the

Autumn 2013

Scenario

A Newsletter for the Associates of Sorrento Centre
A Message from the
Executive Director
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. 	

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!

50
1963-2013

Christopher Lind
Executive Director
Gordon Light and Barbara Liotscos
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.

News from Sorrento Centre
Anglican Foundation of Canada
Grant For New Infant Care Space

From the Maintenance Department
by Lorn McCausland

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.

Christmas
Office Hours
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.

2

The Scenario

Sorrento Centre

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.
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.

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.

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

Quilt
Week !

April 25 May 1,
2014

Visit www.sorrento-centre.bc.ca for details
Notes from the Farm
by 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!

The Scenario • Autum 2013 • Sorrento Centre - A holy place of transformation for learning, healing and belonging
1159 Passchendaele Road PO Box 99, Sorrento, BC V0E 2W0 Phone: 250-675-2421 Toll-free: 1-866-694-2409 reception@sorrento-centre.bc.ca www.sorrento-centre.bc.ca

Sorrento Scenario Fall 2013

  • 1.
    the Autumn 2013 Scenario A Newsletterfor the Associates of Sorrento Centre A Message from the Executive Director 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. 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! 50 1963-2013 Christopher Lind Executive Director
  • 2.
    Gordon Light andBarbara Liotscos 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. News from Sorrento Centre Anglican Foundation of Canada Grant For New Infant Care Space From the Maintenance Department by Lorn McCausland 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. Christmas Office Hours 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. 2 The Scenario Sorrento Centre 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.
  • 3.
    In Memoriam Memorial GardenProject 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. 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. 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 Quilt Week ! April 25 May 1, 2014 Visit www.sorrento-centre.bc.ca for details
  • 4.
    Notes from theFarm by 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! The Scenario • Autum 2013 • Sorrento Centre - A holy place of transformation for learning, healing and belonging 1159 Passchendaele Road PO Box 99, Sorrento, BC V0E 2W0 Phone: 250-675-2421 Toll-free: 1-866-694-2409 reception@sorrento-centre.bc.ca www.sorrento-centre.bc.ca