ABOUT US
We are a non-denominational, spiritual community with a rich history in Victoria that goes back over 100 years. At VTC, we focus on mindfulness, intention, and ongoing spiritual exploration and growth in order to lead a happier, more fulfilling, engaging, connected life. Regardless of where you are on your journey, or what you have believed until now, you are welcome here.
Our foundational beliefs and teachings are rooted in New Thought, a global movement rooted in philosophy, spirituality, metaphysics, and mysticism that explores the concepts of oneness, divinity of all, and personal responsibility in creating our life experience.
VTC is governed by a Board of Directors, who work in conjunction with the spiritual leader and brand steward.
WHO WE ARE
OUR TEAM
Spiritual Director
Rev. Lesia Kohut looks for the beauty, harmony, and love in everyone and everything. A speaker, award-winning author, podcaster, and coach, she enjoys seeing every moment as a brand-new opportunity to heal, grow, expand, and connect, and revels in embracing the mysticism of spirituality and infinite possibilities of the quantum realm.
An accredited minister of New Thought (Religious Science), empowering the conscious awakening of humanity while cultivating a global community founded in Love is her raison d’être.
Rev. Lesia is thrilled to be part of the new, dynamic leadership team at the Victoria Truth Centre. She is enthusiastically committed to helping usher in more vibrant, engaging, relevant ways to experience spirituality while empowering everyone to “live life lovingly.”
Her first book, Soul Excavation: An Exploration and Discovery of Self Through Fear, Failure, and Quantum Physics, won the 2023 Canadian Book Club Awards in the Spirituality/Health and Wellness category. Rev. Lesia is eternally grateful for and continually inspired by her husband Glenn, daughter Mylana, and Mercury the cat.
Rev. Lesia Kohut
Brand Steward
Sheri believes that the meaning of life is to find our gift, and our purpose is to give it away. She stands for radical self-expression and has long identified her values as integrity, camaraderie, creativity, and authenticity. Sheri is a trained Mediator in Conflict Resolution and has volunteered with Realness Project to bring Authentic Relating leadership practices inside prisons as a Certified Facilitator.
With a degree and past career in Marketing Management, Sheri loves to empower brands to leverage their unique point of view. Working with leadership teams to identify their values and how that impacts organizational culture and influences the public. She is a natural cheerleader and community builder. In her spare time, she amplifies the voices of other wayfinders and changemakers through her company, Pink Noise.
Sheri returned home to Victoria, BC where she was born and raised, in the fall of 2022, after 30 years in Seattle.
Sheri Hauser
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
April 2023-April 2024
President, Anne MacDonald
Vice-President, Rev. Carrelyn Sheldan
Treasurer & Secretary, Gloria Hallihan
Board Member, Julianna MacDonald
Board Member, Sheri Hauser
Advisory Committee
Linda Cain, past President
Ed Maclean, past Vice-President
Debra Maclean, past Secretary
Sunday’s Pianist: Bob Goodwin
Wednesday’s Jazz Trio: Kelby MacNayr, Pablo Cardenas, Peter Dowse
Grateful to volunteers who greet our guests, run point on technology, and help to make our events run smoothly.
We celebrate, inspire, and empower.
VTC offers a physical, sacred space to gather and celebrate the infinite potentiality inherent in all. Our motto is LIVE LIFE LOVINGLY and we aim to lead by example in everything we offer.
We inspire and empower people to shift perspective. To discover that they are so much bigger, more powerful and creative than anything they have ever thought, believed, felt, or experienced up until now. That they, no one else, create their reality. That, at any moment, everyone can create a new life experience by changing their mind/energy and consciously choosing to focus on something new.
WHAT WE DO
Practice, practice, practice!
This is constant practice and can be done in a myriad of ways including but not limited to: mindfulness; experiential work; affirmative prayer; meditation; ongoing spiritual self-exploration and discovery; viewing/experiencing life/the world as love; classes; book studies; spiritual salons; healing circles; Radiate events; breath journeys; sound baths; dance; sharing meals; creating art; engaging with the community-at-large to create a more loving world.
Our desire is to support people in rediscovering the infinite creativity, resilience, and Love they truly are so that they can live their most engaging, fulfilling, extraordinary life.
HOW WE DO IT
Love is all there is.
We believe that there is only ever ONE THING going on, and that is LOVE.
We believe this with every fibre of our being, and so it feels good and right to dedicate our time on this planet to be in connection with other beings who want to explore this birthright of LOVE.
When we gather in community and experience rituals of meditation, song, storytelling, and discussions we deepen our understanding of what it means to be, to belong, and to be seen.
Our mission is to support individuals to discover their own good, so that they can live their best lives. There’s a ripple effect when this happens, and it expands the feeling of peace and ease that can then more easily radiate from one -individual to the next.
WHY WE DO IT
WHO WE DO IT FOR
Ourselves, each other, our world.
We do it for all of us!
We also do it for ourselves because when you believe that “the meaning of life is to find your gift, and your purpose is to give it away”, then using your gifts to be of service to the greater good is the manifestation of a divine life.
We do it for each other, because when we show others loving kindness, compassion, and grace, we remind others of their worth, value, and capacity to love.
We do it for our world, because there is only One. We are all reflections of each other, individual elements of a kaleidoscopic rainbow of Spirit expressing. The more we shine brightly together, the more the consciousness of our world is elevated, allowing for greater experience of harmony, beauty, peace and love that is our natural state of being.
LIVE LIFE LOVINGLY!
LIVE LIFE LOVINGLY!
OUR HISTORY
We’ve been a lot of things to a lot of people over the years. Our origin story dates back to 1921 when our ancestors called us New Thought Temple.
At the peak of our spiritual community, we thrived at our expansive 1201 Fort Street property under the leadership and guidance of Dr. Rev. Emma Smiley for nearly fifty years. A pioneer in her day, Emma (as she preferred to be called) purchased the property from her brother in 1948 (because women weren’t entitled to get bank loans of that size back then). With her passion and commitment to community and spirituality, she built a legacy that impacted thousands, until her passing in 1983.
In 2017, the Fort Street property was sold. VTC moved to 2815 Cedar Hill Road, a former Lutheran church built in 1914, now a welcoming beacon of love, with its recently-updated bright, cheery yellow and raspberry trim exterior.
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