Inlet Connects
The Springs Port Moody opened in June 2022. At The Springs, you will find people living in 55 not-for-profit rental apartments, Kinsight's Tri-Cities Children's Centre serving children with developmental disabilities, and the new home of Inlet United Church.
At The Springs, and in the surrounding neighbourhood of Moody Centre, we have a new and growing community of residents, workers, and businesses. Inlet Connects, and The Springs Art Wall Project are Inlet United Church's offering to this new community. We invite the community to come to The Springs, to meet, get to know one another, and talk about a shared vision of welcome and inclusion in our community.
September 10, 2022 - Blanket Exercise - 40 people attended this interactive educational experience, to learn about the history of colonization and its impacts on the people who lived here before settlers arrived. We are grateful to facilitators Shelley Saje Ricci, Sam George, and Lolita Wittur for guiding us.
November 25, 2022 - Indigenous Plant Talk and Advent Wreath Making - 30 people attended this nourishing evening, to learn from Indigenous Herbalist Lori Snyder, about the plants that grow in our area, and how they have provided medicine through the generations. We used some of these plants to create advent wreaths, and we enjoyed a community dinner together.
January 12, 2023 - Candlelit Labyrinth Walk - 18 people came to walk the labyrinth at the Springs. This moving meditation is a time of peace, reflection, and release. It was a wonderful way to enter into the new year.
March 11, 2023 at The Springs. The Marcus Mosely Ensemble. The first community concert in our new space saw 105 guests and volunteers, and 12 performers in attendance. The evening was a resounding success, with beautiful, spirit-filled music, warm community connection and dancing in the aisles.
May 18, 2023 - Indigenous Plant Talk. Herbalist Lori Snyder led 32 community members on a talk at the Inlet United Ioco Site. Lori taught us about the plants that grow here, and how the people have used them, for thousands of years, for food, medicine and daily life.
Springs Art Wall Mural Update
Through the summer of 2023, three community events were held at The Springs, to begin our Art Wall Project. Artist Atheana Picha met with community members to talk about Coast Salish Art and Culture, and to hear from the community, our thoughts and visions on the theme of welcome and belonging. At summer’s end, Atheana shared a beautiful preliminary design, inspired by the community conversations, and rooted in her own contemporary Coast Salish art practice.
Due to some unexpected circumstances, the project was paused for fall 2023 and winter 2024. Now we are ready to resume the project. Atheana Picha shared her design at a community meeting on April 23, 2024 at The Springs. The installation of the mural started on August 6, 2024 and will take approximately 2 weeks to complete. A celebration will be held in the late summer or early fall, with a traditional Coast Salish feast, ceremony and blessing.
Through the work so far, we have learned a lot, and we are grateful to Atheana and to Cultural Liaison Tasha Faye Evans, for helping is with this process. We look forward to completing the project with them.
Watch the church newsletter and website for updates, or chat with any member of the Inlet Connects + Springs Art Wall Ministry Group: Sue McIntyre, Cathy Anthony, Sharmaine VanStaalduinen, Carrie Nimmo.
Artist Atheana Picha shared her design for The Springs Art Wall at a community meeting at Inlet United Church on April 23, 2024. Atheana’s design is rooted in Coast Salish art, and inspired by the stories shared by community members at the Art Wall meetings held in summer 2023. In those conversations, we talked about what we love about this place, and what makes it welcoming to ourselves and others.
Artist Atheana Picha has completed her work on The Springs Art Wall. She put her last brush strokes on, and signed her work in the evening of Saturday, August 17.
At Inlet United, we are grateful to engage in this work, building community connection, advancing Reconciliation, and offering the gift of beauty and reflection to our neighbourhood.
Coast Salish Blessing Ceremony & Feast
October 9 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Inlet United Church is joined in this project by our partners at The Springs, Kinsight, and Catalyst Community Development Society.
We are grateful for the generous financial and in-kind support for the Art Wall Mural, from
Brian & Belva Piercy Endowment Fund at the United Church of Canada Foundation
Cascadia Bakehouse | Fred Soofi | Hamber Foundation | Kinsight
Pacific Coast Terminals | Port Moody Foundation | Rocky Point Ice Cream
Rotary Club of Port Moody | Royal Canadian Legion Port Moody Branch 119
ProVision Fund of the Pacific Mountain Region of the United Church
and individual donors
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