This past weekend, UUSB headed into the woods for our Annual Retreat at The Res! Over two days, members and friends of all ages gathered outside the walls of our usual congregational home to learn, worship, and simply enjoy being together.

The weekend began with a Pagan opening ceremony where we called the corners and marked the beginning of our time together. It was a fitting way to enter into a weekend that invited us to connect more deeply with our community and the natural world around us.

Throughout Saturday, members of our own community shared their knowledge and passions with one another. Some of us learned the basics of crochet, while others gathered for conversations about how we can put our values into action.

One session revisited ideas from last year’s Common Read and invited us to continue thinking together about the questions it raised. Another explored opportunities to get involved with Peace & Social Justice efforts at UUSB. Retreat gave us space not only to enjoy one another’s company, but also to imagine how we can continue showing up for our wider community.

Of course, there was plenty of time for fun.

The retreat was wonderfully intergenerational, with our youngest UUs very much a part of the weekend. Kids had room to explore and play while adults had plenty of opportunities to rediscover some playfulness of their own.

We also shared some truly delicious meals together. Sitting down around the table gave us another opportunity to slow down and spend time with people we might not always get to know during the rush of a typical Sunday morning.

As Saturday evening arrived, we gathered around the campfire for a sing-along and s’mores. Voices joined together around the fire as daylight faded at The Res. It was one of those simple experiences that reminds us how much community can grow from making time to simply be together.

On Sunday morning, we gathered in The Res’s outdoor amphitheater for Sunday Service led by Rev. Jenn. Surrounded by the woods, Rev. Jenn encouraged us to continue making room for play even when the world around us feels deeply serious.

It was an especially fitting message after a weekend spent doing exactly that.

Our retreat held space for serious conversations about our values and the work happening in our world. It also held space for singing, making things, and sharing meals. We made room for children to play and adults to play alongside them.

Our Annual Retreat is a reminder that congregational life is about more than what happens inside our building. Community is something we practice whenever we make space to learn from one another, care for one another, and experience a little joy together.

Thank you to everyone who led an activity, prepared food, or helped make the weekend possible. And thank you to everyone who came out to The Res and helped create such a joyful weekend together.

We can’t wait to do it again next year!