Registration is now open.
- General Information
- Theme Description
- Program Schedule
- Guide to Using Zoom for the Conference
- Odysseys
- Worship
- Connecting Rooms and Pods
WELCOME AND GENERAL INFORMATION
Our Fall 2026 conference will run from Monday through Wednesday October 19-21.
This year, we have organized seven sessions: three on Monday, three on Tuesday and closed the conference with our final session on Wednesday. As in recent years, the conference will be transmitted via Zoom, an online video conferencing platform available via computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone or (audio-only) a telephone.
THEME DESCRIPTION
Our theme, “Living into Aging and Spirituality,” is derived from a close reading of Kay Montgomery’s compilation of essays, “Landscapes of Aging and Spirituality” (Skinner House, 2015. ISBN 978-1558967595). Sadly, the book is out of print, but may be found online, and perhaps in used bookstores. It is available for Kindle readers.
Montgomery’s book is a collection of nineteen essays, reflections on the experience of aging and the ways it intersects with the authors’ spiritual lives. Alternately tender and frank, funny and wistful, these heartfelt ruminations offer companionship for those walking the journey of later life. The authors, many of them retired ministers, approach the topic from many angles, such as adjusting to wearing leg braces due to neuropathy, being called “a woman of your age,” considering what it would be like to have nothing left to prove, and reflecting on assisted suicide and its impact on those we love. These thoughtful writers ponder growing older as a spiritual path—not one that we choose, but one that chooses us.
The theme, suggested by Bill Sinkford, will be developed by a panel of three contributors to the book: Gary Smith, Lynn Strauss and Susan Weston. In leading this panel discussion, Bill Sinkford, himself an essayist in the book, brings a unique perspective to the session that allows him to guide the panelists to new horizons in updating their essays.
PROPOSED PROGRAM SCHEDULE
GUIDE TO USING ZOOM FOR THE CONFERENCE
Some High-Level Zoom Basics
- Before you join the conference
- Test your video
- Test your audio
- Know where your mute button is on your computer and in your Zoom app
- Use your headphones or earbuds
- Be in a quiet room
- Wear neutral solid clothing
- Light yourself from the front
- Label yourself accurately
- During the conference
- Make sure you are muted
- If you have to take a break, turn off your video
- Keep body movements minimal
- Pull up a comfortable chair and enjoy!
- For the best performance, install the application if you are able vs using your browser to run Zoom
For more detailed information:
ODYSSEYS
The conference will feature a minister’s odyssey with the Rev. Duane Fickeisen, and a partner’s odyssey with Roger Rochester.
Duane Fickeisen
The Rev. Duane Fickeisen is Minister Emeritus of the Unitarian Universalists of the Cumberland Valley in Boiling Springs, PA, the congregation he and Judy Welles served in co-ministry for fifteen years, beginning as Extension New Congregation ministers. Following Judy’s death he developed a grief ministry. Prior to ministry, he was a research scientist in riverine ecology, a non-profit administrator, and an active lay leader in UU congregations. He has taught in the Pacific Northwest Leadership School and served on UUA District Boards, in UUMA Chapter leadership, as a transitions coach with congregations in search, and as UUMA Board Secretary. He was UURMaPA’s webmaster. He is a cook, baker, kitchen gardener, and writer. He is grandfather to nine pre-teens and teens, and leads an active life in Portland, OR, where he has resided for 15 years since retirement. His chocolate Lab keeps him trekking the three-plus miles to the top of nearby Mt. Tabor and back almost every day.
“The first draft of my odyssey was about 14,000 words. While it was well over twice too long, it left so much of my life out. Reviewing old photos generated even more material. I had anticipated that writing it would be a challenge, not that I would need to cut out so much of my story to find and focus on the crux of my journey. Much of what ended up on the cutting room floor was tangential to my ministry, but still important parts of my life. I’ve saved those nuggets for a different story. The process of reflection, selection, and preparation has led to embracing both pride and humility.”
Roger Rochester
Bio coming soon!
WORSHIP
A worship service to open the conference will be produced by Fred Wooden, and the conference concludes with a remembrance service with Barbara ten Hove. Sarah Oelberg is composing short obituaries for our colleagues and partners who are no longer among us.
CONNECTION ROOMS
Connecting rooms, where we can interacted with others on a deeper level, are planned for two sessions. One of these will be guided by prompts from the panel discussion with Bill Sinkford.
REGIONAL, IN-PERSON PODS AND LOCAL WATCH PARTIES
Regional pods and local watch parties offers a way to experience our virtual conference in community. They were for people who long to worship, reflect, and learn alongside others, and to share meals and conversation while participating fully in conference programming. Pods offer in-person connection, care, and the joy of being together rather than watching alone.
There are a couple of pods forming for folks to participate in the conference together. One at the conference center in Seabeck Washington, and the other in Kingston Massachusetts. If you live near Waverly, Ohio, a few folks will gather to attend the conference there. For information and to register for Seabeck, send a message to Jaco ten Hove. Seabeck has limited capacity, so you better get cracking if you are interested. For information and to register for the Kingston pod, send a message to Judy Campbell. For information about the watch party in Waverly, send a message to Sylvia Howe.
See more information about these pods HERE.
Find a one-page PDF of the Pod Financial Aid Request Form HERE.