Spring Renewal 2025
When: Friday, April 11 to Sunday, April 13, 2025
Where: Camp de Benneville Pines, Angeles Oaks, CA
Hours: Friday arrival 4-6pm, dinner 6pm, to Sunday lunch at noon
(Optional: Thursday, April 10. An extra night to relax and enjoy!)
New men encouraged to attend! Call one of us (below).
Where: Camp de Benneville Pines, Angeles Oaks, CA
Hours: Friday arrival 4-6pm, dinner 6pm, to Sunday lunch at noon
(Optional: Thursday, April 10. An extra night to relax and enjoy!)
New men encouraged to attend! Call one of us (below).
Theme: Brotherhood and Friendship
Being part of a brotherhood, and having friendships strengthen us and enrich our lives. Hey, things are tough enough without going it alone. And it’s been our nature to connect with men we trust ever since we squatted around a fire in a cave. Our survival depended on those connections.
What’s available in our UUMF brotherhood? How do we build sustainable and authentic friendships? Let’s explore this gently in our kinship groups at camp. In the beauty of the mountains and the safety and fellowship of our brothers, we will reflect, support each other, hangout, and have fun together. The weekend includes small groups, outdoor activities, drumming, songs, chanting, laughter, ritual, and great food!
Not to be missed!
Fee: $225 for three days, two nights, including meals. (Near our break-even point!)
Sliding scale for new men and those with financial need
Click to Register: tinyurl.com/UUMF-Spring-Renewal
Questions about Registration: John Carlos Keasler, [email protected], (619) 278-1267
Questions about the Renewal: Mike Dorfi (619) 887-1748 [email protected] or Brandon Hall, 415-854-2043 [email protected]
Being part of a brotherhood, and having friendships strengthen us and enrich our lives. Hey, things are tough enough without going it alone. And it’s been our nature to connect with men we trust ever since we squatted around a fire in a cave. Our survival depended on those connections.
What’s available in our UUMF brotherhood? How do we build sustainable and authentic friendships? Let’s explore this gently in our kinship groups at camp. In the beauty of the mountains and the safety and fellowship of our brothers, we will reflect, support each other, hangout, and have fun together. The weekend includes small groups, outdoor activities, drumming, songs, chanting, laughter, ritual, and great food!
Not to be missed!
Fee: $225 for three days, two nights, including meals. (Near our break-even point!)
Sliding scale for new men and those with financial need
Click to Register: tinyurl.com/UUMF-Spring-Renewal
Questions about Registration: John Carlos Keasler, [email protected], (619) 278-1267
Questions about the Renewal: Mike Dorfi (619) 887-1748 [email protected] or Brandon Hall, 415-854-2043 [email protected]
Look at these smiling faces!! Something good and comfortable and fun is going on here! Many thanks to all who joined us and to those hard-working volunteers who made Spring Renewal 2024 happen.

What is the UUMF?
Living with compassion, integrity, responsibility, and balance,
the Unitarian Universalist Men's Fellowship (UUMF) is an affiliated organization of First UU Church of San Diego. We are men deepening who we are as brothers, sons, fathers, grandfathers, husbands, and partners. We are a caring, intentionally diverse brotherhood, committed to social justice, and offering opportunities for connection and personal growth.

Open meetings monthly: "Fourth Mondays"
On the fourth Monday of the month, we meet in the Hillcrest Campus in the Common Room. Pot-luck dinner at 6pm to meet and greet. If you're new, no need to bring anything. From 7-9pm we do an optional check-in, then discuss a topic dealing with men’s issues. The topics are announced via email to UUMF participants. Most meeting are Zoomed. For more information, please contact Les Vivian, Co-Convenor, [email protected]
Bi-weekly Support Groups
The Men's Fellowship currently has a dozen committed, active support groups. They usually meet twice a month at members’ homes or on Zoom, for one to two hours. The groups range in size from five to eight men. If, after becoming familiar with the Fellowship, you would like to consider membership in a group, please contact Armin Kuhlman 619-915-5214, [email protected], our support group coordinator. These groups are for building long-term connections and require an ongoing commitment.
Fall Renewal (October) and Spring Renewal (April)
The crown jewels of the Fellowship are our 3-day renewal weekends. The Annual Men's Spring Renewal is held at Camp de Benneville Pines in Angelus Oaks, California in April and the Fall Men’s Renewal is held in the nearby mountains near Julian, California in October. For more information, please contact Mike Dorfi at [email protected] (619) 887-1748.
Leadership
The direction of the UUMF and upcoming events are coordinated at regularly scheduled meetings of the Steering Committee. We work on the consensus model and welcome input from all who attend. For information regarding the next meeting, contact Chris Guelich, Co-Convener, [email protected], (619) 307-1896. You can also download our 2024 Annual Report.
On the fourth Monday of the month, we meet in the Hillcrest Campus in the Common Room. Pot-luck dinner at 6pm to meet and greet. If you're new, no need to bring anything. From 7-9pm we do an optional check-in, then discuss a topic dealing with men’s issues. The topics are announced via email to UUMF participants. Most meeting are Zoomed. For more information, please contact Les Vivian, Co-Convenor, [email protected]
Bi-weekly Support Groups
The Men's Fellowship currently has a dozen committed, active support groups. They usually meet twice a month at members’ homes or on Zoom, for one to two hours. The groups range in size from five to eight men. If, after becoming familiar with the Fellowship, you would like to consider membership in a group, please contact Armin Kuhlman 619-915-5214, [email protected], our support group coordinator. These groups are for building long-term connections and require an ongoing commitment.
Fall Renewal (October) and Spring Renewal (April)
The crown jewels of the Fellowship are our 3-day renewal weekends. The Annual Men's Spring Renewal is held at Camp de Benneville Pines in Angelus Oaks, California in April and the Fall Men’s Renewal is held in the nearby mountains near Julian, California in October. For more information, please contact Mike Dorfi at [email protected] (619) 887-1748.
Leadership
The direction of the UUMF and upcoming events are coordinated at regularly scheduled meetings of the Steering Committee. We work on the consensus model and welcome input from all who attend. For information regarding the next meeting, contact Chris Guelich, Co-Convener, [email protected], (619) 307-1896. You can also download our 2024 Annual Report.