The Position
Note: Act Five is preparing to launch as an independent organization as of May 2023. This role will be for the new organization, “Act Five Initiatives”. Through April 2023, Act Five is held and operated out of Redeemer University.
Act Five facilitates the Christian discipleship of young people toward living our days as rooted & engaged followers of Jesus. We are committed to the Christian formation that happens through intentional communities of learning & embodied practice, and we are excited by how young people have been shaped through this community over our first few years of operations.
Based out of Hamilton, ON, Act Five is moving toward its fifth program year and first as an independent charitable organization as of May 2023. Act Five’s primary operations are carried out of a large home in a lower Hamilton neighbourhood, and include both a gap year program and a residency program. For more information on Act Five’s mission, vision & goals, visit www.actfive.ca/about/mission.
The proposed Act Five House Manager role is a live-in position that oversees the state of both the physical residence of Blake St as well the community of residents, resident leaders and students living together in community. The house manager is intended to be a 10-12 hours / week (avg) role for someone who meets the following requirements:
- Grasps and embodies the Act Five mission & vision
- Holds previous experience living at 75 Blake St and participating in a full Act Five program year in some capacity
- Has experience, gifts, and maturity to manage and offer support over the various elements of Act Five community life and the physical residence of 75 Blake St.
- Is able to offer support and spiritual care for resident leaders as they care for students and the rhythms of life at 75 Blake St.
- Is able to oversee the specific rhythms of life and discipleship of Act Five residents
The Act Five House Manager will make 75 Blake St a home and will be a mature presence able to model, facilitate and help maintain the rhythms of life that take place in the Act Five community, while also being available to support resident leaders as a live-in complement to the Act Five Program Lead, both in moments that require particular support (i.e. student wellness, crisis) as well as through regular times of check-in and care.
While the House Manager is not expected to participate in the majority of Act Five gap year programming or trips, the following program involvement is expected (in discussion with Act Five director):
- Sunday Evensong
- Semi-regular participation in morning prayer and evening prayer
- Regular participation in Spaghetti Wednesday and/or other neighborhood engagement
- An invitation to join Bible study, worship nights, storytelling nights
- Semi-regular participation in staff meetings; as able, participation in staff retreats and professional development / discipleship opportunities as a staff member.
- Semi-regular participation in house meetings.
When does this take place?
The Act Five House Manager role would consider the following start date and orientation requirements:
A preferred move-in and start date for May 2023 so as to:
- (a) offer oversight and care for the Act Five summer community,
- (b) have been immersed in Act Five’s way of living and learning as well as in the Blakeley neighbourhood prior to September, and
- (c) have space for participation with the Act Five staff team through the summer planning months.
- Participation in a staff orientation / visioning retreat on a weekend in May (TBD).
- Part-time participation in two weeks of staff training beginning on August 21, 2023, with leadership over relevant areas of staff training for resident leaders.
(The participation of the House Manager in weekly rhythms during Act Five programming will be negotiated based on program schedule and other commitments of the House Manager.)
Responsibilities
The House Manager will be expected to operate in a dynamic space where work, home and ministry overlaps in a way that can be difficult to manage without appropriate vision for the role, maturity, and experience that can help in the establishing of proper expectations, boundaries and personal rhythms.
Along with the specific roles listed below, the House Manager is the primary person to have established 75 Blake St as his/her home. This person is someone who cares deeply for the discipleship of young people, the practice of presence and hospitality in the Blakely neighbourhood, and the stewardship and homemaking of 75 Blake St.
Most importantly, this is someone who is deeply rooted in their own discipleship with Jesus in the city of Hamilton (including but not limited to their belonging to a local church).
Specifically, the House Manager will be involved in the following roles:
Oversight of the physical home.
- While this does not mean doing all tasks, it does mean being the one who keeps an eye on the state of the physical home including the cleanliness of the home, items needing repair in or on the outside of the home,
the boiler, the garage, the front and back yards, and the home’s presentation to guests and neighbours.
- When students and RLs return from program trips, the House Manager will make sure meals are prepped and fridges appropriately stocked (can be delegated to volunteers or residents).
- In the summer months, the House Manager will make sure someone or the community as a whole is overseeing the gardens, landscaping and cleanliness of 75 Blake St.
Support and Spiritual Care for Resident Leaders
- As Resident Leaders are the “front line” care for doing life alongside Act Five gap year students, the House Manager is the one able to be present in the rhythms of community life at Blake St with an eye on caring for
the Resident Leaders.
- The House Manager will establish a rhythm of offering pastoral care for Resident Leaders, whether this means evening tea and times of prayer, being available to navigate crisis situations with a resident leader in the
home, offering insights around the pulse of the home to help resident leaders problem solve or stepping in to give resident leaders time away to rest.
Discipleship role among Act Five residents
- While the House Manager may be a peer of some Act Five residents, he/she will work with the Act Five director to facilitate discipleship opportunities and mentorship for Act Five residents. The planning of this is flexible
and will be done by the House Manager in collaboration with the director and Program Manager.
Presence among gap year students
- When Act Five gap year students are living in ordinary time at Blake St, the residence manager will participate in moments of community rhythms according to available hours, at times alongside the RLs, and at other
times in place of the RLs so as to offer time off for RLs.
- Considerations include evening and weekend on-call responsibilities, opportunities to lead and/or teach aspects of Act Five programming according to gifts and interests of the Residence Manager, appropriate
participation in Wednesday community day activities, and regular activities as community members (i.e. meal times, hang out times, walks with students, etc).
Summer Support and Rhythms
- The House Manager will lead rhythms of chores, discipleship opportunities, neighbourhood engagement, house meetings and overall community life among summer residents.
The Application Process
Applicants are requested to email their application materials (cover letter, resume, contact info for two references) and include a statement that articulates their faith perspective and its relation to the mission of Act Five. Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.
