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West Isles Parish Retreat

We are excited to announce that our first Empey Centre Retreat House is opening May 1, 2025! This is a place for those in vocational ministry to come to rest and renew.
West Isles Parish Retreat 
Empey Centre 2025

Ministries

Following are the ministries we are offering and envisioning this year; be sure to return to this page for ministry updates and ongoing resources.

Online Ministers' Gathering

Breathe!

We invite any who are in vocational ministry to join together once a month to learn, share, and pray together online via Zoom. There is no cost to join these meetings. In these meetings, there will be a brief teaching around an element of restorative Christian ministry, space to discuss ministry and ask questions, and to encourage and pray for one another.

Our next Breathe topic will be "A Change of Heart: the inner work of spiritual formation" and will be held on April 30 at 11am EDT.

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One-on-One

Spiritual Guidance

If you are looking to connect one-on-one with someone for spiritual guidance or direction, we would be happy to have someone meet with you at no cost. We recognize that sometimes it is difficult to know who to talk to when you are a minister, and it can be a challenge to afford professional services. We are partnering with trained ministers and spiritual directors to offer this service at no charge for those serving in vocational ministry.

CONNECT ONE-ON-ONE

Resources

Read & Reflect

On our resource page we will have a number of articles, book recommendations, spiritual exercises and more to help you develop practices for a healthy, restorative Christian ministry. These resources will cover such topics as knowing God, overcoming vices, learning to rest, and loving people well. Updates will be made regularly, so be sure to come back often and see what's new.

RESOURCE PAGE
Formative Learning for Faithful Living

Courses 2025-2026

We will be offering the following video courses this year to equip you in your ministry. Watch for updates as courses will open soon!
The Shepherd & the Soul

Within scripture, God is pictured as a shepherding God and Jesus refers to himself as the good shepherd. Within the Old Testament, prophets, priests and kings are spoken of as shepherds of the people of God. Jesus calls his disciples into a shepherding role and the apostle Paul uses this language for leaders in the early church. This course will examine what it means to be a shepherd in today's church.
Practicing Presence

Within a mobile culture (in more ways than one) we have lost connection. Presence is a central biblical theme, whether we are talking about the presence of God among his people or the presence God's people are to practice with one another. This course looks at how to lead presence-based ministry in the local church, discerning above all else God's presence among us.
A Living Text

In the reading of scripture, whether privately or publicly, we are invited into another world. When watching a good movie, reading a great novel, or listening to a powerful piece of music, we are moved in a deep place within our being. With the Bible, however, the experience has often become dry, dutiful, and void of that deep encounter with something more. In this course we will search for more in sacred scripture than meets the eye.
Coming Soon . . .

We are Excited for What is Coming Soon!

Over this year we anticipate offering guided sabbath retreats for ministers and their families, a restorative ministry conference for ministers and church leaders, and securing a retreat house for ministers to come and rest.

Sabbath Retreats

We are planning to hold one or more sabbath retreats with the purpose of providing first a time of rest learning for those in ministry, with the goal of incorporating rest into your regular rhythm.

Restorative Ministry Conference

Plans are in motion for a Restorative Ministry Conference for you and your leadership. This will be an in-person conference structured around restorative ministry principles and practices.

Retreat House

Our first Empey Centre retreat house is opening May 1 2025. This will be a place  where ministers can come to rest and renew, while being provided practical guidance and instruction in restorative ministry. 
Renovaré Canada

Ministries for Your Church

Renovaré Canada has a number of events and resources which are geared to help members of your church mature in their own spiritual formation.
Renovaré Canada