Archdeacon Michael Thompson, General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada, is pleased to announce a $250,000 grant in support of a new youth leadership development program at the Sorrento Retreat and Conference Centre, in Sorrento, B.C.
The grant has been approved on condition that the centre secure matching funds, creating an endowment for the development and launch of a five-year pilot program for youth leadership development.
The new Winter Youth Leadership Development program—for young people between the ages of 17 and 30—will run six to eight months each year and focus on vocational discernment and personal/spiritual development, with a cross-cultural component.
“The future of our church is dependent on our ability to develop new, young leaders with a global vision,” said Christopher Lind, executive director of the Sorrento Centre. “We are tremendously excited that General Synod has agreed to partner with us in our key and historic mandate of lay education and youth leadership development.”
The Sorrento Centre is a unique resource in the Canadian church, offering more than 50 courses and events attended by over 1,000 people annually.