JOIN FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES FROM
THROUGHOUT THE
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST SERVICE AREA (PSWD)
APRIL 26-28, 2024
Promoting Justice: Amplifying Voices at the Intersections of Race, Class, & Environment
Click Here to Register Downloadable Flyer
Camp de Benneville Pines is proud to sponsor our second annual “District” Assembly. Our host this year is the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura with the support from their neighbors at Chalice UU Fellowship of the Conejo Valley. Join us to share what’s going on in your congregation and to enjoy meaningful keynote topics, an assortment of workshops, youth con activities, worship, meals and more!
Festivities begin on Friday afternoon with workshops, social time to catch up with old friends and make some new ones, and enjoy being serenated by a ukelele band while having dinner.
Board presidents and church leaders are invited to join Rev. Carlton Elliott Smith, UUA Regional Lead for the Pacific Western Region, for a free luncheon and an opportunity to exchange ideas with other church leaders. If you are a church leader and would like to attend this very special opportunity to learn more about what’s happening in our region, please click here to sign up!
After a welcome ceremony by UUC Ventura’s Rev. Dana Worsnop, Rev. Carlton E Smith, UUA Pacific Region lead, will give a brief presendation. Next up will be a concert by Chalice UU’s Merlin and Debbie Snider titled “Songs From the Heart of a Unitarian Universalist”. Click here to visit their website.
Saturday begins with a continental breakfast followed by our second plenary speaker, Lucas Zucker, the Co-Executive Director of CAUSE (Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy) whose mission is to create grassroots power through community organizing, leadership development, coalition building, civic engagement, policy research, and advocacy to attain social, economic, and environmental justice for working-class and immigrant communities in California’s Central Coast. Click here to learn more about Mr. Zucker and CAUSE.
Following this presentation will be Camp de Benneville Pines’ Annual Meeting. Learn about what’s happening up at our spiritual mountain top home. Please sign up to be a delegate representing your congregation when you register.
During the lunch hour, the POC Group of UU Ventura invites UU members and friends who identify as POC to a separate luncheon on premises. This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet other POC from churches in the PSWSA and share information. Click here to learn more and sign up.
After lunch there will be workshops and potential field trips supporting our theme.
As a special bonus for in-person attendees, Emma’s Revolution, a camp and UU favorite, will perform Saturday night. Emma’s Revolution is an American folk music and social justice activist duo, consisting of songwriters Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow (a.k.a. “Sandy O”). They performed many times with Pete Seeger, including at the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in 2005. Emma’s Revolution has participated in many activities for the Unitarian Universalist church community. Their song “Love Reaches Out” was the official theme song of the congregation’s General Assembly in 2014. Emma’s Revolution songs are included in the Unitarian-Universalist Tapestries of Faith curriculum, and in the Unitarian-Universalist hymnals “Earth and Spirit Songbook,” and “Las Voces del Camino. Check here to visit their website.
We are invited to join the UU Church of Ventura for their Sunday worship service. Choir members from all congregations are invited to join in – there will be a choir rehearsal prior to service. As part of the service, there will be a Youth Bridging ceremony.
YOUTH CON IS ON!
PSWSAA Spring UU Youth Con 2024
Registration ends on Friday, April 19th!
SIGN UP TODAY!
Youth Con is a weekend youth conference and overnight gathering for UU youth in grades 7th through 12th! The weekend is being planned and led by some amazing Camp de Benneville Pines Leaders, UU Religious Educators, Youth Advisors, and Adult Volunteers.
Come share in the assortment of workshops, two plenary speakers, meals, nature walk, music, worship, and song. Some Home Stay opportunities are available. Please contact either Michael Akseven (makseven@yahoo.com 805-208-0344 text best) or Susan Franzblau (susan.franzblau@gmail.com 805-276-6359) to learn more.
Looking for area hotels or restaurants? Click here for some suggestions!
There are two ways to attend this Assembly: In Person or Virtually via Zoom. The plenary speaker presentations, all workshops, camp’s annual meeting and the Sunday worship service will broadcast virtually. We have a two-tier pricing structure. Level 1 pricing helps cover the basic cost of attending. Level 2 pricing helps support others who need financial assistance to attend.
In Person Attendance Pricing Virtual Attendance Pricing
Level 1 = $85 Level 1 = $60
Level 2 = $110 Level 2 = $85
Please help camp spread the good word about this amazing Assembly. Click here for a downloadable flyer (pdf format) that you can share with members of your congregation and friends. It’s a great opportunity to share what’s going on in your congregation, explore new ideas and learn what’s happening at your beloved camp.
Click here for a preliminary Schedule of Events. There’s a lot happening and you may want to review all the options ahead of time.
Want to be a vendor? It’s a great opportunity to spotlight your organization, provide information or sell your merchandise. If interested, please complete this form (click here) and we’ll get back to you pronto to get it set up.
If you have questions about registration, contact Laura Chamberlin at fundraising@uucamp.org. If you’re interested in serving as a delegate and would like additional information, please contact Dale Botts, vice president of camp’s board of directors at dale.botts2@gmail.com. Additional contact Janet James, director@uucamp.org — cell: 909-435-6298.