Sorrento Scenario Fall 2013

Autumn 2013

Dear Friends,

Every day is another opportunity for thanksgiving and we certainly feel that way at Sorrento Centre. However, once a year in October we are especially mindful because of Thanksgiving weekend; and what a Thanksgiving it was at Sorrento Centre! We had 81 guests on site, including people of all

ages. We picked apples from the Kinghorn Orchard on Saturday and pressed apple juice in our own hand-made press on Sunday. Farm pumpkins were carved and displayed, gardens were plucked and pruned and generally made over. The beautiful leafy vines on the east side of Spes Bona were left up for another couple of weeks so we could enjoy the crimson beauty that has now come.

The pews of St. Francis Chapel were stacked and shrouded for the winter. Chairs and picnic tables were repaired. Windows were washed. Linens were ironed. The cinder-block wall of the kitchen extension received its second coat of paint. Next year we can begin the much larger project of repainting all of Richardson Lodge.

On Saturday afternoon we gathered in the Memorial Garden to bid farewell to two very special friends. The ashes of Enid Punter were interred after a service by former Centre Director, Bishop Barbara Andrews. Enid was a bright and mischievous soul (as all the male Associates will attest).

On the same afternoon we also said our final farewell to Fred Gailus. Fred was a former staff member as well as a former Board member.

A Message from the Executive Director

We remember him as passionate, energetic and upbeat in the face of adversity. What a joy to see three generations of the Gailus family coming together, surrounded by friends and Associates, to grieve, give thanks and say goodbye. Next time you’re at the Centre, have a rest on the bench outside Spes where Fred’s wooden name badge has now been embedded. This is where Fred used to sit to admire the Lincoln rose bush he planted right next to it.

Fred Gailus

This year we planted a new row of bushes on the west side of the Memorial Garden. Next year we will continue landscaping the space. We will also be installing a “lychgate” which is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English-style graveyard.

Every year there is something new at Sorrento Centre. 2014 will be no different. I wonder if you’re like me? I can’t wait!

Christopher LindExecutive Director1963-2013

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A Newsletter for the Associates of Sorrento CentreScenario

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Gordon Light and Barbara Liotscos

Anglican Foundation of Canada Grant For New Infant Care Space

Gordon Light, the former Bishop of APCI, and his wife, the Rev. Barbara Liotscos, will be volunteering as co-Associate Directors at Sorrento Centre from early November, 2013 to March, 2014, working with the staff to oversee the day-to-day running of the Centre. The generous donation of their time and skills will free Executive Director Chris Lind to spend more time on fundraising efforts for the Capital Campaign.

Sorrento Centre is the recipient of a financial grant of $5,000 from the Anglican Foundation of Canada for the renovation of our Children and Youth programming space. This funding went toward the complete renovation of the Casita 1 apartment into a colourful play space for the youngest Children and Youth Program participants aged 0-4. The renovation includes new flooring, appliances, paint and furniture. In addition, we built a new fenced outdoor playground space.

Our partnership with the Anglican Foundation of Canada is an important indication of support from the national Anglican community for our work at Sorrento Centre. Visit the website at www.anglicanfoundation.org

This project was also supported by a gift from the parish of St. Mary’s Kerrisdale.

Please note that The Sorrento Centre office will be closed

starting December 21, 2013 for the Christmas holidays. The office will

re-open on Monday, January 6, 2014.

The summer of 2013 was full of synchronicity and accomplishment. We all enjoyed good organic home-grown food, while we shared many projects such as building a new deck on the Art Barn along with new railings and stairs. We had many repairs around the site, everything from electrical systems to door handles, stairs, railings and window replacements. The breezeway near the kitchen received a fresh face while we built a children’s play area that was safe and fun for the youth staff and children to enjoy. The Casita 1 apartment was reconditioned with recycled tile, new drywall, paint, bathroom and shelving for use as an infant care space. All the while we managed to keep things rolling along smoothly. Going forward, we anticipate the preparation of the Memorial Garden and boat storage, plus collaboration between grounds and maintenance for the farm storage area and a recycling storage centre – and much, much more.

During the Thanksgiving Associates Weekend, we renewed many of the picnic tables and Adirondack chairs that our guests enjoy so much when they come to experience our beautiful grounds. 

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the Associates, guests and fellow staff members who make Sorrento Centre so unique and such a fine example of human spirituality and personal growth.

From the Maintenance Departmentby Lorn McCausland

Christmas Office Hours

2 The ScenarioSorrento Centre

News from Sorrento Centre

In Memoriam Memorial Garden Project

All of us in the Sorrento Centre community have been saddened by the deaths of a number of beloved Associates over the past months.

Sara Baker, known to one and all as “Sally”, passed away on May 2. Her close friend Enid Punter, with whom she often travelled to Sorrento Centre, followed her on May 8. Enid was famous for her wicked and mischievous sense of humour and joy in life.

Enid Punter

Fred Gailus, who was a much loved figure at Sorrento Centre, first as our Groundskeeper and later as a member of the Board of Directors, succumbed to a battle with Type 2 diabetes on July 12. Fred’s love of Sorrento Centre, his dedication to his job and his good nature were felt by everyone who knew him, both guests and fellow employees. Our hearts go out to his wife Andrea and their children and grandchildren.

On October 12 Carl Stevenson of Calgary, a long-time Associate and great promoter of the Centre, passed away after a brief struggle with cancer. His wife Marlene and their children and grandchildren are in our prayers.

Carl and Marlene and their daughter Charlene were fixtures at Spring Associate Weeks and Thanksgiving Associate Weekends over many years. They were much missed this past Thanksgiving when Carl’s illness prevented them from coming to Sorrento.

During this past Thanksgiving the ashes of Enid and of Fred were interred in Sorrento Centre’s Memorial Garden. Carl’s ashes will be interred there sometime in 2014.

Shuswap Community Foundation

Sorrento Centre is the recipient of a financial grant of $4,280 from the Shuswap Community Foundation for the Sorrento Centre Farm Program waterline hookup. The waterline hookup will provide Sorrento Centre Farm property access to the Columbia Shuswap Regional District water line. This new water source will enhance the farm’s ability to irrigate the crops and sustain a high level of programming and productivity in the years to come.

The Shuswap Community Foundation is an important leader in the Shuswap Region. The Foundation’s partnership with Sorrento Centre exemplifies the significance of Sorrento Centre in the Shuswap community.

www.shuswapfoundation.ca

Sorrento Centre Memorial Garden is undergoing a transformation of its own. A committee of staff and volunteers has been working over the past two years on the development of a comprehensive plan for enhancing and beautifying the Memorial Garden space on the Sorrento Centre site.

In 2012, Phase One of the Memorial Garden transformation included acquiring a teak bench and planting a privacy hedge of mature lilac trees. In 2013, Phase Two included acquiring a font as a gift from the Diocese of New Westminster which will serve as a water feature. Phase Two also included the planting of a mock orange bush privacy hedge.

In 2014, Phase Three will include the construction of an entrance archway lychgate (see right) levelling the ground in and around the garden and planting perennials in the flower beds.

To learn more about this project, please contact Executive Director Chris Lind.

April 25 -May 1, 2014

Visit www.sorrento-centre.bc.ca for details

QuiltWeek!

Notes from the Farmby Farmer David Wides

With the end of fall, the fourth season of cultivating the land at the Sorrento Centre Farm has come to a close. Our growing season has been abundant beyond all expectation. The soil has proven itself to be both fertile and generous. Sorrento Centre has produced an abundance of crops and has shared the bounty with our diverse community throughout this 50th Anniversary season.

Our farm continues to inspire our collective imagination while it nourishes us with fresh abundance. Sorrento Centre Farm is a very tangible way to experience Sorrento Centre as “a holy place of transformation for learning, healing and belonging.” As our Executive Director Chris Lind explains, “The Farm has transformed the Centre in many ways, including the staff relationships, our fundraising goals and our relationships with the local community through our

outreach to schools, charities and the development of a community walking path. Sorrento Centre Farm has provided a new dimension to the Centre’s relationship with Creation.”

This season we began a very valuable new program called the Sorrento Centre Farm Food Box Program. We offered fresh produce throughout the summer to guests at Sorrento Centre and parishioners at St. Mary’s Church in the form of a bag of fresh vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers. This program was a huge success and the Sorrento Centre Farm Food Box Program will be back in 2014 by popular demand.

We have delivered a wide range of farm programming this season. Some of the highlights include the Creation Integration Youth Program which engaged all of the youth that joined us here at Sorrento Centre. Another highlight is our Charity

Ministry, which continues to share the abundance every season with those most in need in our community. Additionally, we have welcomed youth groups, community volunteers as well as local grade school classes and high school students to the farm for field trips and volunteer days.

The success of the farm is due to the efforts of many people, including Sorrento Centre Staff and especially the Youth Staff and Youth Volunteers, Associate Supporters, Sorrento Centre Guests, St. Mary’s Anglican/United Church and all of the others who continue to support our efforts. As we give thanks and the growing season draws to a close, we are already opening the next chapter of beginning to plan for our 2014 season. Each new season comes with the promise of new abundance and inspiration. We look forward to sharing that promise with all of you in the coming year!

1159 Passchendaele Road PO Box 99, Sorrento, BC V0E 2W0 Phone: 250-675-2421 Toll-free: 1-866-694-2409 [email protected] www.sorrento-centre.bc.ca

The Scenario • Autum 2013 • Sorrento Centre - A holy place of transformation for learning, healing and belonging