The History of Beginning Experience:

Beginning Experience began in Fort Worth Texas in 1974.  Sister Josephine Stewart, a Roman Catholic nun who was working as a counselor found herself working more and more with separated, divorced and widowed individuals.  She noticed that many of these people seemed to “stuck in their grief”.  Along with a divorced friend, Jo Lamia the two researched and presented Plans for a weekend for divorced people in the Fort Worth area.

  In October, 1974 eighteen participants came to the first ever Beginning Experience weekend.  Sixteen of these individuals formed the first team to carry on to other separated, divorced and widowed persons what they had learned and experienced.

  By 1980, teams had started from coast-to-coast in the United States,  as well as Alaska, Hawaii, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and in Canada.  At the current time, the International Ministry Centre’s Executive Director is Emilia Alberico.  B.E. International’s Head Office is presently being relocated from Detroit to Chicago and serves 140 Teams around the world.

  The History of Sarnia Beginning Experience:

  The Pilot Beginning Experience Weekend was held at St. Andrews here in Sarnia on March 30, 31 and April 1^st, 1984.  The Presenting Team was made up of local Team Trained individuals who had previously made a Beginning Experience Weekend in Flint, Michigan, bringing the Ministry to Sarnia.

    The Beginning Experience (BE) Weekend is the foundation of our Program. We have three Weekends per year where participants spend the entire weekend in a safe and isolated environment which has proven to help individuals make a new beginning in life. To date well over one thousand individuals have gone through the doors of Sarnia Beginning Experience and we are still going strong.  Sarnia Beginning Experience is celebrated it’s 15^th Anniversary in  October, 1999.

  We also have several Levels or Support Groups along with planned social events such as our annual Halloween and January Dances, Summer Picnic and Christmas Pot Luck.