FAQ’s 2019 Conference
When is the Conference?
September 26 – 29, 2019 with an extra day for those who would like to make a trip to Sedona (for an additional fee) on Monday, 9/30/19.
The Conference will begin on Friday morning and will end on Sunday evening.Thursday evening will be a board meeting and dinner. You may want to consider using Thursday as your arrival day and Monday or Tuesday as your departure travel day so that you don’t miss any of the fun!
Where is the Conference?
Dobson Ranch Inn,
1666 S. Dobson Rd., Mesa, AZ 85202
480.831.7000, www.dobsonranchinnresort.com
Be sure to mention that you are with the Madonna Interfaith Community when you register to receive our discounted rates. Your room should be $61.56 (includes all taxes) per night.
The hotel has extended the group rate to apply 3 days before and 3 days after the Conference. Make it a grand vacation and stay a while longer! There’s lots to see and do in the Phoenix area. A Continental breakfast is included with your room. Check the hotel website for amenities!
What are the Conference Fees?
- Regular Registration Fee: Register after July 1st with a $75 deposit with balance of $100 due by September 1, 2019.
- Delayed Registration: Register after September 1, 2019, the conference fee will be $200.
NEW THIS YEAR!! You can invite one or more non-affiliated guests to attend our conference for a $75 rate! Since we are about expanding our community outreach, this is a great way to introduce potential clergy members and supporting others to fellowship and celebrate with us. Each attendee will need to fill out a registration form and submit payment at that time. Be sure to tell them to use your name as “guest of” on the registration form.
How do I get transportation from the airport to the hotel?
The hotel is 15 minutes (east) from the airport.
Uber: For those who have Uber on their phones, this is always a good alternative. You will need to have Uber downloaded and set up on your phone to take advantage of this service.
Light Rail: The sky rail picks up at each terminal and takes you to a short walk down an escalator to catch the train. Seniors pay $2.00, others pay $4.00. You can take the east bound train to Dobson and Main and that is 2 miles from the airport. IF you make arrangements beforehand, someone will be able to pick you up at Dobson and Main when you arrive.
Taxi: There are multiple cab companies that pick up at the airport. I will be trying to find one that will give us a discount and will let you know which one that is at a later date.
Tell me about the trip to Sedona.
We are scheduling a separate trip to Sedona as an all-day adventure on the Monday (9/30/19). If want to go, you’ll need to sign up and pay in advance. The cost will be $65.00 per person and will include parking permits, transportation, and lunch. We will visit several of the vortexes and perhaps a gallery or two. If enough people sign up ahead of time, we will rent a 15-passenger van for the trip. We will leave the hotel before 9:00 am and after a 2 ½ hour (beautiful) drive, we will be in Sedona.
What will the weather be like?It will still be hot during the day, although it may cool off at night. It is always smart to bring layers of clothes that you can put on or take off to make yourself comfortable. Sedona will also likely be warm, but layers will serve you well.
Please watch for the Sedona Trip page on the web site to register and pay!
What will we be doing?
Our theme for the Conference is “Celebrating the Joy of Community Through Ceremony, Music and Fellowship”. The Conference will begin on Friday morning and will end on Sunday evening with our special trip to Sedona on Monday. You may want to consider using Thursday as your arrival day and Monday or Tuesday as your departure day to include the entire event, which will begin Friday morning and end Sunday evening. A complete agenda will be given to you at Registration on Friday
Here is a brief synopsis of our weekend:
Thursday: Board meeting and dinner at Pita Jungle. You may want to consider using Thursday as your arrival day and Monday or Tuesday as your departure travel day so that you don’t miss any of the fun!
Friday: Friday will be used for showcasing some of the things our Community does such as readings, healings, meditations and some free time. We will be doing a chanting session in the afternoon. Friday evening after dinner, Andrew Ecker and Monica Patton will return this year to lead a drum circle!
Saturday: Saturday morning will be reserved for ordinations of new ministers, those moving up to Priest or Priestess and consecration of new Bishops. At some point, new ordainees will work with a couple of Bishops to create the service for Sunday morning. Saturday afternoon we’ll have another 90-minute concert by CELIA! Celia will have a special guest, Scott Jeffers. This will be a very exciting concert!
Sunday: The newly ordained and consecrated Ministers will put together a Sunday Service for us with the help of a couple of seasoned Bishops to guide them! The service will also be streamed live on our Facebook page. We will also be treated to a performance by our own Priestess Mariana and the Riley Rainbow Family Circus ! You won’t want to miss this magical event !
Opportunities to present a talk or process: There will be a couple of slots of 20 minutes each for our Members to provide a talk or process. If you would like to be a presenter, please fill out a proposal form before August 1, 2019. We will need your name, contact information (address, phone, e-mail address, web site), the talk title or activity title, a jpeg picture of you and a paragraph (or less) bio. We will review your proposal and let you know if your presentation is chosen. There will be a sound system available as well as an easel and be sure to bring with you any handouts or music that you might need. Everyone is welcome to bring networking materials and cards to hand out.
To Register and Submit fees use this link
Every attendee must submit a separate registration form.
For questions or comments, Contact Bishop Jenny Dickason :