Conference Updates

New Conference for New Ministers

New Conference for New Ministers (1 to 10 years of experience)

A new conference for new ministers on Star Island is the result of a three-way partnership between Star Island, the Unitarian Universalist Association, and the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. The conference, titled Challenges, Questions, Pitfalls, and Joys: The Reality of Serving a Church, will be held from Sunday August 29 to Saturday September 3, and will accommodate 20 credentialed ministers serving local congregations in their first one to ten years of ordained ministry.

Priority will be given to those serving United Church of Christ and Unitarian Universalist churches, whose members founded and continue to administer Star Island. Ecumenical colleagues are invited to register as well as to explore programming related to the first years of ministry.

The new clergy in attendance will benefit from workshops specifically designed for new ministers that will focus on church organization, organizational vitalization, and living into one’s role as a pastor. Ample time for rest and renewal will be provided as ministers gear up for the new church program year. “The goal is to provide an experience that will leave conferees feeling rejuvenated and ready to return to their congregations with new ideas and resources and a stronger peer-support network,” said Kris LoFrumento of the Massachusetts Conference, UCC. “The Reverend Jane Rzepka will serve as one of the worship ministers and we are seeking a theme speaker.”

See Conference Description

Newsletter

We Did Come Back—to Portsmouth!

The Isles of Shoals Steamship Company (ISSCO) will once again provide transportation from their dock on Market Street in Portsmouth to Star Island for conference guests and other overnight visitors. Beginning in June we will sail to Star Island on the M/V Thomas Laighton, the boat that brought Shoalers to Star from the mid-1980s to 2004. For newcomers, the Laighton is a 90-foot vessel, with three decks, two of which are fully enclosed and heated. It has the capacity to hold 300, and has many amenities, including a snack bar, several washrooms, comfortable deck chairs, and the boat is wheelchair-accessible.

There are many reasons that we are so delighted that Star Island guests will once again embark for their trip to the island from Portsmouth on the Laighton. First, there is a very long history that ties Star Island with ferry service from Portsmouth. Shoalers may remember forerunners to the Laighton: the Viking, the Oceanic, and of course, the Kiboko, which provided service from 1946 to 1961.

    Besides the historical significance, there are many practical advantages to this move:

  • Using the Laighton will allow all participants from a conference to share the experience of arriving at Star together…and going home together.
  • Portsmouth is accessible by public transportation, a great boon to those who are coming to Star from Logan or Manchester airports.
  • Parking will be simplified; can i buy propecia online with a paved and well-lit lot, the luggage drop-off will be right next to the boats.
  • Simplified parking will mean fewer SIC employees must come into Portsmouth to manage the boarding/disembarking processes.
  • More time will be available on the island for turn-around; cleaning, repairs, and general maintenance can be done in a less rushed environment.
  • Early arrivals can take advantage of the hotels right across the street; coming back into Portsmouth on Saturday could mean lunch and shopping, to extend their Star Island experience for another few hours.
  • The ISSCO staff is familiar with Star Island, the Shoalers, and our needs…they will be genuine partners in this venture.

The details of directions to the dock, information about times, logistics of luggage handling and checking in, are all being developed as we write this note. Joe Watts and Keith Noyes are working together with Captain Jeremy Bell, the Operations Manager for ISSCO and senior captain for the Laighton to iron out all the steps for 2010. It is also important to note that the rates for transportation include only a modest increase for adults, none for children, and the parking fee is also the same as last year, but with much better facilities! Please check the Star Island website after February 1, 2010, for the details on transportation.

Newsletter

Star Island Newsletter

Star Island Newsletter

Winter 2010

Volume XXXVI, Issue 1

    Inside this Issue:
  • We Did Come Back
  • Volunteering
  • Starry Night
  • Star Island Items
  • Firefighter Training
  • From the President
  • Community
  • From the Development Office
  • Passages
  • Flight Over Star
  • New Roof

Neighbors in the Shoals

Star Island Stories

We are proud to introduce a new section dedicated to Stories from Shoalers.

The initial collection includes pieces by Edie and Steve Whitney, Alec Lowry, Joe Pescatello, Joan M. Strickland Johnson, C.E.V. Jenkins, and Lois Kenick. They span many years of Star Island’s history that include memories of a first week on Star Island in 1950, a first visit in September 2001, ending with the summer of 2009.

We welcome submissions –send your story about Star Island to Priscilla Hodgkins, phodgkins@starisland.org.

Neighbors in the Shoals

Shoalers in the News

  • Chair of the Star Island Permanent Trust and All Star I conferee David Yermack authored an article for the Wall Street Journal that appeared on the front page of October 10th’s Weekend Journal.
  • Writers in the Round conferee Kate Leigh and Photography Retreat Conferee Sarah Flause will be displaying their works of Isles of Shoals photography and poetry that are the basis for their book Lens & Pen in an exhibition at the Midheaven Gallery in Market Square from November 1 to December 5.

Neighbors in the Shoals

Isles of Shoals Featured on Windows to the Wild

An up-coming Windows to the Wild show about the Isles of Shoals will air on New Hampshire Public Television for four times in November, beginning on Thursday, November 5th at 8:00 p.m. The show introduces viewers to scientists and students dedicated to preserving and studying the Isles of Shoals.

Broadcast times for this episode:
Thu, Nov 5 @ 8:00 P.M.
Fri, Nov 6 @ 1:30 A.M.
Sat, Nov 7 @ 7:00 P.M.
Sun, Nov 8 @ 5:00 A.M.

For more information visit the NHPTV website.

Neighbors in the Shoals

Shoalers in the News

  • Old Shoaler and chair of the Star Digital Photography Workshop and Star Island Photography Retreat conferences is featured in an article on SeacoastOnline

  • Sue Reynolds and the “Lighthouse Kids” are featured on SeacoastOnline for their efforts to save the White Island lighthouse.

  • 27 of Star Island Winter Caretaker, Alex DeSteiguer’s black and white photographs of the Isles of Shoals are up at the new Portsmouth Museum of Fine Art

Newsletter

Star Island Newsletter

Star Island Newsletter

Autumn 2009

Volume XXXV, Issue 3

    Inside this Issue:
  • Business Model
  • From the President
  • From the Director of Development
  • The Joy of Caning
  • From the CEO
  • Marketing News
  • Medical Report
  • Conference Schedule
  • Passages
  • Starry Night