Peace Sing Along

Part of the Season of Peace and Non-Violence included a peace sing along this week. Here are some photos from this fun event.

Thank you to Rev. Lesley and the Outreach Committee for all your hard work on this event.

Thank you to Joanne for the photos.

March 15th - 'Peace in Us' and 'Compassionate Communication' Workshop

 “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mindfulness, Graciousness, Kindness, Dialogue, Unity, Openness, and Accountability … are the concepts for Week 6 of the Season of Nonviolence. All wonderful qualities for a life well lived, we can all agree on that. 

64 days of trying on ideas and concepts that can enhance my life… here we are over half way through the “Season” …… I have experienced joy, happiness, connection, and some not so happy feelings of upset, sadness and self-pity. A well rounded human after all! 

Mostly, I have been super aware of the ways violence shows up in my world. I used the word explode in a poem the other day and wondered about the violence of that word in a love poem. Did it fit? Do I mean that? What is explode, what does it mean to me… where has explode shown up before? 

My contemplations have led me to remember times in my past, what I watch on TV, and what I can no longer watch on TV. I recently attended a movie and found the violence towards a woman in the show intolerable so I walked out, but I eagerly await each week the next episode of my favourite murder mystery show. What a paradox. Why was that one scene so overpowering and yet I seem to be absolutely immune to a dead body with blood spewed all over it in another show. 

I invite you to explore where violence shows up in your life, contemplate what your ideas and thoughts are, and perhaps there are some insights in increasing peace and releasing violence that result… Let’s shine our light on Peace! - Rev. Lesley

Join us on Sunday morning (March 15th) for an inspiring message about "Peace in Us" by Dr. Deborah Gordon and Reverend Lesley McNamara. Then carry the spirit of peace into the afternoon with a workshop on compassionate communication from 1:00 - 4:00 at the Pandosy Peace Centre (seems like an appropriate location, doesn't it?).

Season of Peace and Non-Violence.... Movie Night and a Great talk.

Just a reminder that the peace-themed movie night is coming up this Friday February 20th at 7pm at UBC-O. This is the second event in the Season of Non-Violence outreach initiative. Come on out and enjoy a movie and support this season.

In the meantime you can watch this talk again on YouTube. This was Reverend Corinne Crockett's talk on the subject of peace entitled - Yes it begins with me. There are some great slides in the video that accompany the talk. Pour yourself a cup of tea and curl up with your (cat/dog/goldfish/partner/friend/favourite blanket) and be inspired to be the peace you want to see in the world.

It's the Month of Love

With Valentine's Day coming up, we really can't help but think about love. The love we have currently in our lives, the love we have lost, the love we would like to have. It all comes up around Valentines Day, doesn't it?

My all-time favourite book about love and relationships is Gary Chapman's The 5 Languages of Love. I learned some very valuable lessons from this book. The great thing is that the tools in this book don't just enhance our
primary love relationship, they are also very useful in our relationships with our friends and family as well. These tools are so universal that I have also used them in my role as a manager.

For instance, did you know that we tend to show love to others in the ways that we want to be loved? That makes sense, doesn't it? Did you also know that people have very different ways of feeling loved? As Chapman says, we each have a language of love that we speak and that speaks to us. Now, what are the chances that all the other people in our lives speak the same love language? If they don't (which many of them, in fact, don't) we could be spending a lot of energy trying to express our love to people in our lives but they are not feeling it. We are not speaking the right language.

Now imagine if you knew the love language of the people in your life. Imagine the harmony you would have in your relationships if the love you expressed could easily be felt by others.

Reverend Gwen Smith is starting a book study on The 5 Love Languages on Valentine's Day. I highly recommend this book and I can't think of a more open and loving person to facilitate some great discussions about the ideas Gary Chapman presents.  

If you are interested in learning more about relationships and love languages, contact Rev. Gwen Smith about this book study.

A Season of Peace and Non-Violence

I am so passionate about people. I love ‘em and embrace ‘em! As the facilitator of the Community Outreach Portfolio at CSL Kelowna, I knew I wanted to build a great sense of connectedness for our members, while being “seen” in the greater Kelowna area. I know we have tools and a way of thinking that transforms lives. What could be more relevant than promoting PEACE in our city? The Season of Non-Violence has been around for 18 years now and it’s time it came to Kelowna. Peace begins within and we know how to create a beautiful space for people to experience the Peace that passes all understanding.

Our group of Peace Champs is so excited to offer five events that every one of us can participate in and we can invite our family, friends, and co-workers.  

JANUARY 30^TH – Peace Meditation – 6:30 pm Pandosy Peace Centre

FEBRUARY 20^TH – Peace Movie Night – 7:00 pm UBCO

MARCH 15^TH – Peace Workshop – 1 – 4 pm Pandosy Peace Centre

MARCH 26^TH – Coffee House Sing along – 7 pm Bean Scene Coffee on Bernard Avenue

APRIL 4^TH – Peace Rocks Walk – location to be determined

How Fun and Easy is that? 

“Be the Change you wish to See” Gandhi

Community * Light * Relevance * Transformation * Fun * Easy

Rev. Lesley McNamara

Living My Life Purpose - The second unit of this powerful course starts this Wednesday

After attending the Living My Life Purpose retreat my life has been changed. I don't mean so much in the physical sense, but a deep, inside way. My spiritual practices have been strengthened and deepened in a way I always wanted but didn't know how to accomplish. I now have tools to continue my journey and know I can use them at anytime to release the doubts and fears as they come up in my life. The inner peace and confidence that I left the retreat with is my grace and brings me great joy.

It gives me pleasure to be able to share these tools with my Centre. I love being a contagious example of how to be open and allow the deepening of faith in my spiritual family.

I am offering this class on Wednesdays from 6:30 - 9:00 at the Pandosy Peace Centre. This is a course that is set up in two week units, so you can make a 2 week commitment at a time. All of the information can be picked up at the time you join. The investment is $50.00 for each 2 week unit. 

Blessings - Rev. Val Benedict