Yankee Springs Retreat, Memorial Day Weekend 1995

by Ed Busch, UU Lansing church archivist

This Memorial Day weekend, members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing are gathering once again at Yankee Springs Recreation Area for the congregation's annual retreat, May 22–25, 2026. The tradition runs deep. Here is a look back at the 1995 retreat — thirty-one years ago this same weekend.

For many members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing, the annual Yankee Springs retreat was more than a getaway weekend. It was a cherished tradition — a chance to reconnect with nature, deepen friendships, and build the sense of community that carried back into church life throughout the year.

The 1995 retreat was held Memorial Day weekend, May 26–28, at Yankee Springs Recreation Area. Terry Dennis organized the weekend and invited members to sign up after Sunday services or through the church office. The retreats were well attended, drawing a multigenerational mix of families, singles, and longtime members year after year.

That Sunday, May 28, Interim Minister Rev. Norman Naylor led the retreat worship service at Yankee Springs while a separate service was also held back at church. And the weekend's creative energy didn't stop there: that same evening, a "Poets" gathering took place at 7:00 PM in the church Parlor, suggesting that the spirit of the retreat spilled back into congregational life even for those who had stayed home.

One of the most delightful surviving pieces from the retreat is a three-part reflection written by Mary Voelker titled Yankee Springs Trilogy, written in May 1995 to capture both the spirit and the humor of the weekend for old hands and newcomers alike.

Mary opened by describing Yankee Springs as "a wonderful place to renew a sense of connection with nature." Her poem "Woods Walk" lovingly observes the small details retreat-goers encountered on the trails — newly unfurled leaves overhead, May ferns and wildflowers underfoot, golden ladyslippers flanking the boardwalk across the swamp, cobwebs brushing faces on crossing treeside trails. It is a walker's poem, attentive and unhurried.

But Mary also understood that newcomers often wondered what people actually did all weekend. In the second section of her trilogy, she answered that question with warmth and specificity.

She described fathers and children reading together on cabin porches, couples rocking in lawn chairs, hikers exploring the woods and lake trails, canoe adventurers searching for a hidden culvert through which they could paddle from one lake to another, and children splashing at the beach with their grownups — some lying tummy-flat on the dock to see what was underneath. Others gathered in the dining hall over puzzles, books, and new games, or simply became acquainted with "whoever comes along."

Mary's description makes clear that the retreat was not built around elaborate programming. Instead, it created space for conversation, leisure, shared meals, outdoor adventure, and the slow strengthening of relationships that helped define UU Lansing community life during the 1990s.

Perhaps the most touching passage came at the close of that section. Mary wrote that at the end of each retreat, no one ever had to say goodbye for a whole year — or forever. Instead, they simply said: "See you next week, at home."

The final poem in the trilogy, "Picnic in the Rain," showed that even bad weather became part of the shared fun. Mary humorously described campers cheerfully ignoring gathering storm clouds, holding up a single red umbrella and yelling organized defiance across the lake at the rain — only to find droplets glistening on their food anyway. In a moment of inspired improvisation, someone invoked Mother Gaia's well-known fondness for "Somemores" — Mary's playful coinage for the campfire treat — as a last-ditch appeal to the heavens. It didn't work. They ate happily anyway, washing everything down with glasses of pink lemonade.

Looking back thirty-one years, the 1995 Yankee Springs retreat offers a snapshot of congregational life at UU Lansing: multigenerational, informal, outdoorsy, welcoming, and deeply grounded in friendship. The retreat may have lasted only a long weekend, but for many participants it reinforced something lasting — the feeling that this congregation was truly a home. That feeling, it seems, has never worn out. This weekend, a new group of members heads to Yankee Springs to find it again.

Interested in reading Mary Voelker's Yankee Springs Trilogy in full? Contact the church archivist and I'll send you a copy.

Yankee Springs 1994 - George Smith and Harry Schwarzweller (2007.0036)

Yankee Springs 1994 - Dick Hill (left) and Alice Hill (right) with unidentified adults and children in between. (2007.0228)

Yankee Springs 1999- Stu Pankratz (2008.0480)

Seeking Your Input

If you were part of the congregation during this period, your memories matter to this project. What do you remember about the Yankee Springs retreat in the 1990s — or any year? What made it special? Written recollections are welcome, as are photos, bulletins, letters, or other mementos you may have held onto. Even fragments help. If you have something to share, or simply a story you've never written down, please reach out at uucgl.archives@gmail.com.

Acknowledgment

This post was researched and written by Ed Busch. AI writing assistants — Claude and ChatGPT — were used to help organize and refine the presentation of archival content. The research, archival work, and interpretive judgments are his own.

About the Author

Ed Busch is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing and serves as the volunteer archivist for the congregation. He is retired from Michigan State University, where he worked in digital preservation and archives.

Through the UU Lansing Archives project, he enjoys uncovering stories from church newsletters, board records, photographs, and local history sources to help connect the congregation’s past with its present.

Ed also serves on the UU Lansing Stewardship Team and helps with Building and Grounds projects. He is currently working with other members of the congregation on landscaping and preparations for the dedication of the church’s historical marker on May 31.

Sources

Liberal Express, May 23, 1995 issue.

Mary Voelker, Yankee Springs Trilogy, May 1995.