Conference Updates

Star Gathering Newsletters

March 01, 2013

The Star Gathering UCC Family Conferences shared their most recent monthly newsletters with us. We hope you enjoy perusing through these publications. Click on the pictures below to view the full document.

Visit StarIsUCC.com for more information about the Star Gathering UCC Family Conferences. Star Gathering 1 takes place from Saturday, June 27 to Saturday, August 3. Star Gathering 2 takes place from Saturday, August 3 to Saturday, August 10.

Online registration is now available for both Star Gathering 1 and Star Gathering 2 Family Conferences

Uncategorized

Program Leader Search

February 21, 2013

Star Island is seeking two individuals or groups of individuals to coordinate one of two 2013 summer programs on Star Island. These are volunteer positions with room & board on island plus transportation to and from Star Island during the time of the program provided by Star Island.

LGBTQ Family and Friends Gathering

Star Island seeks a leader to coordinate this gathering for people who identify as LGBTQ, allies, and families. The purpose of this gathering is to create a welcoming space on Star Island and to engage with important matters in the LGBTQ community. The LGBTQ Family and Friends Gathering is currently scheduled to run from Sunday, July 14 to Saturday, July 20.

Clergy Gathering

Star Island seeks a leader to coordinate this gathering for members of clergy practicing in the liberal religious traditions of the United Church of Christ and Unitarian Universalism. This gathering coincides with a week-long family program to encourage clergy members to bring their families and enjoy both workshops and family time. The Clergy Gathering is currently scheduled to run from Saturday, August 3 to Saturday, August 10.

Responsibilities for both programs include

  1. Working independently and with Star Island programming staff to formulate a healthy and vibrant summer gathering.
  2. Contacting potential speakers and workshop leaders to create a schedule of events for participants built around a theme.
  3. Communicate with leadership from other programs happening during the same time on island to coordinate efforts/events and schedule meeting space usage.
  4. Attend the entire length of the program (with room and board, ferry transportation, and program fee covered by Star Island Corporation) and provide leadership for group (e.g.: island information, schedule preparation, communicating any questions with island management, etc…).
  5. Communicate with Star Island seasonal summer staff to finalize details for speakers and events (e.g.: presentation requirements, meeting room requests, housing for speakers, etc…).

If you are interested in being a program leader for either the LGBTQ Family and Friends Gathering or Clergy Gathering, please email a cover letter and resume to programs@starisland.org. In your cover letter, please describe a program theme or topic you would use for 2013.

Star Island Corporation

Online Registration Now Open

February 21, 2013

Great news — online registration is now open! Click here to access the online registration system.

The Star Island team worked tirelessly this winter to initiate our first online registration system. Guests are now able to register online for any summer program or event.

When accessing the online registration page, people are encouraged to create a log-in, which will allow for easier registration and online donations in the future. A log-in also allows people to update their contact information.

Thanks for everyone’s support as we worked towards making online registration a reality.

 

Uncategorized

February Snowstorm Update

February 11, 2013

Star Island was, as with much of New England, hit with a recent blizzard. We are still assessing the impact of the storm on the island, but our winter caretakers have reported minor incidents involving roof shingles and a window clapboard.

Thank you for your thoughts.

Conference Updates

Online Registration Update

February 07, 2013

Our 2013 Programs and Events Booklet should be arriving in your mailbox starting today. When this publication went to print early last month, our belief was online registration would not be available until April. However, due to the hard work of several individuals in our office, the online registration system will be up and operational very soon.

This new online registration process is a great accomplishment for Star Island and we thank everyone who has helped us along the way, or simply waited for us to reach this groundbreaking moment.

When the registration portal is up we will provide a link from our homepage. And, if you visit the 2013 conference listing page, you will find links to register for specific programs.

Thank you for your continued support!

On the Island

After Successful 2012, We Embrace a New Chapter

November 13, 2012

Dear Shoaler,

As I write this letter the leaves are turning and Star is busy with activity to prepare for its winter sleep. Memories of colors of the sea, the rocks and the hotel, against the bright blue, or maybe gray skies, will have to get us through until next year.

By any measure we have completed another successful season. The island looked great all summer and represents a fitting tribute to Vicky Hardy’s efforts for the past five seasons. Vicky will be wrapping things up this month and heading for Seattle by month’s end.
And as we say goodbye to Vicky we welcome to our new CEO, Joe Watts. An experienced Pel/Shoaler in a new role. As usual these are exciting times!

With our collective participation we have met our occupancy goals and are well on our way to meeting our financial objectives for 2012. All the staff have made this success possible.

Now it’s our turn to reach our 2012 goals. As you know the combined Capital and Annual Fund effort is the last piece of our financial puzzle. The support of our entire Shoaler Community is what makes our island sustainable.

As we close the 2012 year we would love to see every member of the Star Island Community on the 2012 Donor List.  With your help we will make and even surpass our fundraising goal and ensure the sustainability of our spirits home. Please support your community so our kids and grandkids can create their own collection of fond memories of Star.

Sincerely,

Russell A. Peterson, President of the Board

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Newsletter

Star’s Future

November 13, 2012

By Joe Watts, Star Island CEO

In this issue of our newsletter we are focusing on transitions. This seems fitting, as we are in the midst of a few. Vicky has retired and moved to Seattle to be with her family, and I have moved into the role of Chief Executive Officer.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve in this new capacity. I have been deeply connected to Star for over 30 years, first as a conferee, then as a Pelican starting in the late 1980s, then as a year-round employee starting in the late 1990s, and now as CEO. On island, I’m joined by my lovely family, Brenda, Lily, and Joey.

I have been thinking quite a bit about Star’s future recently. The summer ahead is shaping up nicely. We’re working hard with conference leaders to develop a host of fantastic offerings for individuals and families. We’re moving closer to a comprehensive solar power solution for the island. We’re preparing to launch online registration in time for the 2013 season. We’re planning on unveiling some incentives to attract new families to the island, with a focus on conferences that are not full. There is a spirit of collaboration and excitement in the air, and I hope you will join us this summer to be a part of it all.

I’ve also been looking ahead to the more distant future. What will Star be like when our kids bring their young families to the island? This is an essential question because our vision of the future shapes what we do right now. Will our buildings and systems be in good and safe condition? Will we offer programs that free all who come to renew spiritually, explore matters of consequence, and gain knowledge about the world as it might ideally be? Will we be a leader in environmental stewardship? Will people form meaningful relationships that last a lifetime?

As an organization, our work is focused on the long-run, informed by our strategic plan, with the purpose of ensuring that Star Island will remain our spirit’s home for generations to come. We draw meaning from the past, we celebrate the present, and we look forward to a very bright future together.

In the end, it’s about community. On Star, we gather on a magical island to form a special community with an important purpose. We learn and grow, we enjoy ourselves, and we return to where we live bringing what we’ve gained with us, helping to make the world a better place.

As we approach the winter, consider this – remember your last Star experience. Recall the rugged beauty of our island, the programs you attended, the people you engaged with. And now think ahead to the promise of the future – how each one of us plays a role in what Star Island will be for future generations – and get excited about returning next summer. You will come back!

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On the Island

Green Gosport Initiative a Success

November 13, 2012

With a focus on energy, waste, food and education, Star Island succeeded in the first year of the Green Gosport Initiative.
Facilities Superintendent Jack Farrell announced the measured progress Star Island has taken. “Our vibrant Star Island community came together this past summer to remarkably reduce our waste and increase our efficiencies.”

Star’s push towards a greener summer destination included evaluating and adjusting use of diesel powered generators. As the power source for the entire island, including two reverse osmosis machines, the generators can consume large amounts of costly oil. To counteract this reality with the need for such things as potable drinking water, Star partnered with the M/V Thomas Laighton to supply supplemental water throughout the summer.

Savings on diesel also came from fewer freight boat trips in 2012 and more efficient oil transfer capabilities from holding tanks.
Farrell also shared that Star Island greatly reduced the amount of landfill waste created on island by 38.8% in 2012. This reduction equaled 180 fewer yards of trash coming off of the island. As a counter to waste reduction, Star increased recycling by 73.9% with 176 more yards of material this past summer. These landfill reductions resulted from increased education and communication through staff led sustainability discussions. The totals also come from a year with an increase in overnight registrations.

In 2013 Star Island hopes to accomplish the following goals with the GGI: Install a large scale solar PV array, further reduce usage of reverse osmosis machines, repair and expand water collection system for quicker cistern filling, add water transport capabilities to staff boat, increase on-island recycling, purchase more food from local and sustainable sources, and continue with weekly community education plans to name a few.

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Newsletter

A Message from the Development Office

November 13, 2012

One of the best benefits of working for Star Island is summer residency on the island and the opportunity to sample each of the programs and related activities.  International Affairs exposed me to experts on the spread of a democratic revolution across the Middle East and the way in which technology did or did not play a role.  A few weeks later I returned to that same part of the world with Star Gathering II and peered at the region through the stories of Genesis.  Different times, yet the stories seemed so similar.  Italian Jungian scholar Stefano Carter shared so many images and symbols that seem to emerge from our unconscious and yet are rooted in a place of “knowing before we know,”  for example, the double helix of the genetic code embodied in the caduceus, the retired logo of the American Medical Association.  Rev. Nancy Wood’s inspiring opening worship at All Star I provided a special centering and opportunity for quiet reflection during this high-energy conference.  I found all of it quite fascinating and learned a little more about the culture of each conference I explored.

Paul George, one of the artists on the faculty of the Road Scholar conference on Star, has generously donated a spectacular 24” x 30” oil painting set on Star Island to be raffled off at the end of the 2013 season.  We will begin selling raffle tickets for the painting on December 3.  Tickets will be available on-line, at the Oceanic Front Desk throughout the season, and at Paul George’s art studio in Gloucester MA.  View his work at www.PaulGeorgeArtist.com.

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