The “First Supper” in Hamilton

After years of dreaming and scheming, the first A Rocha Urban Centre in Canada hosted its first ever Supper!

Thanks to a partnership with First CRC in Hamilton and the generosity of many A Rocha friends, part of a beautiful heritage home in the Durand neighbourhood has become A Rocha’s Hamilton Urban Centre. The Centre will become a vibrant residential community in the heart of Hamilton that will train interns, teach environmental stewardship, coordinate restoration projects and welcome newcomers.

The Hamilton Urban Centre’s first resident, an A Rocha summer student worker named Chantal, is currently acting as the Centre’s host, assisting with the weekly meals and welcoming guests.

The A Rocha team in Hamilton is working in the city core gardening with Newcomers to Canada, hosting children, youth and adults for interactive environmental education at Cedar Haven Farm, and carrying out conservation science research in the area.

To build community amongst a team that works at different locations during the week, the Centre is hosting a meal and discussion every Thursday at noon . The theme of these gatherings will be “Story” with discussions ranging from telling the story of Scripture and A Rocha to encouraging those gathered to consider how they can live into the bigger story of God’s care for creation through practices like Sabbath-keeping, art creating and ethical eating, to name a few.