What To Expect

At Convocation, we’ll gather in the spirit of friendship. In guided community, we’ll seek nourishment in spiritual practice, commit to honesty and vulnerability, and explore what it means to live, love, and lead in a climate-changed world.

As always, Convocation 2025 will include music, poetry, and ritual; plenary sessions and small-group conversation; opportunities to engage with nature; and contemplative practice

Storytellers

We look forward to engaging with the personal stories of each of these six storytellers during Convocation 2025. In the weeks leading up to the event, each storyteller will be working with an experienced storytelling coach from Stellar Story Company. This is sure to be a phenomenal experience for storytellers and story-listeners alike!

Musicians

Rev. Fred Small is a Unitarian Universalist pastor, climate justice activist, and songleader. Rev. Fred Small serves as Minister for Climate Justice at Arlington Street Church, Boston. Pete Seeger called Fred “one of America’s best songwriters.” In 2023, Nosy Crow published a children’s picture book adaptation of Fred’s iconic lullaby of inclusion and unconditional love, “Everything Possible.” As a songleader, he calls up the power and spirit inherent in each of us.

Rev. Dr. Leon Dunkley serves as minister at North Chapel, Unitarian Universalist, in Woodstock, Vermont. A graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry, Dr. Dunkley also holds a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of Pittsburgh. His wide-ranging musical interests include the traditional drumming of Ghana, the Kora tradition of Senegal, and jazz traditions in the Americas, as well as Bluegrass and Country Blues. He is committed to the pursuit of joyful and beloved community.

The Teller’s Garden: A Playback Theater Company

During our Thursday evening session, we will welcome The Tellers Garden, a Portland-based theater company which uses Playback Theater as a way to bring communities together. Volunteers from the audience will be invited to share true stories, and then the theater company will act them out improvisationally through song, drama, movement, and metaphor. This Thursday evening performance is guaranteed to warm your heart, make you think, and bring a smile to your face, while fostering a sense of community by highlighting the universality and relatability of our human experience.

Immersions

On each day of Convocation, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in a Creative / Contemplative Immersion Session. These sessions are meant to spark creativity, nurture connection, offer contemplative space, and open imaginative doorways of possibility.