The Queer Family Retreat
With Katherine Brittain, Eric Hamlyn, Ray McGinnis, Nichole (Niki) Angela Karmali, Nancy Shadlock, Rev. LeAnn Blackert, Yanti, Sam Welsh and Rev. Curt Allison
August 25 - 28, 2022
Enjoy 3 summer nights in the glorious Okanagan Valley, in queer Christian community with friends and families of all ages and life stages!
$195 for People 18+, Kiddos and Youth are Free
Extend your stay?
What to expect?
Programs!
- Elephant Island Winery Tour with WildChurch leader, LeAnne Blackert
- Sacred Writing with Ray McGuiness
- Yoga Chapel with Niki Karmali
- Connecting with Self and Nature through Clay with Nancy Shadlock
*schedule for programs to be announced. If you are interested in attending any of the programs, please pre-register. More information will be sent and updated as we near the retreat date.
Clubhouses!
- Morning Clubhouse time for Kiddos 5-11 (leadership to be announced)
- Early Evening Clubhouse time for Youth 12-17 with Tressa Brotsky and Raindon Amann-Blake
- Later Evening Clubhouse for Adults 18+ with retreat organizers (no-cost childminding from Naramata Centre Summer Staff will be available for those who need it, to empower you to attend Adult Clubhouse)
Day-of Intergenerational Activities!
- Hike to the Waterfalls
- Soul Spa
- Drop-in Art Making
- … and more to come!
Community Gatherings
- Thursday Food Truck Dinner! When you arrive on Thursday, you’ll get a pre-paid voucher for dinner – you can arrive and settle in without the worry of setting up your camp kitchen or wrestling the cottage stove while hungry! Dietary needs will be tended to.
- Saturday Food Truck Dinner & Queer Family Dance!
- WildChurch Sunday morning!
- … with many more to come!
Ready to join us? YAY!
Learn More About the Weekend Programs:
Yoga Chapel
Program Leader: Nichole (Niki) Angela Karmali
Ages: 12+
Time: Friday & Saturday, 9:45 am – 11:15 am
Yoga Chapel was founded by Rev Bethel Lee and interweaves the scriptures with yoga for both a physical and spiritual experience. Each session begins and ends with a biblical reading followed by a reflection relative to our lives now.
All experience levels are welcome. The sessions would include both a Hatha flow and yin sequence with modifications and adjustments as required by the participants.
Come for one session or come for both.
Connecting with Self and Nature through Clay
Program Leader: Nancy Shadlock
Ages: 18+
Time: Friday & Saturday, 9:45 am – 11:15 am
This program is recommended for those looking to dig deep within themselves using the medium of clay. It will be a space to get clear on where you are currently stuck and help create a vision for your next chapter in life. Clay will be the medium to express your findings. Be ready to venture into your darkside knowing it will be the path to seeing your incredible light! We will go deep, have fun, be creative and build connections all at once.
No clay experience is necessary.
Come for one session or come for both.
A Queer Path to Writing: Imagining the Poem Within
Program Leader: Ray McGinnis
Ages: 18+
Time: Friday & Saturday, 11:30 am – 12:45 pm
Find what you didn’t lose, as you tap into your own inner creative self, giving voice to your own truth. Come play with words and make spiritual connections with your queer friends.
All Music – All Singing
Program Leader: Curt Allison
Ages: 12+
Time: Friday & Saturday, 11:30 am – 12:45 pm
Love to sing? Then join this impromptu, sing-a-long session that incorporates a wide genre of music including gospel, pop, folk, and country. I’ll play the piano, you bring the music, and we all sing!
Play an instrument? Bring it and join us as well.
Afternoon Art
Program Leader: Sam Welsh
Ages: All Ages
Time: Friday & Saturday, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Join Sam for a variety of easy art activities. These are created for everyone to participate, all levels of experience welcome (especially for you if you just said “oh, I’m not an artist”). Each activity welcomes you to come by and make something unique, creative, and fun. These have been planned specifically as drop-in activities, come by anytime during the times noted (stay for ten minutes or the whole time) and you can complete an activity.
Learn to Play Ukulele
Program Leader: Yanti
Ages: All ages
Time: Friday & Saturday 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
This power-packed beginner ukulele is designed to be an efficient way of launching yourself into the world of ukulele playing. Perfect for teachers, parents, teens, kids, grandparents, and anyone else interested in learning to accompany you on the ukulele. Yanti’s group ukulele classes are designed to connect to creativity, discipline, and fine motor skills. Yanti devotes a portion of almost every class to memory work, stretching, and body mechanics. Her music selection reflects the interests of her students and her teaching style involves the memorization and application of ukulele chords through practice tools and music.
Ukulele’s provided, but if you have your own, bring it!
Youth Connection
Program Leader: TBD
Ages: 12-17
Time: Friday & Saturday 9:45 am – 12:45 pm
Build new friendships at the Youth Connection Club. Share together, and laugh together – This is your time, so leave any negative pressures behind, bring your ideas and come have fun in an inclusive community that values all that you are.
Children’s Clubhouse
Program Leader: Nancy Walker
Ages: 5-11
Time: Friday & Saturday 9:45 am – 12:45 pm
The children’s clubhouse welcomes and celebrates children for exactly who they are. Program leaders nurture children’s spirits through creative and imaginative play, storytelling, songs, games, and more. Enroll your children to be together in community learning how to sow the seeds of lasting friendships.
About the Program Leaders
Katherine Brittain
Katherine currently lives, works and ministers in the Cowichan Valley of Vancouver Island. She is passionate about creating engaging and experiential ways of encountering the Spirit, exploring rituals and experiencing the Divine in the everyday. She delights in creating community and exploring the "something more" of life, especially in cross-generational communities. Katherine is an alum […]
Learn more about Katherine BrittainEric Hamlyn
Eric lives in West Vancouver with his partner Thomas, and is the Minister of Faith & Families at Lynn Valley United Church in North Vancouver. Eric loves road trips, coffee, sushi, and long walks on the seawall! He has a gift for hospitality which he credits to his Newfoundland upbringing and loves to create brave, […]
Learn more about Eric HamlynRay McGinnis
Ray McGinnis is author of Writing the Sacred: A Psalm-inspired Path to Appreciating and Writing Sacred Poetry, and most recently his chronicle: Unanswered Questions: What the September Eleventh Families Asked and the 9/11 Commission Ignored. He has taught poetry, journal writing, memoir and Psalm writing workshops in Canada and internationally. A former educator with the United Church […]
Learn more about Ray McGinnisNichole (Niki) Angela Karmali
Nichole (Niki) Angela Karmali: Niki was born in London, England and grew up traveling with her nomadic father and family, first around England, then to New Zealand before finally settling in Vancouver as a registered nurse at BC’s Children’s Hospital. Throughout her travels, Niki found her peace and solace on her yoga mat, which was […]
Learn more about Nichole (Niki) Angela KarmaliNancy Shadlock
Nancy Shadlock is the CEO and founder of Centered Life Coaching and the host of The Coming Out Chronicles podcast. Nancy encourages all of us to be fiercely honest with ourselves so we finally realize who we are, step into our gifts, and enrich our world! Nancy offers several retreats each year that help others […]
Learn more about Nancy ShadlockRev. LeAnn Blackert
Rev. LeAnn Blackert is in ministry with Wild Church plants in Kamloops, Sorrento and the Okanagan area. When she’s not out wandering the land or sitting under a favourite tree, she can be found at her home in Kelowna, on the unceded, ancestral lands of the Syilx Nation. She serves as a member of the steering […]
Learn more about Rev. LeAnn BlackertYanti
For the past decade, Yanti has performed locally in many different combos and venues. From Jazz Standards at weddings or retirement homes to rock ballads for fundraisers, either live or karaoke, Yanti has a diverse range of vocal talents. Not only is Yanti involved with performances, she also passionately teaches ukulele and voice. As a […]
Learn more about YantiSam Welsh
Sam, she/her, is a Counsellor and artistic human working at the intersection of creativity and mental health. She encourages divergent thinking, using the arts, and finding flow to bring about positive change and personal growth. Sam has led, co-led, designed, and faciliated a wide range of programming for communities and groups at Naramata Centre and […]
Learn more about Sam WelshRev. Curt Allison
Rev. Curt Allison is the Minister of 2SLGBTQ+ Ministries at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church in Vancouver. In addition to leading The Word Is OUT!! 2SLGBTQ+ spirituality group, he also directs the church's Gospel Choir, and participates in worship leadership. His passion for music and inclusive church communities has also led him to serve the greater […]
Learn more about Rev. Curt AllisonCategories : Family/Group Registration, Summer Weeks