Hospitality Team Member at Christian Retreat Centre: Housekeeping & Kitchen
King's Fold Retreat and Renewal Centre | 30 minutes from Cochrane, an hour northwest of Calgary, Alberta
Full-time · 40 hours per week · $35,000 per year pro-rated for the initial term · 3-month contract with the possibility of extending to a permanent position with benefits · Accommodation available on site if needed
“...that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)
King's Fold is a dwelling for God's presence, a place of encounter and renewal.
Some of our guests arrive weary, or walking through grief and need somewhere quiet. Most come wanting time with God and a few days when someone else cooks. They pray, read in the library, sit by the fire, walk the 166-acre property with the Ghost River running through it and the Rockies on the skyline, spend an afternoon in the art room, the chapel, the Stations of the Cross. A lot of them have been coming for years, because King's Fold has become one of the places they reliably meet God.
Each weekday morning, before the working day starts, the staff team gathers for a short time of worship and prayer, optional but rarely missed. These, and our longer gathering on Tuesdays, are open to our guests. Daily our hosts pray before each meal.
Brother Lawrence, a lay brother who cooked for his community in seventeenth-century Paris, described his work and his prayer as one continuous conversation with God, carried on with his hands full. We want the same thing here. The conversation keeps going while you strip a bed, join the worship time in the chapel, or work through a sink of dishes.
We have more than one role to fill. There is accommodation on site for those who need it. One apartment suits a married couple, or two single people of the same sex willing to share, each with their own bedroom. We also have separate bedrooms in our lodge for individuals, and commuting works if you are local.
The work
Housekeeping is our most pressing need right now:
- cleaning guest rooms, bathrooms and shared spaces
- laundry and linens
- fitting sheets and making beds
- preparing the lodge and rooms for arriving individuals and groups
The kitchen is the other core area. We serve two meals a day, brunch at 10am and supper at 4pm, for groups of between 5 and 30 people. You would work alongside our kitchen lead on cooking, preparation, service, dishes and clean-up, with room to take on more of it over time.
Most people in this role work across both areas, and depending on your skills there may be scope to help our maintenance or office managers. We are a small team, so there will be days when the thing that most needs doing is not the thing you expected.
Hours
40 hours a week, generally 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday with a lunch break. Some weekend work is needed, currently around one weekend in four. When you work a weekend, time off is arranged around it, usually the Thursday before and the Monday after.
Who we're looking for
You love Jesus, and you want people to encounter Him here. Sharing in the spiritual life of the Centre is part of the job. That means our daily prayer, our shared worship, and staying expectant for the Spirit to move. Our worship style is mainly on the contemplative and quieter side. We come from a range of church backgrounds, and our unity here is in Jesus.
You're hardworking and comfortable being on your feet all day. This work is physical: standing, walking, bending, lifting, pushing and kneeling for most of a shift.
You bring joy into a workplace. Nobody is cheerful every hour of every day and we don't expect it, but we hope for people who are good to be around, and who see that how we treat one another is part of how we care for our guests.
You stay steady when the day changes. We host individual guests as well as groups, and what's needed can shift quickly. When a day changes shape we want someone who asks what is needed now, gets on with it, and stays calm enough to be useful to everyone else.
You want to help build a community. That looks like encouraging people, taking direction, asking good questions, and stepping in when another part of the team needs you. If you live on site, that carries past six o'clock into knowing the people you live alongside. You will still have your own evenings and your own space. We want this to be a place where people are glad to see one another.
Attention to detail matters to you. We are looking for excellence rather than perfection, the kind that catches what a guest would have noticed.
You don't need previous housekeeping or kitchen experience to apply. You do need the ability and the willingness to actually do this work well, to learn quickly, to keep going, and to get better at it over time. Character and chemistry matter enormously to us, and we are looking for people who bring capability alongside them.
This role isn't for you if
- You are looking for a gentle, low-demand post to ease into. This is active work in a busy operation.
- You'd rather your faith and your working life stayed in separate compartments. Here they belong together.
- Rural really isn't for you. It is beautiful. It is also not close to very much.
If you've read that and found yourself thinking actually, that sounds rather good, please keep reading.
What we can offer you
- $35,000 per year, full-time
- Accommodation on site where you are unable to commute. We have one apartment suitable for a married couple, or two singles of the same sex prepared to share an apartment with their own rooms, and separate rooms for individuals.
- Meals with the team and guests, usually a couple of times a week
- Time off in lieu for weekends worked
- Paid vacation
- Living and working on 166 acres straddling the Ghost River in the foothills of the Rockies, one of the most beautiful settings in Alberta
- A place in a small Christian staff community built around prayer, hospitality and service
- Practical work that matters
What matters to us here
God is good. Dependence on God. The faith passed down to us in Scripture and the Church through the ages. Integrity. Honouring others. Generosity. Choosing joy.
How to apply
Please prayerfully consider whether this might be a good season for you to join us. If you think you may be the person (or couple) we're looking for, we would love to hear from you.
Send a resume and a cover letter to Chris at [email protected]. In your letter, please tell us:
- why you'd like to join King's Fold
- something of your own faith, and why this Christian ministry setting draws you
- the work and volunteer experience you have
If two of you would like to come and work here together, you're both very welcome to apply. Please each send your own letter and resume.
We'll be reviewing applications as they arrive, so early applications are encouraged.
Pay: $35,306.00 per year
Benefits:
- Discounted or free food
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
