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For over five years, Focus on the Family Canada has sought ways to expand the ministry of retreat programs into Ontario. After an extensive search for an appropriate location to hold the Hope Restored marriage intensive program in Ontario, we discovered Nestleton Waters Inn, located just east of Port Perry and only an hour away from Toronto. After much prayer and discernment, the decision to purchase has been finalized and on March 1, 2023, Focus on the Family Canada will take possession of this property.
With almost 40 per cent of the Canadian population living in Ontario and another 27 per cent living in Quebec and the Maritime provinces, the need to provide on-the-ground help to families in Eastern Canada is significant. Purchasing Nestleton Waters Inn, now Kerith Waters, not only allows us to maximize the number of couples served at Hope Restored but also to operate both our Marriage Enrichment Retreats and Kerith Ministry Leader Retreats at this property as well. The name Kerith Waters is in keeping with our other centres: Kerith Creek in Alberta and Kerith Pines in Manitoba.
Here is a look at the programs that will operate at Kerith Waters, including the impact the programs will have each year.
Hope Restored is a marriage counselling retreat program designed to serve couples in crisis. All marriage therapists are trained in the uniquely holistic counselling approach that combines a couple’s hearts, minds, and faith in order to address the root of the problem and start couples on a path toward healing.
This is more than a plan to stop divorce or a weekend session at a church. By providing couples with luxurious, restful surroundings, they are able to enter a calmer emotional and mental state in order to absorb the focused counselling they receive. Hope Restored marriage intensives are new beginnings, even for husbands and wives who think all is lost.
By 2024 we plan to run 20 Hope Restored marriage intensives, expanding to 30 each year by 2025.
Visit HopeRestoredCanada.ca to learn more.
Working in ministry has many blessings, but an abundance of financial resources is typically not one of them. Many people who serve in ministry, as missionaries or in para church organizations are not able to afford a luxury retreat. The Kerith Ministry Leader Retreats provide them a unique opportunity to step away from the demands of life and find true rest in God’s presence.
When they attend, they not only experience the calm of nature at our retreat centres, they also are taken through a specialized program for clergy and ministry leaders so they can find rest and renewal from the constant challenges that arise in their vocation. This retreat includes seven days of personalized teaching for ministry leaders in a small-group setting. Whether the guests are married or single, these ministry retreats give them a chance to enjoy a restful setting conducive to spiritual restoration and deepened intimacy with Christ.
By 2024 we plan to run 10 Kerith Ministry Leader Retreats each year.
Visit KerithRetreats.ca to learn more.
There are many couples who are not on the brink of divorce or facing a crisis, but who are looking for ways to improve their relationship with their spouse. Marriage Enrichment Retreats are created for couples who are looking to take one weekend away to make a strong marriage even stronger. Based on the proven, biblically based principles of the Hope Restored marriage intensive program, these retreats equip couples with practical tools to create a more vibrant, intimate and loving marriage.
We already hold All-Inclusive Marriage Enrichment Retreats at our Kerith Creek (Alberta) and Kerith Pines (Manitoba) locations and these retreats continually sell out quickly. By introducing the All-Inclusive Marriage Enrichment Retreat at Kerith Waters, we will be able to reach even more couples and help them avoid the path that leads to family breakdown by empowering them with marriage-saving communication and conflict resolution tools now that they may need later.
The All-Inclusive Retreat option at our centres provides couples with the most focused care and attention from our marriage speakers. As husband and wife go through the proven principles of the Hope Restored marriage intensive program, they have ample time to workshop what they’re learning and dive deeper into the subject matter with our speakers. And all food and accommodations are included in their stay, so they can fully relax as they work through the program.
By 2024 we plan to run 4 Marriage Enrichment Retreats each year.
Visit EnrichYourMarriage.ca to learn more.