Photo: Charmaine Pearce

March 2019  

 

The last month has seen winter keep its hold on the Naramata area much like it has done for the rest of our country. But, even with the snow still on the ground, workers are out in the surrounding vineyards beginning to prune and prepare the plants for their spring growth. Like those workers, your Centre team has been hard at work refining our 2019 program offerings, tending to our site and buildings, and supporting community life here at the Centre and in the village.

Learning and Retreat at the Centre
People are arriving at the Centre, on personal retreats and study leaves, to spend time reading, writing, reflecting and enjoying the multitude of gifts on offer by the local community at this time of year.

Summer programs are starting to fill up. We have already sold out three of our programs this summer! Summer Weeks 4, 6 and 7 reservations are quickly filling up for our accommodations and programs, so don't delay in registering.

If you are concerned about the 50% deposit required for registrations, please contact the office by email at [email protected] or call 1-250-496-5751 and talk to Jean to secure your place today.

If you live in the Naramata area or nearby, you can join us each Saturday from April 13 to May 11 for Circus and Acro Discovery . Circus and Acro Discovery is a play-based class for all ages that uses the setting of circus performance and acro-movement to facilitate conscious growth, and foster mental and physical health and well-being. To learn more and to register, visit our  website here .

Youth and Young Adults
Registration for Connect 2019 launched this week. Connect 2019 is an opportunity for people aged 17-35 years to come together in community, explore their faith, restore their balance, and have fun in a safe and inclusive environment.
 
Activities and workshops offered throughout the week include yoga, meditation, art and music programs, cycling and hiking adventures, workshops on rituals and traditions of different faiths, Conversations that Matter, community meals, and much more!
 
The cost of the week starts at $200 with a range of affordable accommodation options including camping, shared accommodation and single rooms. A 10% discount on all accommodation is included and Heartwood Bursary funds are also available. Check out the website or call the office today!

We are looking to create more youth programs at the Centre. Please email [email protected] if you have some ideas for programs or would like to register your potential interest. We are still working with ideas but if we know who is interested, we can keep you up to date!

Contribute to the Centre
Please join us  in Hearts & Hands Spring Wake Up from May 10 - 20. Enjoy the camaraderie of working for a common cause, meet new friends, and give back to the Centre that has nurtured you!  Accommodation is provided at no cost in exchange for your labor as we get the Centre ready for summer! We can use your help for any days within the dates noted above. For more information and to register, visit our website here .

Celebrate and give thanks at our Annual General Meeting on Saturday, June 29, as we mark the 71st anniversary of Naramata Centre. Come for the day, stay for the weekend or continue on to join us for Summer Week 1!  Invite your family and Naramata Centre friends to come, too!   Please let us know you are coming by  registering here .
 
(Please note: If just attending for the day, please register as staying off-site. If staying overnight please note that, while spring reservations usually require a stay of three or more nights, for this weekend you can choose to stay for one, two, or more nights, as your schedule permits.)

More Job Opportunities
Check out the Job Opportunities page on our website as more roles have been added. Joining our team at the Centre is a great way to contribute to the work we are doing today and also helps to shape how the Centre will develop in the future. And, this is all while living in a beautiful part of the world and in a community rich in energy and opportunity. Each role contributes to ensuring that all who come here feel welcome and included.  Please read to see if there is a position that is a good fit for you or someone you know and feel free to give us a call (1-250-496-5751) to find out more about these opportunities.

Gratitude
The Centre extends deep gratitude to Joyce Brown and the late Donald Brown for the gift of $25,000 to the Centre. First as young people themselves, then with their children and then grandchildren and their partners, the Browns spent countless seasons at the Centre learning and playing together. "Our family's participation at the Centre for over 50 years has shaped all of our lives and greatly influenced who we are and how we live and give in this world. The mission and message of learning, inclusion, acceptance and spirit- felt community that is Naramata Centre is more important today than ever before." 

In the Community
Our weekly contemplative service Sacred Pause continues along with our monthly Centre potluck suppers providing warmth and the richness of community through the dark winter evenings.

During one Saturday each month this spring, Sacred Space Retreat day participants will open and close the day in contemplative worship, spend time in silence and participate in individual and group activities such as Spiritual Direction/Holy Listening, art, healing sessions and more. There will be time for personal prayer, journaling, walking the labyrinth or just being still in our quiet village. In the spirit of community, participants will come together for a lunch (prepared by volunteers), where they can either remain in silence or join with others, as they wish. For Sacred Space Retreat dates, visit our website here

Sunday March 3, NaramataSlow hosted Slow and Seedy Sunday in Columbia Hall

In This Issue
Volunteering
Naramata Centre Ambassadors
Thanks to all who have offered to keep their congregations up to date on what is happening at the Centre. If you would like share Centre  news with your church, please email:
Donate

Support the ongoing work of the Naramata Centre Society! Donations are always appreciated, and donors will receive a tax receipt at the end of the year. 

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Keep In Touch
Membership
Membership in the Naramata Centre Society is a way to show your support for the work of the Board, stay informed, and have voting privileges at the Society's annual meeting. Sign up today!
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The Naramata Centre Society |  Email:  [email protected]
PO Box 68  Naramata, V0H 1N0
250-496-5751