Five Oaks Centre

Meet Ruth Harvey 🌿

What does it look like to live with hope in a world that feels increasingly fractured?

For Ruth Harvey, hope has always been deeply connected to community.

Born and brought up in Scotland, Ruth’s journey has taken her through many places, including Iona, Glasgow, South India, Germany, Amsterdam, and Edinburgh. Along the way, she has been shaped by a lifelong connection to faith-based intentional community and a deep belief in the power of people gathering together to model hope in the world.

As Leader of the Iona Community in Scotland, Ruth supports a global faith community rooted in justice, peace, and the rebuilding of community. She is also a Church of Scotland minister, a Quaker, a mediator, and a writer, contributing prayers, poems, and liturgies through Wild Goose Publications and other outlets.

Through her work in faith-based conflict transformation and mediation, Ruth has witnessed the power of listening, reconciliation, and shared life to bring people together. During the upcoming retreat at Five Oaks Centre called Rooted in Hope, she will guide participants through Scripture, stories of community, and wisdom from her own journey as we explore what it means to find hope beyond optimism.

Join us this September for three days of reflection, connection, and meaningful conversation at Five Oaks Centre.

🍂 Rooted in Hope
📅 September 28 to 30, 2026
📍 Five Oaks Centre | 1 Bethel Rd. Paris, ON, Canada

🛏️ Single Accommodation: $460
🛏️ Shared Accommodation: $406
🔗 Learn more and register: bit.ly/RootedInHope2026

Registration closes Monday, September 14 at noon.

Do you love cooking for a crowd? Are you happiest in a busy kitchen, creating good food and making people feel welcome?

Five Oaks is looking for a full-time Cook to join our Kitchen Team in Paris, Ontario.

You’ll prepare meals, snacks and banquet-style service for our onsite guests, working alongside a team in our beautiful Carolinian forest retreat centre setting. 🌿

35 hours/week | $20–$23/hour
Dental, extended health & vision benefits

We’re looking for someone with cooking experience who is organized, adaptable, enjoys working with people and is available for a mix of shifts, with the majority scheduled on weekends based on business demands.

👉 View the full job description and apply through Indeed:
https://ca.indeed.com/job/five-oaks-cook-e72f8fb869a23793

Please share with someone who might be a great fit for Five Oaks!

pov: your camera roll after staying at five oaks 🌿🌸🦋

What if you gave yourself something meaningful to look forward to this fall? 🍂

A few days away. Time to reflect. Space to connect. A chance to be renewed.

While summer is still in full swing, now is the perfect time to make your fall plans.

Rooted in Hope is a 3-day retreat facilitated at Five Oaks Centre by Ruth Harvey, exploring how faith, intentional community, and shared wisdom can help us find hope, even in a fractured world. Through Scripture, community, and thoughtful reflection, you'll discover a hope that goes beyond optimism.

🍂 September 28 to 30, 2026
📍 Five Oaks Centre, 1 Bethel Road, Paris, ON
🛏️ Single Accommodation: $460
🛏️ Shared Accommodation: $406
🔗 bit.ly/RootedInHope2026

Registration closes Monday, September 14 at noon.

Give yourself something to look forward to this fall.

What a difference a week makes. These two photos were taken just one week apart from the same spot at Five Oaks.

Last Wednesday, smoke filled our skies, casting an orange glow over the landscape. The air quality was poor enough that our Acorn Adventure Camp campers spent much of the day indoors. Over the days that followed, the skies gradually cleared and the air quality improved. Today, our trails are once again filled with fresh air, laughter, and the everyday rhythms of camp.

As we return to normal here, our thoughts remain with those who have been impacted by the wildfires across Northern Ontario and beyond. Our hearts go out to everyone who has lost homes or businesses, those who have been displaced, and everyone affected by the smoke and poor air quality.

This past week was a reminder of how connected we all are. Events happening hundreds of kilometres away changed the way we experienced this beautiful place we call home.

Wildfires can be caused by both natural conditions, including lightning, drought, and extreme heat, and by human activity. While we can’t control the weather, we can all do our part to help protect the forests and green spaces we love by respecting fire bans, making sure campfires are completely out, properly disposing of cigarette butts, and taking care when enjoying the outdoors.

May we continue to care for the land, and for one another. 💚

fiveoaks.on.ca/spend-the-day

Flags. Friendly competition. New friendships. Shared joy. Over the past few weeks, the World Cup has reminded us of the incredible power of sport to bring people across borders, cultures, languages, and traditions together.

Here at Five Oaks, we see that same spirit in moments big and small. From guests picking up an impromptu soccer game on our lower field with makeshift goal posts, to campers gathering with excitement around a soccer ball, these moments remind us that connection, laughter, and belonging can begin with something as simple as a game.

At Five Oaks, people of different cultures, faiths, spiritual paths, and life experiences come together to learn, play, reflect, and build community.

Because belonging isn’t about being the same. It’s about making space for one another.

Everyone is welcome here. 🌍⚽

Five Oaks Centre
1 Bethel Road
Paris, Ontario, Canada
🇨🇦

✨Weaving Our Stories returns this fall✨
For the past two years, women+ have gathered at Five Oaks to share stories, listen deeply, laugh, reflect, and discover unexpected connections with one another. Many have left saying this weekend stayed with them long after they returned home.

This year, we continue that journey together.

Weaving Our Stories 2026: Rooted invites us to explore the women who have shaped us, the women we are becoming, and the women yet to come. Like the unseen roots of a tree, we’ll reflect on the wisdom, resilience, faith, grief, hope, and love that sustain us beneath the surface.

Throughout the weekend, storytellers from Indigenous, Muslim, and Christian traditions will share personal stories that invite curiosity, compassion, and connection across difference. We’ll also spend time in conversation with one another, and with the Land itself through a guided forest bathing experience in the beautiful Carolinian forest along the Grand River and Whiteman’s Creek.

Whether you’ve been part of Weaving Our Stories before or this is your very first time, there is a place for you in the circle.

📅 October 30 to November 1, 2026
📍 Five Oaks Centre, 1 Bethel Road, Paris ON
💲 from $410
📝 Register today to reserve your place
🔗 bit.ly/WeavingOurStories26

Come be rooted in story, community, and hope. We can’t wait to welcome you.

Summer evenings are made for getting outside, trying something new, and spending time together.

We recently welcomed the Sacred Heart Catholic Sr. Youth Group and their families to Five Oaks Centre for an evening of community, nature, food, activities, and a campfire to wrap it all up.

Here’s what they shared with us about their experience:

“On behalf of the Sacred Heart Catholic Sr. Youth Group and our families we'd like to thank you for providing the perfect place for us to gather as a parish community. Your venue allowed us to play in nature, eat an outstanding meal together before gathering around a campfire with our families. Everything surpassed our expectations, and we all left so happy and grateful, a super start to our summer break! Thank you! 😊☀️💛”

We always love when groups send us photos from their time at Five Oaks Centre. Seeing the moments, memories, and connections that happen during your gatherings is such a joy. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your evening with us!

Twelve ideas. Countless memories waiting to be made. ☀️

From hiking to campfires, birdwatching to retreat houses, here’s your guide to exploring Five Oaks Centre.

1. 🥾 Hiking trails
2. 🧺 Picnics
3. 🎣 Creek fishing
4. 🐦 Birdwatching
5. 🎨 Creativity
6. 🌀 Labyrinth walk
7. 🏀 Outdoor play
8. ⛺ Camping
9. 🧘 Mindfulness
10. 🏊 Swimming pool
11. 🔥 Campfires
12. 🏡 Retreat house stays

Whether you’re visiting for the day, camping under the stars, booking a retreat house, or planning a group getaway, there’s something for everyone at Five Oaks.

We’ve shared twelve ways to enjoy Five Oaks. Now all that’s left is to choose yours.

Browse our recent posts to learn more about each activity, then start planning your own Five Oaks adventure. We’d love to welcome you!