Retreats » Spring 2011 Retreat
A Humanist's View of SpiritualityPaths to Understanding"Not to weep, not to wax indignant, but to understand" — Spinoza
European Unitarian Universalist Spring RetreatSpa, Belgium, 1 - 3 April 2011Sol Cress Center, Spa, BelgiumRegistration is NOW OPEN |
The Kaiserslautern UU Fellowship Retreat Team warmly invite you to join us at the Sol Cress Center on the hillside above the beautiful town of Spa, Belgium, one of our favorite retreat sites.
Speaker
Our speaker, the Reverend Dr. Walter Wieder serves as senior minister at the UU church in Surprise, Arizona. He is a member of the UUA President's Council and is a member of the General Assembly Planning Committee. He is also is a Frater of the Wayside Inn and the host of a weekly radio show in Phoenix, A Different View on Sundays at 4 pm, on KNFX 1100 AM. There is also a podcast site, wwieder.podbean.com.
Saturday Theme Talk: Walt will speak on ways of finding spirituality from a humanist perspective. He says, “The search for spirituality seems to be everywhere. Is there a way to take that search seriously without recourse to magical thinking and the supernatural? Well, I should smile. Of course there is. I would describe myself, theologically, as an existential humanist, a kind of double denial of the transcendent. And I'm as spiritual as they come.”
Sunday Service: Walt will lead us in a service to celebrate our spirituality.
What Happens at a Retreat?
EUU retreats offer something for all ages. People begin arriving late Friday afternoon, but the first event is dinner that evening. After this, an evening activity helps everyone get to know one another. The theme talk takes place on Saturday morning, and after lunch there is a choice of various workshops and other activities. Saturday evening generally includes a youth presentation and will be followed by a cabaret-theme talent show. On Sunday morning, there is a worship service. The retreat ends in the early afternoon after lunch.
The entire weekend is filled with activities but also opportunities to relax, meet fellow Unitarians from all over Europe, and generally have a good time. EUU retreats have been described as family reunions where newcomers feel at home right from the beginning.
Where?
The retreat will take place at the Sol Cress Conference Center, Spaloumont 5, B-4900 Spa Belgium, +32(0)87 77 23 53, http://www.solcress.be/.
Spa has been known since Roman times for its healing waters. Since the 16th century it has been world-famous as a resort town for "taking the waters." Fountains of various springs are found throughout the town and we will have bottles of Spa water on the tables at Sol Cress.
EUU has hosted many retreats at Sol Cress and we are excited about returning to this lovely site in the Ardennes forest with its views and hiking trails. Playground equipment behind the main building entertains the little ones, and a soccer field, pool table and ping pong table occupy the bigger kids. The bar, which is open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. with billiard, video games, and board games, welcomes you in its dining area or its living room with open fireplace.
There are many tourist attractions and recreation areas near Sol Cress. You can arrange to stay another night at Sol Cress by contacting directly our English-speaking liaison at Sol Cress, Nancy Vertommen (+32(0)87 77 23 53; n.vertommen@solcress.be). Mention that you are participating in the EUU weekend.
The modern spa complex ("Les Thermes") is a stone's throw from Sol Cress. Their pools (Les Bains) are open to the public daily (18 Euros for a 3-hour visit, 29 Euros for full day) and you must bring your bathing suit and two bath towels. For spa health or beauty treatments (Soins), reservations are required. All information is available at http://www.thermesdespa.com/.
How do we get to Spa?
Located in the French-speaking province of Liège, Spa is situated in a romantic valley, some 35 km (22 miles) southeast of the city of Liège, and 45 km (28 miles) southwest of Aachen. There is plenty of parking space at the site, which is located up the hill from the town center. (The stylized map below illustrates how to get there via Exit 8 from the A27)
You can come to Spa by train either via Brussels or via Liège. Two websites for trains are: www.thalys.com/fr/en and www.b-rail.be/main/E (both come up in English). We will arrange for rides to Sol Cress from the Spa station.
Youth Programs
Our UU children and teens are an integral and very important part of the retreat. Youth activities are scheduled to coincide with adult activities so that parents can participate fully while their youngsters are having a great time. Contact YouthRE@europeanuu.eu for details of the program or if you wish to help out.
Child care will be provided for children under 3 and is coordinated separately from the Youth Programs.
Music
Enjoy a variety of musical opportunities, both listening and participation, throughout the weekend. We are fortunate that many of our members and friends are talented musicians. Please bring an instrument if you play one, and volunteer to perform at the Saturday cabaret talent night. All are welcome to join the EUU choir which will sing at the Sunday service. Marcie McGaughey leads our Sunday service choir. If you want to play an instrument or sing during the Sunday Service, write Marcie McGaughey In the evenings after the official program, we gather informally to listen to and sing along with music until the wee hours of the morning!
Workshops
If you would like to offer a workshop on Saturday afternoon, indicate it on your registration and you will be contacted. Workshops in the past have been quite varied, including such topics as journal writing, yoga, UU or local history, poetry, fellowship building, and spiritual practices. One of the workshops will probably be a walk in the forest with a local guide.
EUU Annual General Meeting
At the spring retreat, we always have our Annual General Meeting where new officers are nominated and elected and the business of EUU is discussed. While all are invited to attend, only members may vote.
Registration
Registration opened on 15 February
The deadline for registering will be 5 March! If you register after that, we would still like to see you at the retreat, and we will try to give you a room if we can arrange it with Sol Cress, but room choices will be limited, and you will also have to pay an additional €15 late fee per adult. We strongly encourage you to register as early as possible. Click the link at the top of this page to register. (This feature will be acitvated as the Reteat approached.)
Rooms: Most people will stay in 2-bed rooms, with private or shared bath. The number of single rooms is limited - be sure to register early if you want to reserve one of these.
It is also possible to have more than 2 people in most rooms (though it can be a tight fit). If, for example, you are a family of 3 and all stay in the same room, there is an extra discount for the third person. The third person sleeps on a futon instead of a standard bed. Three people who want to share a room must all register together. Please register as if all three will share a 2-bed room. You will receive a second confirmation email from Donna Henson-Boyer, the registrar, stating the total cost for the three people sharing a room (the online registration cannot handle this calculation, so your first email confirmation will have an incorrect total).
Prices for the weekend include your room for Friday and Saturday nights, all meals from Friday evening through Sunday lunch, and coffee breaks. EUU members (adult and young adult) receive a €10 discount. Note the really low prices for children! There is no charge for infants under the age of 2.
PRICE TABLE
|
Room description |
Adult
|
Young Adult
(19-25yrs) |
Teens
(15-18yrs) |
Child
(6-14yrs) |
Child
(2-5yrs) |
Child
(under 2) |
|
Two-bed room w/shared WC & shower
|
195
|
175
|
90
|
70
|
40
|
0
|
|
Two-bed room w/private WC & shower
|
205
|
185
|
100
|
80
|
50
|
0
|
|
Triple Occupancy in a two-bed room w/private WC & shower**
|
183
|
165
|
50
|
30
|
20
|
0
|
|
Single w/private WC & shower
|
230
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
non-resident
(sleeping off-site) |
150
|
145
|
80
|
60
|
40
|
0
|
- ** Please note that there are no triple rooms at Sol Cress. This is a two-bed room with a fold out futon couch for a third person. Please contact the registrar before registering for this room.
For questions contact the retreat committee at RetreatCommittee@europeanuu.eu.
Social Action and English Book Exchange
- We continue to collect used eyeglasses and cases for Burkina Faso, and used corks and used postage stamps for charities in Germany.
- We'll have the usual used book exchange at the retreat. Bring those books that are just taking up space on your shelves - crime novels are always popular! Make a small cash contribution for each book you take - we will donate the money to a worthy cause.
EUU Retreat Grants
EUU strongly believes that no one should miss a retreat because of a lack of funds, so we have a grant fund. If you can contribute to this fund, please include your contribution when you register for the retreat. To apply for grant assistance, simply write to EUU Treasurer Peter Jarrett at Treasurer@europeanuu.eu or (+33) 01 30 82 02 80 stating the reasons for your request. All grant applications are handled confidentially.
Questions?
- Send them to: retreatcommittee@europeanuu.eu
We really hope to see you in Spa. It's going to be a great weekend!