All posts by Gabriel Serafini

Burning Man Low Income Ticket Program Opens Today!

2014 Burning Man, News, Tickets

2013 Burning Man ticket

If you would like to come and camp with us and might qualify for a Low Income ticket (you need to be able to demonstrate your financial need) the cost is $190 (1/2 price!), and TODAY is the day to apply.  Last year one of our participants got one, so it’s definitely possible.  Check it out here: http://tickets.burningman.com

Below is from The Jackrabbit Speaks Newsletter:

Low Income Ticket Program Opens March 4

The Low Income Ticket Program application will open on Tuesday, March 4 – that’stomorrow! Here are the details:

  • 4,000 Low Income Tickets are available at $190 each.
  • Low Income Tickets are one per person and are awarded through an application process.
  • These tickets are not transferrable and are held for Will Call pickup at the Box Office of the event.
  • You must be able to demonstrate your financial need to qualify.
  • Applications are reviewed in the order they are received, so don’t delay if you are planning on applying.

Full information on the Low Income Ticket Program can be found on the tickets page.

Teams, Tickets and Next Meeting Date (Recap of 3/2/14 call)

2014 Burning Man, Camp, Logistics, News, Organizing

DSC03900

Hi all,

We had a really productive call tonight.  Thanks to all who were able to participate!!!  Please review the notes below and if you are a Team Coordinator (marked with a * in the list below) please work with your fellow team-mates in the next 3 weeks to be able to present the Deliverables (listed below) we all agreed on tonight.

3/2/14 Call Notes

Topic for our call tonight: Discuss who was able to purchase tickets and next steps for the group.  Bring your ideas for what specific team(s) you’d like to participate on:

Present: (Tickets, Vehicle Passes purchased?)
– Gabriel (0, 0)
– Amanda (0, 0)
– Anna Lisa (2, 2) – 1 extra
– Drea (2, 2) – 1 extra
(Julian (2, 1)) – Genevieve gets 1
– Mike & Nancy (4, 1) – no extras
– Alexis (0, 0)
– AJ (0, 0)
– Michael (2, 1) – 1 extra
– Patricia (0, 0)
– Ansley (2, 2) – 1 extra
– Genevieve (0, 0)
– Tonte (0, 0)
– Emanual (0, 0)
– Carrie (0, 0)

Total Tickets purchased: 14 – We will almost certainly need additional tickets, will get them through the STEP program when it opens (or Craigslist)
Total Vehicle Passes purchased: 9 – We have sufficient quantity

There is a LOW INCOME ticket opportunity starting March 4.  Look for info about this here: http://tickets.burningman.com

Teams: (Coordinators marked in bold and *)

– Lecturer Selection / Logistics Team
*Drea, Michael, Alexis, Ansley, Genevieve

– Metaphysical Preparation Team (Prayer Team)
*Nancy, Drea, Alexis, Patricia, Ansley, Michael

– Kitchen Team
*Anna Lisa, Drea, Nancy, Alexis, Patricia, Gabriel

– Finance / Bookkeeping Team
*Amanda

– Transportation / Homestay Team
*Gabriel, AJ

– General Logistics / Physical Planning Team
*Gabriel, Amanda, Anna Lisa, Mike, AJ

– Art / Design Team
*Gabriel, Anna Lisa, Michael, Alexis, Ansley, Genevieve

– Communications / Outreach Team
*Gabriel, Anna Lisa, Michael, Patricia

Deliverables for next call:

1) Meet as a team at least 1 time (Coordinators will organize this with their team, off-list.)
2) Team develops (very) rough draft of an estimated budget.  Amanda will communicate with the Team Coordinators about the specific info needed.  This is due via email to Amanda by Wed 3/19 so she can present an initial draft of the overall budget needs (useful for our future fund-raising).
3) Each team roughs out major timelines / deadlines and top-level items.
4) Team Coordinator prepares brief report (~5 min) to share with the group at our next call on  3/23 at 6pm PST.

Note: If you decide / realize you cannot make your commitments, please just communicate this to either your Team Coordinator or to me directly, and we’ll make adjustments as necessary.  Life happens, and this is O.K., but it will be very helpful to have the heads-up so we can cover all the necessary bases.

Teams / Contact Info:

Here is the list of confirmed (and potential) camp participants along with which team(s) they’ve currently signed up for.  If this information needs correcting / updating, please feel free to make changes.  We’ll keep this up to date, and if you’re on the core team you should be able to make edits.  If you’re on the info list you should be able to view it but not make edits.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J1nf5Ca_ydxJzV8VDq2Z1BORKeDhe0I4qJAYvb6S8ns/edit?usp=sharing

Schedule for our next call:

Sunday 3/23 at 6pm — Please add this to your calendar!

(619) 326-2772
Access code: 1246521

Agenda for next group call:

10-15 minutes – Inspiration Sharing (Metaphysical Team to present)
45 minutes – ~5 minute sharing from each Team Coordinator with high-level overview of where they’re at, if they need assistance with any specific things etc.
10 minutes – Closing, discuss next steps

THANKS AGAIN everyone for participating, this is truly what makes this camp a reality!  If you have any questions, feel free to reply or call.

Pre-Registration for 2014 Burning Man Individual Tickets is now OPEN!

2014 Burning Man, Logistics, Tickets

2014 Burning Man Tickets Pre-Registration Now Open!

PRE-REGISTRATION is now OPEN!

If you haven’t done so already, please visit http://profiles.burningman.com between NOW and Sunday, February 23, 2014, which is when Pre-Registration CLOSES, and click the “PRE-REGISTER FOR TICKET SALE” button.   This is CRITICAL for being able to purchase one (or preferably 2) ticket(s) when they officially go on sale on Wednesday, February 26, 2014.

This applies to everyone who would like to camp with us this year!

Thanks,
Gabriel

Burning Man Call Recap / IMPORTANT TICKET DATES & INFO

2014 Burning Man, Camp, Logistics, Tickets

Hi all,

We had a productive conversation last night.  As a group, we discussed what our mission statement for 2014 should be and agreed on a slightly edited version of what Anna Lisa had sent in.  Here is what we agreed on, based on feedback from everyone on the call.

2014 Mission Statement:
Our mission is to actively share God’s love for man in Black Rock City.

2014 Camp Name:
Life, Truth, Love: The Christian Science Experience (the same as last year)

We can further tweak / modify these if there is a good reason to do so, but otherwise this is what we’re going with.

— IMPORTANT TICKETING INFORMATION —

If you want to come camp with us at Burning Man this year, or are on the fence and thinking about it, or want to support the group by helping buy tickets, NOW IS THE TIME to pre-register for a Burning Man Profile account if you do not already have one.  Please please do so here right now, it will take you less than 2 minutes: http://profiles.burningman.com/register/

This is a NECESSARY step in order to PURCHASE a ticket to Burning Man.

This is in preparation for the next IMPORTANT DATES:

Thursday, February 20, 2014 12pm (noon) PST: Individual Sale ($380) registration begins
Sunday, February 23, 2014 12pm (noon) PST: Individual Sale ($380) registration ends
Wednesday, February 26, 2014 12pm (noon) PST: Individual Sale ($380) starts

AFTER you have registered for an individual Burning Man Profile, you next need to PRE-REGISTER to purchase one or two ticket(s).  The cost per ticket is $380, the same as last year.

Here is where you go to PRE-REGISTER, between Thursday Feb 20 and Sunday Feb 23: https://tickets.burningman.com  — PUT THIS ON YOUR CALENDAR NOW!

Thirdly, after you have your personal Profile account setup, and have Pre-Registered, on Wednesday, February 26 at 12pm (noon) PST, you can then visit https://tickets.burningman.com to purchase your ticket(s).

If you are able to, please purchase 2 tickets.  There is a sell-back program if we don’t end up needing all the tickets, but most likely not everyone will be able to purchase tickets.  Please be as prompt / on-time as you can be to buy the tickets, there are not a ton available, and last year they sold out pretty quickly (not everyone who tried was able to buy tickets).  In addition, we need at least 4 people to purchase a Vehicle Pass as well.  The additional cost for this will be $40 per pass.  These can also be re-sold, so if everyone who is able to purchase a ticket can also try for a vehicle pass as well that would be great.

Put it on your calendar, Burning Man is only 6 months and 6 days away!  Your participation in this step is very important to the success of our camp this year!  In no way can we guarantee a ticket for anyone who did not actually purchase it themselves, so this is the best way to ensure you have a ticket to Burning Man this year.

THANK YOU THANK YOU!

P.S.

Our next call is scheduled for March 2 at 6PM PST.  We’ll be discussing candidates for our lecturer this year, how many tickets we all managed to purchase, and group together for specific teams / tasks that need to be accomplished.  Please add this to your calendar as well since you won’t want to miss it!

Next Burning Man Call: Sunday 2/16 at 6PM Pacific Timezone (9PM Eastern, 8PM Central)

2014 Burning Man, Christian Science, Ideas & Concepts, Logistics, Organizing

Burning Man 2013 hands sculpture

Hi folks,

Let’s all try to be on this call (we’ve had 2 calls so far for the 2014 Camp and about 1/2 of us have been on each call, some haven’t been able to make either yet.)  We have some new people who are coming this year, and people who went last year who are for sure wanting to do it again.

If you’re on the fence about joining us this year, feel free to dial in and be part of the call.  We’re targeting ~1 hour for the call.  Remember, your participation is key to us having a successful camp this year!

Conference Call number:
(619) 326-2772
Access code: 1246521

Here is the suggested topic, assignment and agenda for this call:
 
Topic: Mission Statement & Official Camp Name

Pre-Call Assignments — Please do each of these!

  1. Read the story of foot washing in the Bible and think about its significance for our group: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_washing#Biblical_reference
  2. Read / re-read the 10 Principles of Burning Man – http://www.burningman.com/whatisburningman/about_burningman/principles.html
  3. Email Gabriel (gserafini@gmail.com) your draft idea(s) for a Mission Statement, or add directly to this document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PWiQ-G_vqkpH3KjKeRFl6NNNvQbZDAjb4wLORWF_VQ4/edit?usp=sharing
  4. Make sure you are registered at http://tickets.burningman.com with a user account so you’ll be prepared to purchase tickets.

Proposed Agenda:

  • 10 minutes – Inspiration sharing time, open
  • 5 minutes – Introductions for people who are new / haven’t been on last 2 calls
  • 5 minutes – Optional, time for any quick questions people may have
  • 40 minutes – Discuss / work towards a shared Mission Statement the group can agree on.  This will be a guiding statement we can all turn to as we begin work in earnest over the next few months on the Camp.
  • 5 minutes – Next steps – in our next call we’ll start organizing into specific teams / groups for logistical / task purposes.  Set time for next call.

Feel free to forward / share this with anyone you think may be interested in joining us at Burning Man in 2014.

Thanks!
Gabriel

Preliminary call today (3pm PDT) for interested participants for 2014 camp

2014 Burning Man, Camp, News
You bring love from my feet to my heart -- Alana
You bring love from my feet to my heart — Alana

We’re holding a preliminary call today (Friday, Jan 24) at 3pm PDT for anyone interested in joining us in 2014.  Here is the proposed agenda for the call (trying to keep it to 1 hour):

1) Welcome, Inspiration, Introductions
2) Begin discussing specific ideas for 2014 camp theme
3) Begin identifying groups / people who want to contribute to specific areas
4) Go over ticketing procedures & individual responsibilities
5) Confirm next call date (~2 weeks from now)

Dial-in number:

(619) 326-2772
Access code: 1246521

Looking forward to meeting some of you for the first time on the phone today!

P.S. If you cannot make today’s call, there is another one proposed for Thursday, February 6 2014 at 6pm PDT for those who cannot make today’s call.

2014 Official Burning Man Theme Announced: “Caravansary”

2014 Burning Man

Burning Man 2014 Pavilion

“For countless centuries, travelers along the Silk Route crossed paths in caravansaries, a network of oases and sanctuaries that dotted the 4,000-mile road from Europe to East Asia. These bustling caravan stops offered more than just shelter from the desert wilderness; they were vital centers of cultural exchange, bringing together traders, pilgrims, monks, nomads, traveling entertainers, and wild-eyed adventurers from all points of the compass to share their stories around a common fire. Though fueled by mercantilism, their legacy to us is a grand commerce of ideas — a swirling exchange of languages, legends, technologies, philosophies and art that helped shape nearly every aspect of our modern world.”

Read the entire theme description here.

You’re invited to hear our experiences in person on Dec 14, 2013 4:30pm at the U.C. Berkeley CSO

2013 Burning Man, Christian Science, Christian Science Lectures, Foot Washing, Outreach, Talks

Come hear the life-changing experiences of the participants who were part of the 2013 Christian Science camp at Burning Man at the U.C. Berkeley CSO on Saturday, December 14 at 4:30pm.   There will be a photo slideshow, video footage, stories and more.  Refreshments will be served.

BurningManSharingInvite_01-berkeleycso

Download PDF: Burning ManSharing Invite (8.7 MB PDF)

Video and slideshow of our sharing with the Reno church families immediately after Burning Man 2013

Michael shot and edited this video of our group’s sharing presentation with the families in Reno who supported our 2013 trip.  We were still covered in playa dust and everything was still fresh in our minds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VIk-NQpsdw&rel=0

Share and enjoy!

Michael’s Church Alive post

2013 Burning Man, Articles, Christian Science, Outreach

Michael Morgan

Growing up in the Church of Christ, Scientist my whole life, I’ve always wondered why so much action is expected to happen inside the building. What about outside of the building in the broader community? Over the years I developed a type of spiritual boldness through “trial and prayer.” I learned that the worst thing people can say to me if I offer prayer or inspirational literature is “No.” The best thing that can happen is that someone’s life is transformed forever.

After a successful experience of bringing a Christian Science lecture to the Burning Man Art Festival last year (see this Sentinel article about it), our team of Christian Scientists from the West Coast wanted to explore new ways of really serving the population of Black Rock City, Nevada where there are approximately 70,000 people and zero buildings!

Read entire post here