A Summer of Rest
Have you ever wondered what summer looks like at the Act Five House? Our gap year program isn’t running, and our residency program takes on a slower pace. Staff step into rhythms of planning and rest as preparations are made for the coming fall. Our Program Manager, Alyssa, and Residency Manager, Erin, take time to reflect on the summer months and their impact on the rest of the year.
Summer in the Act Five Office – Alyssa Zilney
Summer at Act Five doesn’t usually make the highlight reel—but it’s quietly essential. The house feels quieter without students, and the weekly rhythms of meals, classes, and community life. Yet, the summer months hold space for something just as important: rest, reflection, and preparation. On the back-end of our organization, lots is happening, but it’s a different kind of happening than the rest of the year.
For me, this season is about perspective. We take on different projects, fresh to-do lists, and find our way to things we haven’t had time for—like cleaning our desks and organizing our filing cabinets. Summer is also when we begin dreaming again. We pull up from the action of the past 10 months to gain insight and take time to wonder and imagine.
“Summer is when we begin dreaming again.”
We hold some rhythms together as a staff team, too. Twice a week, our mornings begin with prayer on the porch, centred around a psalm we’ve selected for that week. On Wednesday afternoons, a few staff members garden together in the backyard. We join for Spaghetti Wednesday every other week. During this time, our external team visits camps and youth groups. They meets with partners and builds relationships over coffee, teaching lessons and talking about the good and the real aspects of Act Five. Then, at some point each of us takes vacation.
The summer should feel spacious. At its best, this time of year holds for us a slow rhythm of rest and repeat. Like Sabbath, it’s not empty, but full in a different kind of way. A season to lay things down for a while so we’re ready to pick them up again in August—with clarity, intention, and joy.
We’re reading books, too! Here are our staff picks this summer:
- Sapiens by Yuval Harari
- Presence in the Modern World by Jacques Ellul
- Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen
- Try Softer by Aundi Kolber
Summer at 75 Blake Street – Erin Steckley
The Act Five staff are not the only ones practising rhythms of slowness and paying attention. So too are the residents living at 75 Blake St this summer. With fewer people in the home, there is a quietness that looks and feels different than what you might observe during the rest of the year. In this quietness though, there is still a community of young adults engaging in the discipline of “showing up.” In between summer jobs and other commitments that take us to different places throughout the day and week, there are meaningful opportunities to gather together. Together we enjoy the season, and engage in rhythms and practices that reflect the values and vision of Act Five.
An important gathering point for the summer community is Sunday Evensong. This remains a time and place to end our weekend and begin our new week together in prayer and worship. Throughout the week, we have other prayer touchpoints: sitting together on the porch in the cool of the early morning. We recite the familiar daybreak liturgy from Every Moment Holy as we watch our Blakeley neighbours walk their dogs, head out to work, or glance excitedly at new additions to our Little Library.
Our neighbours matter to us—both those we already know, and those we don’t know as well. Wednesday night dinners are also an essential part of the summer community’s life. Twice a month, we share spaghetti and stories from our week with new and old friends. The other two weeks are for catching up over a meal with our neighbours down the road at Micah House. In a world where resources and time feel scarce, Wednesdays remind us of God’s abundance.
“Summer at Blake St is a space to savour…”
In between the anchors of scheduled meals and prayer times, we find ourselves practising rhythms of spontaneity and delight—everything from catching up on the porch to watching a show together to trying out new ice cream flavours at Willard’s. Summer at Blake St is a space to savour—time, friendships, and the berries in our garden.