As you may know, the mission of Ferry Beach is to awaken hearts to explore, grow and renew the spirit of universal love. We will accomplish our mission by providing programming in the following areas: education, culture and the arts, spirituality, sustainability, personal growth and social justice and action. If that mission makes sense to you and it is one you want to get behind, then this is reason number one to be a member of Ferry Beach.
All of our membership dues are poured back into our physical space. In the past 8 years we have replaced almost all of the roofs on all buildings, replaced most of our plumbing with commercial grade fixtures, rebuilt the Pavilion in the Grove, added a new ADA boardwalk, repainted and repaired all of the rooms in all of the dormitories, added heat pumps to several areas including the Rowland auditorium and break out rooms. We have also redone most of the electrical work in the Grove and are in the process of winterizing Rowland Hall. We have made the campus safer by removing the Quillen Annex which was in disrepair and shored up the Dolphin room with a new floor and several new windows and a door. If you use our space, and like things in working order, then you have reason number two to be a member of Ferry Beach!
Ferry Beach creates safe space for people who may be marginalized or discounted in our culture. We have a long running spiritual conference for gay men. Families with children who struggle with mental health issues are welcome here. This past year we have added new conferences and workshops. A couple of writing workshops focus on how to connect with the love that we are, shared by a practitioner of the Course in Miracles. A black women’s writers group found its home here. Our conference for families of color, called The Well occurs in July. A conference to help families break away from screen time and connect to the woods, will debut this summer (IRL or In Real Life). If you want to take a stand and support conferences like this, then you have reason number three to be a member of Ferry Beach.
Not all not for profit organizations can find venues that fit with their values. OutMaine, Audubon Society, Al Anon, Equality Maine, Gather the Women and several other organizations have found a home at Ferry Beach. If you believe that all not for profits should have venues that align with their values of inclusion and diversity, then you have reason number four to be a member of Ferry Beach.
Youth camps which are open and affirming to the struggles of adolescence are sometimes easy to envision and harder to implement. Fourth and fifth graders who are just coming into their own voices find our summer camps a place where they can practice their new-found independence. Middle school youth struggle with “now that they have found their voice” what do they really want to say? Our youth camps provide them an opportunity to design and build their own ways of expression through video, art and other mediums. High school youth are gently guided in our summer camps in discussion and activities that help them navigate the freedoms they are experiencing as teens growing into adulthood. If you believe in the work we are doing through our youth camps, then you have reason number five to be a member of Ferry Beach.
Each spring or early summer, Ferry Beach brings together our members to elect new volunteers to the board, review and sometimes change our by-laws and participate in a Town Hall meeting about the work of Ferry Beach. Ferry Beach is organized as a member organization. Some not for profits are organized as a self-perpetuating board, but not Ferry Beach. If you enjoy being a part of a dynamic democratic institution that wants to make the world a more loving place, then you have reason number six to be a member of Ferry Beach.
At Ferry Beach, we are practicing radical hospitality, welcoming the “other” whether that be a person, an idea, or a concept. We are committed to safe space where dialogue is encouraged and community is treasured. Sometimes our efforts fall short of their intention, but by practicing radical welcome, we are learning to hear. If that is a commitment you make to yourself about the world in which you live, then you have reason number seven to be a member of Ferry Beach.
Do you love the sun, good coffee, loving conversations, long sandy beaches and midnight walks on the beach? Do you love the tall trees and the smell of salty sea air and pine trees in the morning? Do you enjoy getting to know new people, sharing songs around a campfire or around a table with a new friend? Do you like learning new skills or sharing dialogue about a topic you are just learning? Do you like to laugh and share your talents with others? The amount of “yes’s” you just answered, gives you more reasons to be a member of Ferry Beach.
What are you waiting for? Sign up today!
