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UNITEEN
RETREATS
What is a
Uniteen Retreat?
This event is an overnight retreat that
often times gives the Uniteen one of their
first experiences of being in a retreat
environment. The Family Group materials are
crafted and written to create a feeling of
safety and encourages the young teen to
share their thoughts, feelings, and emotions
at an intimate level. The materials also
support them in finding their own answers
through the use of their own spiritual gift
of wisdom and good judgment. Through this
process, the Uniteens bond with the other
teens, and often taps into the joy of
knowing that they are one with God and one
with our human family. It is not unusual for
the Uniteens to make lasting friends with
other teens throughout our Eastern Region.
Where are
these retreats held?
The Eastern Region Association of Unity
Churches offers one retreat each year in the
fall. They are usually held at a church. For
a schedule of this year’s retreat go to the
Child/Teen Ministry Calendar of Events.
The Regional Consultant works with the
churches in our Region to select the sites.
Every effort is made to make them available
in the north, central, and southern parts of
our Region. However, this is not always
possible. The determining factors are based
on finding churches that are willing to host
the retreat and having the support of other
churches so that we can have a minimum of 20
Uniteens who register for the event. If your
ministry is interested in hosting a retreat
go to the Uniteen Retreat Guidelines for
further information about what will be
required of your ministry.
How does
our church host a Uniteen retreat?
If you are interested in hosting a Uniteen
Retreat, follow these simple steps:
- Read the Uniteen Retreat Guidelines
and be sure that you are able to work
within these agreements
- Contact the Regional Consultant and
discuss your interest in being a host
church
- Contact 5 or more ministries in your
surrounding area and get a commitment
from them to participate in the Retreat.
It might be helpful to ask the Uniteen
Leaders form these ministries to be part
of your planning team. You want to make
sure that you will be able to get the
commitment of 20 or more teens to attend
the retreat. The ERAUC reserves the
right to cancel any Uniteen Retreats
that fail to have at least 20 Uniteens
registered by the cut-off date, which is
10 days prior to the Retreat.
When
are the Uniteen Retreats held?
Registration for the Uniteen Retreat is from
10-11 AM on Saturday morning.
The Retreats usually end about 12:30 AM on
Sunday morning.
Who can
attend a Uniteen retreat?
- All Uniteens must be attending
Middle School and can be no younger than
11 and no older than 14.
- In order to attend a Uniteen
Retreat, it is recommended by the
Eastern Region Association of Unity
Churches the Uniteen must have attended
at least 4 meetings/classes (2
consecutive meetings/classes for 2
consecutive months) or be a new member
of the church, but had attended a
Uniteen group at their previous Unity
church.
- Each Uniteen is required to sign a
Uniteen Heart Agreement, hereby agreeing
to abide with the group agreements.
What
about adults attending a Uniteen retreat?
- Adults wanting to attend a Uniteen
Retreat must be willing to serve as a
serve as a Family Group Leader or be
willing to volunteer their time and
talents to support the success of the
retreat.
- All adults attending the Uniteen
Retreat must participate in a training
provided by the Regional Consultant.
This training will be given during
lunchtime on Saturday.
- Prior to the Retreat, all the adults
attending the Uniteen Retreat will be
sent a copy of the Family Group
material. It is important that all of
the adults have read these materials
prior to coming to the Retreat.
- Each adult must sign the Adult Heart
Agreement and the Expectations for
Adults form and be willing to abide by
these agreements in order to attend the
retreat.
How do
I register for a Uniteen Retreat?
If you want to register attend the Uniteen
Retreat, please see your Uniteen Leader or
Minister to see if you are qualified to
attend. If you have already done this and
want to register, click here for the
registration forms.
What does
it cost to attend the Uniteen Retreat?
There is a $45 registration
non-refundable fee for all teens and
adults attending the Uniteen Retreat. It
should be sent with all completed forms to
the Uniteen Consultant 10 days prior to the
Retreat. All registrations postmarked later
than this cut-off date are subject to a $5
late fee and this does not guarantee that
the participant will receive a t-shirt.
Honoring the due date will avoid late
charges. All checks should be made
payable to ERAUC.
Send your
check and forms to:
Rev. Judi Venturini
ERAUC Uniteen Consultant
1531 East 8th Street
Bethlehem PA 18015
What forms
are required to be sent with my registration
fee?
Forms for Uniteens include:
- Uniteen Heart Agreement—signed by
the teen and the parent/guardian
- Uniteen Medical Liability Release
Form—signed by the Parent and Minister
- If a Uniteen is on medication,
please ask the parent/guardian to fill
out the Instructions for Dispensing
Medication Form
- OPTIONAL: Spirit Share Form
Forms
for the adults include:
Adults traveling with the Uniteens group
to the Retreat are to have a copy all the
completed forms with them. Also, it is the
recommendation of the Eastern Region
Association of Unity Churches that a copy of
all the forms are kept on file at the
sponsoring church.
What do I
bring to a Uniteen Retreat?
Each person is responsible to bring the
personal items they need sleeping and
personal grooming.
Click here for a list of what to bring to
the Retreat.
NOTE:
In order to maintain the spirit of the
retreat, cell phones, pagers, CD players,
I-pods, and any electronic devices are not
allowed at the retreat. Adults are allowed
to bring cell phones and we ask that they
are kept on silent mode at all times.
Short-shorts and clothing not covering
the hips and midriffs should be kept at
home.
What if a
teen needs to take medication?
The best effort is made to have a Wellness
Person at each Uniteen Retreat. If no one is
available, the Uniteen Leader will take on
this role.
- If a teen is on medication, please
ask the parent to fill out the
Instructions for Dispensing Medication
Form
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