Revitalizing UU Women's Groups

Annual Retreat for Women

Retreat Logo
Artwork by Theresa Hutchison

An annual retreat can provide a mutual bonding experience for women in the church. Even in smaller churches where there is no ongoing women’s group, women who “retreat” together often provide the nucleus for new circle groups and social action that supports women. At the Unitarian Universalist church of Minnetonka, where there is not yet a UU Women’s Federation associated group, the annual retreat has provided an important means for women to get to know each other better. The retreat planning committee begins meeting and making plans a full year before the retreat. The committee is relatively small, consisting of only three or four members. Each woman serves only once in a lifetime on this committee.

The retreat planning committee for Maiden, Mother, Crone, A Spa for Your Spirit, sponsored by the Association of Universalist Women (AUW) at First Universalist Church in Minneapolis, in April of 2000, had seven members. The committee included Diana Allen, from the Minnetonka church, an experienced retreat planner; Nancy Browne, liaison to the AUW Board; Barbara Kellett, a ministerial candidate; Theresa Hutchison, an artist; Pat Litchy who has had a long history of involvement with Unitarian churches and broad knowledge of rituals; Kelli Clement, a professional singer and musician; and Mary Junge, a writer. The varied talents and experiences of the committee made the group’s planning efforts easier.

Theresa Hutchison created the icon shown above while serving on the retreat-planning committee (2000) at the First Universalist Church in Minneapolis. She studied communication arts and graphics at the University of Minnesota, currently resides in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with her partner, Matt Filner, and works at a local ad agency.