“People arrived weary and leave with peace and hope.”

Nicole Wegscheider
Special to Spur Ottawa

Peace and quiet are a key part of renewal from the busyness of life. It is important to schedule time to disconnect from the constant activity for rest and spiritual renewal. That is the need that Bethesda Renewal Centre seeks to fulfill.

Bethesda is a local Christian retreat centre, run by host family Rob and Sherry Milnes, with their son Josiah.

Josiah describes it as “a quiet place for Christian groups and individuals to come away to pray and be refreshed in God’s presence.”

Rob says his family looks after the grounds, but their work goes far beyond that.

“More than that, we are here to pray for and pray with people when they need to make this place a home. Sherry adds her personal touches to make it homey and welcoming.”

Time and again, the family sees the impact the Bethesda experience has on departing visitors.

“As I introduce my friends to the place they leave happy, with a renewed peace,” says Josiah.

“I have seen people arrive very weary,” Sherry adds, “and I have seen them leave with a peace and a hope in their hearts, to walk ahead.”

The prayer cabin at Bethesda Renewal Centre. Photo by Josiah Milnes.

Bethesda, which comes from the Hebrew for “House of Mercy,” offers groups a large living room, kitchen, dining room, bedrooms, and a loft. The eighty-acre grounds have trails, a forested area, a pond, a chapel, and a sugar shack for maple syrup.

People experience God differently, so Bethesda tries to provide a number of ways to help people connect with their Creator.

“We have seen people experience God on the trails, in the beauty of God’s creation,” Rob says. “We have seen some groups that don’t even go outside—they are fasting, praying, and worshipping the Lord. Some groups enjoy the grounds and use the chapel.”

The retreat centre is located just west of Ottawa, “so close to Ottawa, you can enjoy being part of the activities of the day and get home in fifteen to twenty minutes,” Rob says.

Bethesda hosts a wide variety of age groups and churches, who use the space for retreat, to escape the busyness of life, or simply to spend time with the Lord.

“We welcome [everyone] here,” Sherry says. “We’d like you to come make this a place like a home for you, for a little retreat or a time to walk in the woods, that you would have a quiet time away with the Lord.”