Join us Saturday, March 2 for our annual Women's Retreat! All women are welcome to join us for a day where we connect with one another, both in-person and online. Our schedule is listed below; please read through and if there is a session you plan to attend that requires registration, please sign up.
This session will be in-person and online
Join Hannah Athanasiadis (our new CE Assistant) for a nourishing yoga flow and meditation experience. This 45-minute flow is designed for everyone, whether you've never tried yoga before or are an experienced practitioner! The focus for the class will be heart-opening, nourishment, and creating a feeling of calm and connection in the body in preparation for our day together!
This session does not require registration unless you are joining us via Zoom. Registering for this session will ensure you will be sent a Zoom link to join in.
To register for Yoga & Meditation, click here.
This session will be in-person only
For those who will be doing yoga in-person, you are invited to bring your own lunch along to eat at the church before the rest of our sessions start at 1:00pm. Tables will be set up for you to eat at and meals can be kept cold in the fridge and heated in the microwave, if needed.
If you will not join in for lunch but will attend the afternoon sessions, please aim to arrive at the church at 1:00pm.
This session will be in-person and online
Join Rev. Rebecca for a group gathering time centred around our theme "Recipe for Nourishment." This will be a time to get to know one another better through opportunities to share, listen, and experience intentional time in community.
All participants are asked to come prepared to share either a way that you feel nourished or a food/meal that has nourished you over the years.
After our discussion about the ways we are nourished, we will move into a short devotion related to stories of when food in the Bible nourished people physically and spiritually.
This session does not require registration unless you are joining us via Zoom. Registering for this session will ensure you will be sent a Zoom link to join in.
To register for Recipe for Nourishment, click here.
This session will be in-person only
What does it feel like to truly engage in deep listening?
What does is it feel like when we give and receive the gift of each other's presence as a present?
How does staying in the present moment with our presence, attention, accompaniment, and laughter animate our spirit?
How are we changed when we journey together and say, "Yes, AND!"?
Join Erin as she leads an energizing exploration of animated active listening!
This session will be in-person and online
Bread is made up of four simple elements: flour, water, salt, and yeast. When these elements are mixed together, they are transformed into a completely new substance: Bread, the staple food throughout most of human history.
During this session we will make bread dough together (a "sourdough on training wheels")--a slow and steady process of mixing, stretching, folding, and waiting. As we make our dough we will engage in a form of prayer and hear about some of the stories of bread in the Bible.
To participate in this session you will need to bring the following items:
Don't worry if you don't have all these items--we'll have some to share around!
If you're joining us online, you'll also need a few ingredients: all-purpose or bread flour, whole wheat flour, kosher salt, instant yeast, and room temperature water.
We will make the dough together and then you will take your dough home to ferment (it needs anywhere from 8-24 hours to rest) and then shape and bake it at home (with clear instructions on how to do this!)
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED for this session so we can buy enough supplies.
A Zoom link for this session will be made available through registration for those joining online.
To register for Baking with the Bible, click here.
This session will be in-person only
Irene Faiz will lead us in an art project inspired by the art of Indigenous artist Christi Belcourt. Christi is a Métis visual artist and author living and working in Canada. She is best known for her acrylic paintings which depict floral patterns inspired by Métis and First Nations historical beadwork art. Many of her paintings are created with a series of tiny, perfectly sized acrylic dots, each representing a single bead.
According to Indigenous thought, plants have medicinal qualities. We will draw an Indigenous fruit or vegetable and turn that drawing into a design inspired by Christi Belcourt’s beadwork like paintings. No drawing experience is necessary. You will use sticker dots on black card stock to create your art honouring the “medicines that help us.”
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED for this session so we can buy enough supplies.
To register for Métis Beadwork Inspired Art, click here.
This session will be in-person only
One of the features of our Women's Retreat has always included time together over a meal, and this year is no exception! We'll gather to eat a catered meal together.
Non-alcoholic beverages will be provided, though if you would like an alcoholic drink during dinner or afterwards, you are welcome to bring your own along.
Dinner will include meat and vegetarian pasta (including a gluten free option), garlic bread, salad, and beverages.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED for this session so we can order enough food.
To register for Community Dinner, click here.
This session will be in-person only
After dinner, everyone is welcome to stay for a while to chat, sip some tea (or wine!), and/or play some board games or cards until 8pm. Leave from the retreat at whatever time works best for you.
If you'd like a ride home (either out of convenience or so that you can imbibe without worry), drivers are available--just let us know!
Register for sessions either by clicking the individual session links above or by heading to our central booking page, here. You can also register by emailing Rev. Rebecca with a list of the sessions you plan to attend and whether you will attend those online or in-person (rebecca@armourheights.org).
As part of our retreat day together, there will be ample opportunities to sip some tea or coffee during or between sessions. And nothing amplifies a warm drink like baked goods!
We encourage everyone to bring a sampling of one of your favourite baked items (or many of your favourites, if you feel up for it!) to share with everyone throughout the day. You don't have to be a baker to do this--if you have a favourite treat from a bakery (or perhaps your next door neighbour), you're invited to bring some along! These could be muffins, cookies, tarts, scones, squares, cake, pastries, or savoury items--whatever* you like best and most want to nourish others' taste buds with!
*Please note that we do have a severe peanut allergy in the group, so avoiding peanuts or peanut butter is appreciated.
After the Retreat, Rebecca will collect the recipes for each home-baked item to share with all the participants. If you cannot attend in person, we still encourage you to send along your favourite recipes to share.
Contact Rev. Rebecca if you have any questions about the Women's Retreat.