July 24-28, 2008
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
The NYE Planning Team has been working diligently and is excited to invite you to NYE for four days of inspiring worship, diverse workshops, exciting speakers and fun for high school youth (age 13 -18) from July 24-28, 2008 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. We hope to see your youth group at this amazing event!
Overview of the NYE Schedule
Group check-in for registered groups will be available on campus Thursday, July 24 from 10am through 5pm. During these hours, campus tours and recreational activities will be available. Thursday dinner is the first meal available on campus; the cafeteria will be open from 5pm through 7pm. The event will commence at 7pm Thursday evening with great music, a hearty welcome, a procession of banners and worship.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday will each begin with daily scripture and storytelling followed by engaging speakers, workshops and recreational time. We will gather for engaging worship each evening. Each day there will also be optional recreational activities, musical concerts and opportunities for socializing!
Monday, July 28 is a designated travel day; there are no programs, meals or campus services available.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE NATIONAL YOUTH EVENT REGISTRATION PROCESS
To avoid delays in your registration process, please read the following guidelines very carefully:
The February “All Church Mailing” included a pre-registration letter and group pre-registration form for NYE; completing this form is step one of the registration process. (The “All Church Mailing” is distributed to all UCC Churches, Conferences, Conference Ministers, Seminaries, Chaplains, Resource Centers, Resource Center Directors, Association and Associate Conference Ministers, Affiliations, National Staff, Partners in Education (PIE), and Friends of the UCC.)
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The
pre-registration letter and
group pre-registration form are downloadable from this site.
The form cannot be completed online, but can be printed, completed and mailed.
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Once you complete and submit the pre-registration form with a non-refundable deposit of $25 per person, you will be mailed a full NYE registration packet (which will have more detailed information regarding the event, workshops, accommodation, etc.) Please use one church check to pay the deposit, payable to: The University of Tennessee.
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Groups may register as a local church group, in church clusters, or through Association or Conference offices (where coordinating efforts are in place
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Some Conferences and Associations coordinate registrations and/or transportation on behalf of local churches. If you don’t know if your Conference or Association is doing this, we encourage you to check with them and consider taking advantage of their coordination efforts.
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Groups are not guaranteed a space at NYE until full registration packets are completed and returned with full payment to UT before the deadline.
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The early registration deadline, with a fee of $345 per person, applies through April 30, 2008. After April 30, the registration fee is $365 per person. The final deadline to have completed registration forms and payment to UT is June 27, 2008.
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Please list tentative participants on the pre-registration forms; there will be no additional cost for name substitutions in the full registration packet.
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Full registration packets will include one NYE Workshop Catalog per five participants to save our mailing costs. NYE participants can be directed to this page to view and/or print workshop descriptions:
NYE Workshop Catalog.
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Groups are invited to attend with a minimum of 4 youth and 2 adults with the adults matching the gender of the youth. Larger groups must have one adult for every eight youth with adults matching the gender of the youth’s ratio.
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Any cancellations received before June 27, 2008 will be subject to a $25.00 fee per individual. Any cancellations received on or after June 27, 2008, will be charged a $50.00 fee.
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No refunds will be available for cancellations received after the start of the event.
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For questions about registration, call l-865-974-0280 or e-mail
Conferences@utk.edu and write “NYE” in the subject line.
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For questions about the event, email The Rev. Kelly Burd at
Burdk@ucc.org or call (866) UCC-UCC4 ext. 3871.
The UCC Cornerstone Fund Sponsors NYE T-shirt Slogan Contest
The UCC Cornerstone Fund is sponsoring the T-shirts for NYE 2008, but we want UCC youth to decide what goes on the back! Write a slogan or a bit of haiku. Choose a quote from a famous person or a verse from the Bible. String together a list of verbs or pose a question. For inspiration, start with the theme for NYE 2008 — Living the Life: Living Green, Living Peace, Living Love. Or consider the Cornerstone Fund's tagline: Investing from the heart. Building for the future. Then let your imagination soar. The possibilities are limited only by your creativity. No rules, really — just remember to keep it appropriate to NYE 2008, and keep it tasteful. Send your entry (or entries!) to nye2008tshirtcontest@gmail.com (one entry per email; no attachments or images, please). Be sure to include your name, address, phone number, age and church name. One winner will receive a free registration for NYE 2008 (or reimbursement if you've already paid) and $100 toward travel costs — plus the thrill of seeing their idea printed on the back of thousands of T-shirts! Deadline: April 15. Enter often! Enter today!
NYE Will Welcome Julia Butterfly Hill as a Keynote Speaker
Julia Butterfly Hill brought international attention to the plight of the world's last remaining ancient forests when she climbed 180 feet into the branches of a threatened 1000 year-old redwood tree and refused to come down. Her historic protest to the environmental destruction caused by the clear-cutting of ancient redwoods culminated after 738 days with an agreement that provided permanent protection for the tree known as Luna and a 3 acre buffer-zone around it.
Julia Butterfly Hill is an activist, a writer and a poet. She is the author of the national best seller The Legacy of Luna and the co-author of One Makes The Difference, both published by HarperSanFrancisco. The audio release, Spiritual Activation, captures Julia's vital message as it is given at standing-room-only appearances across the country. All of Julia's books (and the packaging for the CD) have been published with 100% post-consumer recycled paper with soy-based inks and chlorine-free processing, pushing the publishing industry to a standard of ecological sustainability.
Julia founded the non-profit organization, Circle of Life (www.circleoflife.org) to promote the sustainability, restoration and preservation of life.
Julia Butterfly Hill speaks regularly on university campuses, has addressed the United Nations, lobbied congress, and has continued to stand on the front lines of environmental and social justice issues all over the world. Her courage, conviction and profound clarity in articulating a message of hope, empowerment and love and respect for all life has inspired millions of people worldwide.
NYE Will Welcome Eboo Patel as a Keynote Speaker
Eboo Patel is the founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based international nonprofit building the interfaith youth movement. He is the author of Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation. Eboo holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. He writes "The Faith Divide", a featured blog on religion for The Washington Post and has also written for The Chicago Tribune, The Clinton Journal, The Harvard Divinity School Bulletin and National Public Radio.
Eboo serves on the Religious Advisory Committee of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Committee of the Aga Khan Foundation USA, the Advisory Board of Duke University's Islamic Studies Center, and the Board of the Chicago History Museum. He has spoken at the Clinton Global Initiative, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and at universities around the world. Eboo is an Ashoka Fellow, was named by Islamica Magazine as one of ten young Muslim visionaries shaping Islam in America, and has been profiled by PBS and several other media outlets.
NYE Will Welcome Valerie Tutson as Bible Study Leader
Valerie Tutson
has developed an enthralling style of retelling the old Bible stories in a fresh new way. Valerie encourages others to try their hand at storytelling and has been called on to share her gifts at conferences, retreats and worship services across the United States. Valerie draws her stories from around the world with an emphasis on African traditions. Her repertoire includes stories and songs she learned in her travels to South Africa, her experiences in West Africa, stories from African American history. She not only delights listeners with her taletelling, she also teaches workshops and classes to students of all ages.
Lost and Found
Michael and George developed an interactive style as they introduced themselves to audiences throughout the United States and, in turn, made hundreds of friends on their first concert tour. On this first tour, LOST AND FOUND traveled from New York to St. Louis, to Miami, to San Diego, to Seattle and back to New York on BICYCLES. During those 340 days, they sang more than 260 times at schools, camps, churches, and colleges. With no support vehicle and no particular training regimen, the year truly proved to be a journey of faith.
The concerts are a bit like having Michael and George over to your living room for conversation and music. The music is organic and fun, and the lyrics comment on life, faith, ravel, friends and relationships.
