Category: Health & Wellness

Healing Touch

By: r.a. paterson | June 9, 2009
Healing TouchHealing Touch

Date: Every Monday afternoon
Location: First†Metropolitan United Church

We believe that healing is a process guided by God to restore balance and wholeness of body, mind and spirit, not only within the individual but also within relationships, community and creation. Experience and research has shown that patients experience a faster recuperation with healing touch.

Healing Touch sessions are available by appointment on Monday afternoons on the hour from noon to 6:00 pm and other times by prior arrangement. To make an appointment, phone the First†Met office and leave a message in the Healing Touch voicemail box or phone Susan Walma at (250) 361-0694. A list of the healers is posted on the Wellness notice board. Each one can give information and healing.

On the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm, the healers meet to share our experiences and to practice new and old techniques. We welcome new healer members who have training in Reiki or Healing from the Heart.

  • Phone: (250) 388.5188, ext. 235
  • Fax: (250) 388.5186
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New Vistas

By: r.a. paterson | June 9, 2009

New Vistas is a series of ‘lunch and learn’ forums for older adults in Victoria, B.C.

Older adults are invited to explore spiritual issues from an interfaith perspective and connect with like-minded souls in a peaceful, scenic setting. It’s an opportunity to make new friends and renew old friendships through lively dialogue and over a delicious hot lunch at the church.

More than 65 people attended the inaugural program in Spring 2007 series on such topics as Becoming a Wise Elder, Forgiveness, Coming to Terms with Death, and What’s Your Story? Tools for Harvesting Life. Since then, the program has been offered each Spring attracting many participants from our congregation and the broader community.

Check the events page in January  for dates and topics. For more information, contact Ann affey at (250) 388-5188, Ext. 233.

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Family Counselling Program

By: joan mason | October 1, 2011

Are you suffering from depression or anxiety? Are you a couple struggling to separate or restore your relationship, Do you have issues with alcohol and drug dependency, anger management? Do you need assistance with conflict resolution or mediating a conflict?

Karl Ireland has a Master’s degree in Counselling and is a Registered Clinical Counsellor. He is a retired member of the BC Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Karl and his wife Sheila moved here from Kamloops two years ago and joined our congregation.  They raised their family in Haida Gwaii and lived in Kamloops for 15 years, where Karl had a private practice in family therapy.  They have three children and five grandchildren. Karl likes to work with multi-generation families and extended families.

Cost: The fee is varied according to people’s ability to pay, from 0 to $100.00 per session. Clients are given a tax deductible receipt from First Met for the fees they pay. All who wish to come for counselling are welcome.

Contact: To arrange a session or for further information, you may contact the First Met office at 250-388-5188 or speak to Karl directly at 778-433-4022.

 

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Living Through Grief

By: joan mason | October 4, 2011

Dates: Five Tuesdays, Jan 24, Feb 7, 21 and 28 and Mar 26, 2012
Times: 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Location: Doreene McLeod Rm, First Metropolitan United Church

We live in a society that does not value grief, nor does it allow any time for it. Yet grieving allows us to honour those we have loved, to recognize all that we gained through our relationship with them, and to acknowledge and heal those areas where there may have been wounding or unfinished business.

This support group, facilitated by Linda Mulhall,  provides participants with the opportunity to be with their grief with deep self-compassion and gradually, to move more vibrantly back into their lives. It brings a spiritual dimension to the process of grief. Through guided meditation, poetry, journaling andsmall group discussion, we will explore together how we grieve and the importance of grieving; the three stages of sorrow, where we store our grief; recogizing and releasing those areas in our bodies where we store grief; necessary losses and ways of coping; completing unfinished communication; speaking from the heart; caring for self; and finding the inner centre.

The approach is InterSpiritual; respectful of all backgrounds, drawing on a variety of spiritual practices from Buddhist, Sufi, and Christian traditions. No previous experience in meditation is necessary.

You are welcome to attend the first session and decide if you’d like to commit to the following four sessions. After the first session, the group will be closed. This program is open to everyone at no charge. All are welcome! Please register in advance, using the online registration form below.
For more info:

Living Through Grief

Start Date: January 24, 2012

End Date: March 6, 2012

We are sorry but registration for this event is now closed.

Please contact us if you would like to know if spaces are still available.

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Navigating Life’s Transitions

By: joan mason | October 4, 2011

Dates: Five Wednesdays: March 28, April 11 and 25, May 9 and 23, 2012
Time: 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Location: First Metropolitan United Church, Doreene McLeod Rm.

This program is for those who have experienced a change in life circumstances: divorce, separation, job loss, empty-nesting, retirement, aging, a change in life style.

We are constantly living with change: change of career, change in life style, change in a relationship, divorce, job loss, or moving. “Change” is a shift in the situation. Transition, on the other hand, is the process of letting go of the way things used to be and then taking hold of what they have now become. In the time between “letting go” and “taking hold again is the chaotic time of transition, a time of sadness, loss, letting go of old roles and identities, learning to live with uncertainty, and eventually it is also a time of opening up to the spaciousness of life, and anticipating new beginnings. We will be working with teachings from various spiritual traditions, as well as the work of Carl Jung, to help move through this phase of uncertainty. Guided meditation and group sharing will be used to assist participants in this journey towards their new identity.

The group, facilitated by Linda Mulhall MEd,  will meet for five evenings, for two hours each evening, meeting every two weeks. To assist the group in establishing an open, safe environment, no new members will be added after the first session. After the first session, participants will be asked to commit to an additional four sessions. Sessions are free and open to all.  Everyone is welcome! Please register in advance using the online registration form below.

For more info:

 

 

 

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Emily MacDonald, Health and Wellness Advocate

By: r.a. paterson | October 11, 2011

Emily has worked in the community for most of her career. For the past 11 years, she was a home care nurse, case manager, manager and clinical leader for the Vancouver Island Health Authority. Most recently, she was the clinical leader at the Victoria Health unit for the Quick Response Team, the Regional Resource for Adults with Disabilities Team and the Wound Care Clinic. Emily has a Master’s Degree in Nursing from the University of Victoria.

She has been a member of Pilgrim United Church for the past 10 years where she was chair of the Ministry and Personnel Committee, an alternate representative for Presbytery and a teacher of Godly Play. Over the past several years, Emily has travelled to Haiti three times as a member of a work team that provided care and services at Hope Home, a group home for 25 mentally and physically challenged children and youth.

In her free time, she walks her Labradoodle named Lucy Lu, does silversmithing, kayaks, hikes and camps. She also participates in two book clubs – one that reads theology and one for fun books.

 

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Health and Wellness

By: r.a. paterson | June 9, 2009

Healing Touch is just one of the programs of the Health and Wellness Ministry

Promoting personal health and healing has been central to Christianity from the beginning.

The Health and Wellness Ministry has programs to promote well-being, empower you through self-help and support healing through healing touch, prayer or laying on of hands.

Emily MacDonald, a registered nurse, is the health and wellness advocate. Available to consult with individuals on a one-to-one basis, she can suggest programs, refer you to community resources and education, and advocate on your behalf when you have health concerns.

You can contact Emily by phone at (250) 388.5188, ext. 233 or email her.

Donations to the Health and Wellness Bursary Fund are tax deductible and may be made in lieu of fees where no fees are indicated.

Subsidies may be available for programs that have a fee. Please speak to the Health and Wellness Advocate.

Programs offered include:

Please note that offerings may vary throughout the year depending on the interests of congregation members and participants. Please check the church events page for dates and times of upcoming health and wellness sessions. If no location is given, check the notice board at the Balmoral Street entrance when arriving for a session.

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Summer Strollers

By: r.a. paterson | June 9, 2011
Summer StrollersSummer Strollers at Willows Beach

Date: Thursdays from May to September/October.
Time(s): 10:30 to 11:45 a.m
Location: Willows Beach, Oak Bay

This popular strolling program is for folks who like to stroll and enjoy the views. Some bring their canes, others their walkers, and yet others are just a little slower than they were 5 or 10 years ago.

The Esplanade at Willows Beach offers an even, paved surface on which to walk and benches along the way to sit and catch one’s breath.

After a stroll, participants gather at the Kiwanis Tea Room for refreshments, great conversation and laughter.

All strollers are most welcome to come and join us. Rides are arranged for those who are no longer driving. We have a wonderful group of volunteer drivers to help folks get to our meeting point at the parking lot at Willows Beach (off Beach Drive), stroll with you and get you safely back home by noon. If you strolled with us last year, you will be contacted by phone to arrange your driver and pickup time.

If you are a new stroller and/or volunteer driver,  please contact Emily MacDonald.

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Tai Chi

By: Admin | June 9, 2011
Tai Chi ClassTai Chi Class

(Tai Chi Chuen)

Date: Mondays and Wednesdays
Time(s): 12 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Location: First†Metropolitan United Church

Join other men and women in learning Tai Chi to improve their inner and outer balance, while also having fun! Newcomers always welcome. Speak to Carol Halvorson (250) 386-6670 for more information. There are no sessions when the Monday is a statutory holiday. Check the events calendar for dates. Beginners and returnees welcome!

Come and feel your energy flow!

No fee but donations welcome.

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Support Groups

By: Admin | June 9, 2011

Health and Wellness Group (formerly the Chronic Illness Support Group)

This group is for anyone living with a chronic illness who would like to be part of a group for sharing life’s ups and downs and spiritual reflection. The group focuses on their own growth and healing and meets on alternate Friday mornings in the Chapel. New members are welcome to come and join us. Speak to Emily MacDonald for more information.

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