In-Person Attendee Information

Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. You can view the university’s website at www.bridgew.edu.

The Council of Ministers will arrive on Wednesday, June 28 with an evening reception that night after dinner. Council of Ministers’ meetings will be Thursday, June 29 and Friday, June 30. General Council will arrive on Friday, June 30 and meet on Saturday, July 1. Other attendees will arrive on Saturday, July 1 and convention officially opens that evening with worship and keynote speaker, Reverend Sage Cole. Convention closes at 11:30 AM on July 4 followed by a group outing, with Wednesday, July 5 as a travel day. General Council will have an early morning meeting on July 5th. 

Registration will be online on our website. If you are unable to register online you can call Central Office, Monday through Friday, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM ET for help and to walk through the process. Payment can be made with a credit card at the time of registration or by mailing a check to Central Office, 50 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. 

 In order to stay on campus, eat in the campus dining commons, and take part in the outings, you must register by MAY 14 at 5:00 PM ET, no exceptions.  If you are attending Convention virtually, you must register by JUNE 14 at 11:59 PM ET. 

Please note: All ADULTS PAY A REGISTRATION FEE including General Council and Council of Ministers. If you are volunteering then you do not need to pay a registration fee. This year, the registration cost for everyone 18 and under is free (this does not include Room and Board). These fees cover meeting rooms, breaks, the outings, etc.

• Adult in-person $100 
• One day Adult Pass $50 
• 2023 Convention Volunteer Free
• Youth League (13–18) Free 
• Child (0–12) Free 
• Virtual Attendees $50

Rooms will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and may fill up before the end of the registration period. If you do not sign up for room and board before the end of the registration period, unfortunately you will not be able to stay on campus. Room and Board Packages: Note: All rooms will be double occupancy, unless a single is requested. An additional fee will apply. If you are receiving a subsidy, the additional cost of a single room will be at your own cost at $25 a night. 

Your first meal will be dinner on arrival day, and your last meal will be breakfast on departure day. If you arrive later than your scheduled check-in date and time, or depart before your scheduled check-out date and time, you will not receive a refund for any unused room nights or meals. For overnight stays or meals that don’t fit the listed packages, contact the Central Office at manager@swedenborg.org. Dinner on July 4 will a BBQ off campus. If you do not attend the outing, you can still dine at the dining hall that evening but will need to let Central Office know at manager@swedenborg.org.

REGULAR CONVENTION  Sat. July 1–Wed. July 5 (four nights): 
$375 per person/double room. Includes 4 nights of lodging, 4 dinners, 3 lunches, 4 breakfasts, and July 4th outing.

GENERAL COUNCIL/LAY MEMBERS  Fri. June 30–Wed. July 5 (five nights): 
$450 per person/double room. Includes 5 nights of lodging, 5 dinners, 4 lunches, 5 breakfasts, and July 4th outing.

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS/LICENSED PASTORS  Wed. June 28–Wed. July 8 (seven nights): 
$600 per person/double room. Includes 7 nights of lodging, 7 dinners, 6 lunches, 7 breakfasts, and July 4th outing.

Commuters may join us for meals at a cost of $30 a day. We can not offer a per meal price. Please indicate how many days you would like to join us when you register. 

No, the meals are included with your room fee.

Singles are available at an additional $25 per person, per night, and will still share a common bathroom within a suite with one or two other rooms. If you are receiving a subsidy, you will be responsible for the additional expense. The additional cost will be: 4 nights–$100, 5 nights–$125, 7 nights–$175.

All room and board reservations must also be paid in full by MAY 19, or they will incur a $50 late fee. 

Yes. You can find currency converters online at sites like www.xe.com and www.finance.yahoo.com/currency-converter to figure out the correct exchange rate. Using a credit card and/or PayPal is preferred, because your account will be charged in US dollars.

Reservations cancelled prior to MAY 14 are fully refundable. Cancellations must be done by calling the Central Office directly during normal business hours at 617-969-4240 (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM ET, M–F). If you are unable to attend due to a medical emergency, please contact Central Office at manager@swedenborg.org and we will consider each case individually.

Attendees who will be staying on campus should proceed directly to Weygand Residence Hall between 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM  on the day of their arrival to receive their room keys and welcome bags. If you are arriving outside of check-in hours, please notify Central Office by June 14. 

All of our meetings and Mini Courses will be held at Moakley Center, which is a short walk from Weygand Hall. Most meetings will be held in the Auditorium. In-person Mini Courses will be held in classrooms located directly next to Moakley Center. All of our meals will be served in the East Campus Commons. Please refer to this map. 

Contact Residence Life at 508-531-1277 between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. They are not intended to provide hotel like services to overnight guests.

Email manager@swedenborg.org and tell us how many chairs you will need, approximately how much table space (6-foot tables) you will need, and inform us if you will need electrical hookups. Tables are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note, you are responsible for breaking down your table and removing all items by July 4 at 12:00 PM. Anything left at midday on July 4 will be thrown out.

We recommend bringing your own hangers and extension cords for your rooms if you need them. If you may need extra pillows, blankets, or towels you should plan to bring them. Our outing is outside, so please bring sunscreen and bug spray for your own use. 

 WiFi access is available. Password will be provided upon arrival. You must agree to comply with the university’s internet usage policies to use their network.

Unfortunately, there are no public computers that available for use. Please bring your own if needed. There is a Bridgewater Print & Copy located at 100 Broad St., Bridgewater, MA 02324.

You can mail items to the President of the MNCU ahead of time to: Pastor Kelly Milne, 147 West Street, East Bridgewater, MA 02333. Please clearly mark who the package is from. Please also email manager@swedenborg.org so that we know to keep an eye out for it.

The smoking or other use of tobacco or other smoking products is prohibited in all buildings, grounds, and vehicles owned or leased by Bridgewater State University, regardless of location.

No tobacco products or smoking or vaping paraphernalia shall be possessed, used, sold, or distributed as samples in any campus buildings, grounds, or vehicles owned or leased by Bridgewater State University, regardless of location, including vending machines.

Please be sure to indicate that you have mobility issues if you are staying on campus. The campus does not provide wheelchairs, scooters, etc. If you wish to park in the lot nearest to the dorms, you must bring your handicapped placard.

If you wish to rent a wheelchair or power scooter, you must make your own arrangements. The best delivery address for a wheelchair or scooter rental is your dorm (contact the Central Office at manager@swedenborg.org for details). You must be prepared to accept your own delivery and arrange your own pickup; we cannot provide convention staff or university staff to assist in this process. 

Please relay all special dietary needs on your registration form. The university will do its best to accommodate you, but may not be able to meet every need. A vegetarian option will be prepared for every meal.

All children and teens (18 and under) who stay in the dormitory or who obtain meals in the cafeteria as a commuter will be charged 1/2 of the adult price. If you have an infant (age 0–2) please contact manager@swedenborg.org. The 1/2 price for children will be applied at the time of your registration. There is a travel scholarship fund for children 2–12, of 1/2 of the flight’s cost, up to $300/child. Please email manager@swedenborg.org for more information. For information on SCYL (age 13–18) travel scholarships please contact the Youth Director Kurt Fekete at kfekete@hotmail.com. 

This is the cost breakdown for children needing a bed: 

Sat. July 1 –Wed. July 5 (four nights):
$188 per person/double room. Includes 4 nights of lodging, 4 dinners, 3 lunches, 4 breakfasts, and July 4th outing.

Fri. June 30 – Wed. July 5 (five nights):
$225 per person/double room. Includes 5 nights of lodging, 5 dinners, 4 lunches, 5 breakfasts, and July 4th outing

Wed. June 28 – Wed. July 5 (seven nights):
$300 per person/double room. Includes 7 nights of lodging, 7 dinners, 6 lunches, 7 breakfasts, and July 4th outing

The Youth League program is for youth ages 13 through 18. They will again be led by youth director, Kurt Fekete. The teens will work hard on a theatrical worship service to be presented to the congregation. Of course, teens will also have lots of time to gather for recreation, play, and outings. We’re so excited to have youth attend Convention as our spiritual community is not complete without them! The program is supervised by Kurt Fekete (kfekete@hotmail.com, 802-345-0169).

The Convention sponsor program allows teens aged 13–17 to attend Convention without parents. An adult sponsor must be named at time of registration who will attend Convention and agree to perform certain duties and take responsibility for the minor in place of the parent. Please name this sponsor in the “additional information” section of the registration form. The sponsor will be asked to co-sign an acknowledgement of this responsibility with the guardians of the youth after the youth has registered. Please notify Convention of any medications, allergies, or special needs when signing your teen up. Children under the age of 13 cannot attend Convention without a parent or legal guardian. Minors traveling by plane alone may be subject to certain fees or policies; please check with your airline(s).

The children’s program, for youth aged 6–12 will follow the Convention theme of “The Practice of Optimism.” The youth will experience lessons and crafting workshops exploring this topic with an outstanding leader with great experience teaching and working with children. Children will eat all meals with their parents. Please note that children under six cannot be signed up for childcare during regular Convention. The university does not provide cots, cribs, playpens, etc. so you should be prepared to bring your own. Childcare will be available for the children of ministers, Licensed Pastors, and General Council Members on Thur. June 29 and Fri. June 30 (during the pre-convention meeting times). Contact Central Office for more information and to sign-up for this service.

We recommend that you fly into Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). The drive should be between 45 minutes and an hour depending on traffic and time of day.

You may also want to consider flying into the Providence Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD). The drive time is the same as from Boston, however there are no public transportation options.

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Uber/Lyft/Taxi

We recommend a few different ways to get to the University. One way would be to use Uber or Lyft which is estimated to be about $60–$100 Although these prices and times may fluctuate based on the day and time that you are traveling. Uber and Lyft is an app that can be downloaded to your smartphone. In addition, there are usually taxis at each airport that cost $110–$140+/–. We recommend contacting other attendees to share your arrival and departure times to and from Convention to pool your resources and take an Uber/Lyft/Taxi together. If you would like your information shared with other attendees, please email manager@swedenborg.org with your details by June 14.   

Car Rental

Another option would be to work with others to rent a vehicle to get to and from Convention (similar drive times to Uber/Lyft listed above, please add in time for rental process). 

Shuttles and Public Transportation

You can take a bus called the Silver Line from Logan Airport to South Station that takes about 15 minutes. (https://www.mbta.com/schedules/741/line) From there you can take the commuter rail directly to campus. The MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) conveniently has a train stop right in the middle of the Bridgewater State University campus on the Middleborough/Lakeville line (https://www.mbta.com/schedules/CR-Middleborough/timetable). It takes approximately 50 minutes by train to South Station, Boston. The location of the train stop is to the left of the dorm and marked with a “T” on this map. 

July 5 Return Trip to Airports

Please arrange for your own transportation back for your return trip. 

If you will be arriving outside of the Check-In hours after booking your travel, please notify Central Office no later than June 14. 

If you would like to coordinate with other attendees you may do so. Please send your travel information to manager@swedenborg.org to be added to the “ride share” spreadsheet by June 14, which will be sent out to everyone on the list to coordinate travel with others from  the airports.

Weygand Hall at 351 Great Hill Drive, Bridgewater, MA

Specific driving directions to the campus can be located here: https://www.bridgew.edu/visit/directions-parking

Yes, parking is in the parking garage located next to the residence halls.

If you are a delegate you will be using NemoVote to vote and you will be sent a voter registration email after registration closes. It is a separate voting service and requires you to have a separate registration with their service. You will go to your account on NemoVote to make your choices and submit your votes. If you are attending in-person you can use a smartphone to vote. If you do not have a smartphone we will have a device available for you to use. There will also be someone available to help you if you are having difficulties with the system.

To log in:

• Go to https://swedenborg.nemovote.com
  • Or Follow the link you received in your email
• Type in your username (your email address) and password (included in the activation email)
• Click “Login” 

To vote:

• NemoVote homepage should be the current votes available to you
• If not, click “My Votes” in the upper left
• Click the blue ballot box icon in the “Actions” column to open your ballot
• Follow the screen prompts to make your voting selections
• Votes CANNOT be redone so double check your selections carefully
• Click “Submit Vote” and follow prompt instructions
• Make sure you complete all the votes. There will be a second page of votes for elections.

What is my username or password?

• Locate the activation email from NemoVote
• Your email address will work as your username as well
• Password is randomly generated and in the activation email, UNLESS you have already logged in and reset it.

Can’t find the activation email?

• Search your email with the keyword “Nemovote” (one word)
• Check Spam, Trash, and Promotions folders

Username and password don’t work?

• Check for typos. Both are case sensitive and may have spaces.
• Check if Caps Lock is on
• Randomly generated passwords often contain similar characters like 1, i, and L.
• Copy and pasting works best
• Try a different web browser or device
• If you reset your password manually, the emailed password will no longer be valid.