your decision. If you have never come to the retreat in the past, please take a look at the information on the UU Delmarva Cluster site. If you have enjoyed what we have done in the past, but have some concerns about how being a cluster event will change the experience, the retreat organizers would like you to know that most of the activities that made past retreats so much fun will still be part of this retreat. If you have come in the past, but might be thinking that you have been there and done that, your planning team would like you to know that there will be some significant changes. While you can still come and enjoy the retreat as a family, there will also be times when we offer more adult oriented programming while volunteers staff child and youth oriented activities, so parents will have a choice. This will also be a great oppotunity to meet and connect with some of the inspirational leaders within the the region. Our Joseph Priestley District Executive, Rev. David Pyle will be running a short workshop on Saturday to help UUs be more comfortable discussing their faith with the public. On Suday Rev. Pyle will deliver a sermon exploring his vision for the next fifty years of Unitarian Universalism. This will be a weekend not to be missed.