Star Gathering I Family UCC Conference

Sunday, August 2 to Saturday, August 8

Theme: All in the Family: Hospitality at the Crossroads

Come and explore Jesus' teachings on radical welcome that can inform our life right at home and in our day-to-day experiences. Explore how He defined family and how He encourages us to move beyond being strangers to each other and ourselves, within and beyond our immediate families. Learn interactive conversational practices that will enhance your ability to respond to the call to welcome and build strong relationships. Program Leader: Rev. Ute Molitor is a UCC pastor and Pastoral Counselor in Training. She is currently completing her Doctorate in Ministry in Pastoral Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy with a focus on working with blended families. Her interest was sparked by becoming a stepparent. She currently serves as pastor of the United Church of Christ, Congregational in Boxborough, MA and lives with her family in Newton, MA.

Minister of the Week: Rev. Dr. Debbie Clark has been pastor at Edwards Church, United Church of Christ in Framingham, MA, for the last 12 years. She received a Doctor of Ministry from Andover Newton Theological School in 2000, with a focus on creative writing, and produced a collection of short stories, poems, and prayers for Advent and Christmas. In 2008, her three-month sabbatical funded by a Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Grant , was centered on the theme of "Creation and Creativity," and took her to the Galapagos Island, Sri Lanka, and India. She is part of the Just Arts Collective, a new group that uses creative arts to explore the connection between spirituality and justice.

Co-directors: Susie Allen, , (508)269-9202, susieallen@ mac.com; Julie Pope, (203)264-4281, (203)218-7884, jnpope55@aol.com; Jennifer Walsh, (408)865-1373, jen@walsh.net

Registration: A room & board deposit and program fee are due with registration. The room & board deposit is $150 per person and will be credited toward your final bill on island. The program fees are used to pay the costs of operating the conference programming and are as follows: $100/adult (18 and over), $100/youth (14-17), and $75/child (13 and under). Please mail ONE CHECK, payable to "Star Island UCC," along with your completed registration form, and business-sized SASE ($0.63) to Crista and Mark Woolley, 24 Evergreen Valley Drive Dover, NH 03820, 603-742-2213, starregucc1@aol.com. Registration begins March 10. Registrations postmarked before then will be treated as if postmarked on March 10. Registrations postmarked after March 10 will be accepted, space available, according to postmark date. The room & board deposit and program fee are refundable until June 19.

Scholarships: Scholarship assistance is available; please inquire with the registrar at the time of registration for an application. Applications are due no later than June 1. Notification will be given by June 15th.