Facilitator: Diane Anderson
Co-Facilitator: Michelle Gilbert
Diane Anderson has been facilitating and participating in Women's programs for over 12 years. She has presented programs titled: Women Who Dance with Spirit, Unmasking the Soul, Resurrecting the Primal Spirit, and Women's Day of Renewal. Diane also teaches and lectures on Native American ritual and ceremony. She leads ceremonies recognizing rights of passage, such as those honoring women reaching maturity and older women at the end of child bearing. For many years, Diane led a Medicine Wheel Ceremony for a monthly Indian gathering and was the lead drummer/singer at many other gatherings and ceremonies. Both she and her husband, Glenn, lead Sweat Lodges for groups. Diane and her husband of 20 years have written a workbook for couples, Relationship Renewal: Step Up to Intimacy, and also lecture couples on achieving joyful relationships. Diane may be reached at (727) 898-9653 or by e-mail at
Michelle Gilbert, originally from Maine, has lived in Florida for ten years. She has recently graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in Museum Studies and lives on Treasure Island.
Conference 2003
Theme Speaker: Gloria Wright, Ph.D.
Dr. Gloria Wright, familiar to some of us from SUUSI, will inspire us, entertain us, and educate us. Her theme workshop will invite us to define our meaning of spirituality, examine how we let our spirit evolve, and develop understanding of the importance of the lost dreams and realities of our lives.
She will ask us to trade in our judgment for discernment. She will talk about the immense self-will that it takes to give up the need to be right. gloria will tell us of her personal journey, but will not offer us her map.
We are all mirrors, are we not?
Come listen, feel, examine, probe, and question.
Dr. Wright is listed in Whos Who in the South and Southwest and in the World's Who's Who of Women. She resides in Atlanta, Georgia and lectures also in Europe and South America.
Opening Speaker: Linda Plummer
Bridging the Generation Gap in our Religious CommunitiesWe will explore the predominant four generations in our congregations today: the Veterans (b.1922-1943), the Baby Boomers (b.1943-1960), Generation X (b.1960-1980) and Generation Y (b.1980-2000). Who are the people in each generation? What events shaped or are shaping them? What is each generation's personality? This program will help us to understand the social, political, religious, and economic forces that shaped each generation and to appreciate the unique contributions that each generation brings to our religious community. We will also have some fun with "Name that Tune" - who can identify the most songs representing all the generations? Join us for this fun, informative and interactive experience!
Linda Plummer is president of Plummer & Associates, a Jacksonville, FL based Human Resources consulting and training firm. She has a special interest in studying generations and is a popular speaker with businesses and associations. She has been a member of the Atlanta and Jacksonville Unitarian Universalist churches. Linda has served on the Board of the Jacksonville church and also on the Board of The Mountain. She has attended SUUSI for 25 years and has been a delegate to General Assembly 3 times.
Workshops
- Service Project for the American Cancer Society -Sewing turbans and small pillows for chemotherapy recipients.
- Discussion of Current Political Trends
- Mother Daughter Encounter - led by gloria wright
- Radical Persuasion - A slice of UU history
- Group Singing - for the Joy of it!
- Women's Often-Overlooked Health Issues
Finding Your Inner Faerie
Know you what it is to be a child
It is to believe in love
To believe in loveliness
To believe in belief
It is to be so little
That the Elves can reach
To whisper in your ear
It is to turn pumpkins into coaches
Mice into horses
Lowness into loftiness
And nothing into everything
For each child has its Faerie Godmother
In its soul.
-Frances Thompson
Faeries of all ages,
Join us May 16th for a magical weekend at The Pines where we will become Faeries and contemplate Faerie lore through the mediums of dance, song, and art.
The wonderful vocalist Elaine Silver will lead our Friday evening ritual. She will conduct a “Faerie Gathering” Friday night where we will explore the infinite possibilities of the realm of Faeries.
Dress in your best Faerie or Goddess attire as we call the directions and honor women as goddesses. There will be a chance for each woman to express herself and her ideas, encounters, stories, etc. . . involving Faeries.
Think about what you would like to share Friday evening. If you wish, bring a poem, a Faerie figure or other objects related to Faeries to add to the altar. You will also be asked to choose a Faerie name.
On Saturday night Elaine will provide a special concert of Faerie music and sacred songs. Lots of participation will occur naturally as our hearts and minds open to the love and blessing that surround us.
Our Saturday workshops will delve into Faerie lore allowing the creative spirit to emerge through writing, collage, clay and other artistic means. Workshop choices will be available for signup during dinner Friday night.
Wee Faeries may join their Faerie Goddess-mothers for some of the workshops.
Co-Facilitators
Elaine Silver
Leading the evening celebration will be Elaine Silver – Faerie Elaine who sings a cappella and play stringed instruments. Elaine has been nominated as the Garden State Outstanding Folk Performer and has accompanied such noted folk legends as Arlo Guthrie, Suzanne Vega, and Tom Paxton. She has made numerous recordings, and her newest release Faerie Goddess has been very well received. Please visit her website at elainesilver.com to hear samples of her music. Her assistant for the Friday night in-gathering is Fran Kaplan.
Susan Pendergraft
Susan has been attending UUW &R retreats for approximately 15 years. She is a teacher of Gifted Education and is currently teaching at a private Montessori school. She has experienced many years of wonderful retreats. It is her hope this retreat, Finding Your Inner Faerie, will be a great success and that everything her foremothers taught her over the years will culminate this weekend. She has called upon many Faerie Goddess-mothers to help her in this endeavor.
El Caribe Resort & Conference Center Daytona Beach, FL
Rooms with a View - Blue Chiffon - Pretty Feet
Beach Walks - Sand Castles - Water Drums - Sunrises
Yoga - Journaling - Books - Breakfast in Bed - Brownies
Laughter - Fun - Songs - Little Goddesses - Sisterhood
JUST LET GO!
Dive deep into a spiritual and relaxing full moon, ocean side Florida Women & Religion retreat Nov. 7-9 on Daytona Beach. Bubbles, mermaid tea, and sunrises from private balconies! Some Florida women requested that we try a different locale for a retreat so join your sisters on the beach. All women who have served as W&R co-chairs are specially invited. Our private retreat space faces the ocean. Breakfasts, lunch and dinner will be enjoyed in our private ocean view retreat environment. We have a large goddess suite, three breakout suites, private balconies, heated pool, and a wide beach for our pleasure.
Facilitator: Michele Hope
Co-Facilitator: Ann Goodrich
Michele Hope of Key Biscayne is a “key” retreat planner. A teacher, education specialist, counselor, connected to the Womenspirit retreats at The Mountain, and the woman who croned our co-chair Lucy Swenson-Knights, Michele will lead us in guided meditations, special ingatherings, and fun.
Mary Ann Goodrich of St. Petersburg owns Impeccable Consulting, a facilitation, training and project development company. Mary Ann is connected to the UU community and serves as volunteer coordinator at First Unity Church in St. Petersburg. She is hospitality coordinator for the retreat and has planned many surprises.
Additional planning committee sisters: Diane Anderson (designer of fantastic logo), Carol Vogel, Cathy Stanton, Mary Cadwell, Sondra Ickes, Pamela Leavy
All Text property of Fl UU W&R and its contributors
A Storytelling Retreat
To prepare for this Retreat, think of the stories which you learned as a child/teen -- the Latin/Greek/Celtic/other Goddess stories. Secondly, think of the "stories of your life" -- Siblings, Moving, First Day of School, Graduation, Marriage, Baby(ies), Divorces, Single Years, Best Year, Worst Year -- what "characters" did you play in these stories? Who were you 20 years ago? Who are you now? What's YOUR Story?
THE ART OF STORYTELLING
Lynn Carol Henderson and UU women from around Florida invite you to share this weekend of ritual feasting of womanspirit and adventuring into sacred space. Step up to the table and explore for yourself women’s ritual art in action.
- Friday night graze through fields of the Goddess in an opening ritual combining storytelling performance and the creation of a group mandala.
- Saturday morning digest the art of storytelling, empowering yourself as you create ready-to-tell Goddess tales from your own life.
- Saturday afternoon dip into the workshops and try your hand at Storytelling through DANCE, IMPROV!, COLLAGE, and STORYBOARD.
- Saturday night – BE the Banquet – Sharing Circle filled with laughter and group connections.
- Sunday morning - stay with us for dessert -- the closing mandala ceremony.
- Religious Affiliation:
- St. Petersburg Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Registrar)
- Greensong Grove (1st Degree Wiccan)
- Reformed Congregation of the Goddess (Attender)
- Daughters of the Earth and SisterSpirit (Pan-Indian Spirituality Circles)
- Education:
- BA: Art and Art History, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia
- MFA and teaching certification K-12: Washington University, St, Louis
- Ph.D. Art History and Women's Studies with a focus in Women's Ritual Art, Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Foreign Studies: Art, Language, Shamanism and Healing Modalities Italy, France, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Chile
- Work Experience
- 1980-Present: Ritual leader in Women's Spirituality Groups and Drumming Circles
- 1989-Present: Adjunct Professor, Eckerd College Courses: Magic, Myth and Ritual in Art Collage, Art Appreciation, Altars and Mandalas Adjunct professor, U. of Tampa Courses: Insider/Outsider, Multicultural Art
- 1973-Present: Expressive Arts and Storytelling Workshops (all ages): Eckerd College Guest Lecturer, University of South Florida Guest Lecturer, The Salvador Dali Museum, the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts, The Tampa Museum of Fine Arts, Florida Elder Hostel Programs, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Manatee County Schools, Pinellas and Hillsborough County Arts Councils, Florida Humanities Council , all the Art Centers in Pinellas County (sampling)
- 1980-Present Storytelling Performances: Tampa Recreation Festivals: International Festival, Santa Fest, Hillsborough County Storytelling Festival, Tampa Bay Storytelling Guild Tellebration (sampling)
- Professional Associations:
- PAVA Pinellas Association of Visual Artists
- Tampa Bay Storytelling Guild
- Florida Storytelling Association
- Religious Affiliation:
- Throughout the weekend savor the atmosphere of woman space, dip into the suggestions for future projects, and fascinate yourself with the many ritual sourcebooks from Lynn Carol’s lending library.
Facilitator: Lynn Carol Henderson
Co-Facilitator: Leslie Rigg
Biographical Statement of Lynn Carol Henderson
- More can be seen at: http://www.enigmaartstudio.com
Leslie Rigg has been attending UUW &R retreats and conferences for approximately 8 years. In the course of her life, Leslie has studied/participated in Arica, Unity, Iroquois medicine, A Course in Miracles, Sufi dancing, and multiple styles of personal growth training including dance and movement. She has previously led workshops in a variety of disciplines, from IT training to 12-Step weekends. She is currently exploring the offering of a new personal growth venture, YAGATTAWANNA, which may be seen at http://www.yagattawanna.org
