We recognize that travel and gatherings can contain some added complexity for many within our community. So, our goal is to make the process clear, supportive, and accessible from registration through departure. Moonrise is a retreat, not a conference. We invite participants to arrive with the spaciousness they need for a time of rest, reflection, connection, and community.

Location and Schedule

Moonrise will gather in this inaugural year in Massachusetts in a community long known for LGBTQ+ belonging. The retreat is intentionally planned with spaciousness in mind, balancing worship and sessions with rest and free time to explore, connect with others, or simply recharge before we return to our busy lives and schedules.

Equalized Travel and Transportation

Moonrise will take place at Harbor Hotel in Provincetown, Massachusetts, which is located at the very tip of Cape Cod. While Provincetown is a little more adventurous to reach than the typical hotel conference, that journey is also part of what makes your arrival on the cape feel so special. The ocean, ferry ride, dunes, and slower pace will all help create our transition into retreat space.

Because travel to Provincetown can be complicated and expensive to coordinate individually, Moonrise is using an equalized transportation model to simplify your travel experience and to help keep costs equitable across our community. We strongly recommend opting in and letting us book your transportation for you.

Participants should arrive at Boston’s airport no later than 3:30 PM to allow time to collect baggage and arrive at the ferry terminal in time to depart at 5:30 pm for the 1.5 hour boat ride to Provincetown. The ferry travels across the bay and takes about ninety minutes to arrive on the pier on the other side. The ferry trip is often one of the highlights for first time visitors to the cape.

If you use the equalized transportation option this year, Moonrise staff to assist you in coordinating travel to make sure you arrive at our destination. For the $600 fee:

• Coordinated round-trip air or train support into Boston from a convenient location near your home.
• Round-trip high speed ferry ticket
• Group ground transportation to and from the ferry while in Ptown
• Shared arrival and departure coordination
• Reduced stress at needing to navigate complicated logistics on your own.

If you choose not to use the equalized transportation option, you will need to travel independently to the hotel. You will be responsible for all of your coordination and transportation to Boston and from Boston to Provincetown, including airfare, ferry tickets, and other costs.

Please also note that ferry tickets do tend to sell out on some times each week, so if you choose to book travel on your own, book early.

Religious Professionals

For the purpose of Moonrise, the UUA understands the term religious professionals broadly. Religious Professionals are people serving in leadership roles across our association. They include:

• Ordained Clergy and Community Ministers
• Chaplains
• Seminarians
• Religious Educators
• Spiritual Directors
• Congregational Administrators and other Staff
• Nonprofit Leaders
• Ritualists, healers, and spiritual care providers
• Leaders serving inside, alongside, or beyond traditional religious institutions.

Moonrise also recognizes that many of our community members under the trans umbrella serve in forms of ministry and spiritual leadership that are not always formally recognized or financially supported by institutions. We honor both traditional and emerging forms of religious and spiritual leadership.

If you have any questions about whether you are enough of a religious professional to attend Moonrise, the answer is likely YES, but you can email moonrise@uua.org and ask us directly.

Registration

The regular registration rate for Moonrise 2026 is $600. Registration covers 3 nights of hotel lodging, meals, meeting spaces, and programming.

At the same time, we recognize that many members of our community are navigating financial barriers, educational debt, congregational inequities, and limited professional development funding. Because of this, we do not want cost to be the only reason someone cannot attend Moonrise.

We believe in mutual care. If you have professional funding or more resources, pay the entire registration fee. If you have more limited funding, opt for the sliding scale. Participants who are able to pay the full amount help make it possible for others in our wider community to attend at lower rates.

We also encourage you to reach out to professional organizations to see if they have any additional scholarships or funding available.

Our goal is to build Moonrise as a community grounded in mutual care, accessibility, and shared investment in one another.

If you need to cancel before September 10, 2026, there will be a $50 cancellation fee. Cancellation requests received after the published refund deadline may be reviewed on a case, by-case basis due to emergencies, travel disruptions, safety concerns, or other significant circumstances. Approval of partial or full refunds after the deadline is not guaranteed and will depend on retreat expenses already incurred and the timing of the cancellation.

About Moonrise

Moonrise emerges in response to the growing challenges facing transgender, nonbinary, gender-expansive, and two-spirit religious professionals serving within Unitarian Universalism and beyond. Many are carrying demanding roles in ministry, chaplaincy, religious education, music leadership, community organizing, and pastoral care while also navigating increasing political hostility, public scrutiny, and targeted attacks directed at LGBTQ+ communities. These conditions can contribute to isolation, burnout, and diminished access to professional support and community care.

Moonrise was developed by staff of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) as part of the Association’s broader commitment to supporting transgender religious leaders. The retreat builds upon the longstanding legacy of gatherings organized by TRUUsT, the professional organization for trans, nonbinary, gender-expansive, and two-spirit Unitarian Universalist religious professionals. For many years, TRUUsT retreats have provided essential spaces for connection, mentorship, advocacy, professional development, and community-building for religious leaders whose identities and experiences have often been underrepresented within broader institutional settings.

Moonrise and TRUUsT maintain distinct but collaborative roles. TRUUsT continues as an independent professional organization with its own leadership structure, mission, membership, and programming within Unitarian Universalism. Moonrise functions as a retreat initiative supported by the UUA that expands logistical, financial, and institutional capacity for gathering and supporting religious professionals across the gender spectrum.

As part of this collaborative relationship, the retreat structure includes dedicated space and programming for TRUUsT members at the beginning of the retreat week, followed by the broader Moonrise gathering. This model allows for continuity of TRUUsT’s community-centered and professionally focused work while also creating opportunities for wider participation, connection, and support among UU religious professionals who may not currently identify with or participate in TRUUsT.

Moonrise reflects both continuity and expansion: it honors the history, relationships, and leadership cultivated through TRUUsT while broadening access to community care, rest, professional support, and shared spiritual resilience during a particularly challenging period for many religious professionals.