The 10/10 Bring a Friend program back and better than ever! You can receive a 10% discount off your room and board rate for every friend you bring to Star. Up to a 50% discount! The friend you bring will also receive a 10% discount.
The 10/10 Bring a Friend program has been expanded. Now instead of the old/returning Shoaler only being eligible for a 10% discount you can receive 10% off (up to 50%) for each new Shoaler you get to enroll (those folks who have never been to Star or haven't been back in 5 or more years).
Of course we'd love new folks to come to the Star Gathering conferences, but even if they decide to go to another conference YOU can still get the discount!
The program is aimed for folks to recruit adults to adults, kids to kids, and families to families. For example if a family unit of one adult and two kids recruits an identical family unit all parties get 10% off their respective R&B rates. If an adult individual recruits 4 other new adult Shoalers that returning person gets 40% off their R&B and each new Shoaler gets 10% off. Of course, kids under 6 are free so they can't get an additional discount.
Welcome to the Star Gathering Conferences in 2010!
Step-by- Step Registration Instructions:
To register for any SG1 or SG2 conference, please send all of the following completed materials to the SG1 or SG2 Registrar (see below for full contact information):
Completely fill out both sides of the registration form and include the following:
Name, Address, Phone Number, and valid Email Address*, as all correspondence from the conference will occur via email.
Room and room type preferences (every effort will be made to accommodate requests on a first come, first served basis, but we cannot guarantee room availability). NOTE: Parents, please indicate if a crib is needed. Everyone - please note if you need a first floor room or electrical outlet for medical or other reasons.
Emergency contact name and information.
Please indicate on the form if you would like to apply for a scholarship from the SIUCC.
Any conferee under the age of 18 attending without a parent or guardian is required to submit a Minor Medical Release Form, which can be found at http://starisland.org/conferences/register/.
* Correspondence is conducted via email to further our Green initiative, reduce postal costs, and increase the speed of communication. Anyone without the ability to obtain an email address must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope in the amount of $.78 when registering.
Please include ONE check made out to “Star Island United Church of Christ, Inc.”(SIUCC) for the Program Fees and Room and Board Deposits for everyone listed on the registration form. Room and Board Deposits are $150/person (age 6 and under are free). Registration fees are $100/adult (14 and up), and $75/child (13 and under).
Ex: Two adults would include one check for $500 ($150x2 + $100x2 = $500)
NOTE: The Program Fee is used to provide leadership, supplies, and more at the Conferences. The Room & Board Deposit is a deposit for the island and will be credited on your bill, the balance of which will be due when you attend the SG conference on island.
Please feel free to contact the conference registrar with any questions or concerns regarding registration.
Lori Benson, SG2 Registrar
PO Box 298 Onset, MA 02558
508-273-7672 sg2reg@verizon.net
Adult rates are per person and determined by room type.
Adult (18+ years)
Triple
Double
Single
Motel Double
Motel Single
7–night conferences (2010: SG1)
$710
$754
$972
$848
$1,343
6–night conferences (2010: SG2)
$615
$654
$843
$735
$1,164
Youth rates are determined by age on the first day of the conference, regardless of room type. Youth in
motel units at a parent’s request are charged adult rates.
Youth
Under 6
6-11 Years
12-17* Years
7–night conferences(2010: SG1/SG1 Youth)
$0
$452
$600
6–night conferences (.2010: SG2/SG2 Youth)
$0
$392
$519
*For the Star Gathering Youth Conferences, youth age 18 who have just graduated from high school in June 2010 will be charged at the 12-17 yrs rate.
Star Gathering I
Family Retreat and Star Gathering I Youth Conference 8/1 – 8/8
Star Gathering II
Family Retreat and Star Gathering II Youth Conference 8/8 – 8/14
A Star Tradition Returns...we'll be departing from Portsmouth on the Laighton. Details
The Isles of Shoals Steamship Company 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.
A Gathering of New and Old Friends - Come together with new and old friends to experience Star Island, community and a time to grow in your faith. This conference is open to all youth who will be entering 9th grade in the Fall of 2010 through 2010 high school graduates.
Come join us to soak in the spirit of Star, you WILL COME BACK! If you don’t awaken to the sounds of gulls and surf, our morning singers will get you up and smiling. Delights abound throughout the day, from the cherished peaceful porch rockers to basket making to the barn dance led by our favorite fiddlers, the Laufmans.
Along with traditional Serendipity activities such as crafts, softball, and tennis, there will be a labyrinth walk and a low tide cleanup. New intergenerational events will include a hands-on mural building event and a Scrabble tournament. It will be a fabulous week for old and young, Green Dots and returning Shoalers!
CHILDRENS PROGRAM
This year the Children’s Programs will mirror the adult program theme through games, crafts and stories. There will be a simple Island Service project for the children to do. Also, Island staff will add integral parts of Island life such as the Marine Lab and Vaughn Cottage.
THE HOLY REVEALED BY THE SEA & THE STAR
From the beginning the Spirit of God hovered over the depths of the waters, and today sojourners experience this Spirit on Star Island. In worship, we will explore the presence of God through the imagery of the sea and the stars through scripture, storytelling, and poetry. God calls us still into this deep water of transformation and grace.
MINISTER OF THE WEEK
REV. ANGELA MENKE BALLOU serves as Associate Minister at Second Congregational Church, UCC in Beverly, Massachusetts. A commitment to peace has led her to work with communities in Northern Ireland, Israel/Palestine and Mexico, as well as service on the United Church of Christ Wider Church Ministries and Global Ministries Boards. Angela loves being a minister because of the opportunity to hear people's stories, to explore spiritual questions, and in community to seek to live faithfully. She is a resident of Beverly, MA where she lives with her husband AJ and son Jamison.
THE SEA, THE STAR AND THE SPIRIT WITHIN
As we experience the unique beauty and wonder of Star Island, we will gaze inward through teaching, practice and dialogue to appreciate and connect with the Spirit of God dwelling majestically within us. The practice of meditation and contemplative prayer enables us to live mindfully in the Presence of God even when we return to the mainland. Thomas Merton reminds us that the gate of heaven is everywhere.
SPEAKER OF THE WEEK
REV. MICHAEL DUDA serves as Senior Pastor of the First Church in Wenham. Before coming to Wenham Mike was the Chaplain and Director of Community Programs at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. He also founded and directed the Youth at Risk Initiative of the Essex County Community Foundation and was the Executive Director of The Anchorage, Inc., an agency in Beverly, MA that provided residential treatment for at-risk adolescents and their families. He is a long-time resident of Rockport, MA where he lives with his wife Joanna. She is a psychotherapist with practices in Rockport and Boston. They have two grown children and spend much of their free time playing with their grandchildren.
