In 1979 Norman and Marjory McMurray donated 50 acres of land to begin the project that has since become what Entheos is today.

Entheos was founded as a Non Profit Foundation and a Registered Charity in 1980 and is an intentionally interdenominational retreat centre overseen by a board of directors.

Norman McMurray sensed a direction from God to acquire property in a country setting for a Retreat Centre. Norm, his wife Marj and their children would from time to time take road trips in search of such a property. On Saturday May 30th 1964, the family were headed back home after one such road trip. As they turned onto the gravel road, (today known as Highway 8), Norm noticed a Farm House and decided to stop in and ask if they had any land for sale. The Farm House was located on the Clem Gardner Ranch.

(Clem Gardner was a Christian man who was a long time rancher in the Calgary area. He was a famous World Champion Cowboy and one of the originators of the Calgary Stampede.)

When Norm was greeted at the door, he got straight to the point, because it was close to supper time and his children were getting hungry. He asked if they had any land for sale, as he and his wife were hoping to build a Christian Retreat Centre, and he told them how much money he had to offer.

The lady who answered the door listened to Norm’s request and invited him in. When he entered the house he realized he was intruding on a large family gathering. He was informed that Clem Gardner had passed away and the family had gathered together to discuss ways to come up with money to pay estate taxes. They had discussed selling a portion of the Ranch property that was unsuitable for cattle, but they were not certain that Clem would have approved of selling to just anyone.

There were a number of reasons why Norm was invited in. The first was that the family had just discussed the possibility of selling a portion of the ranch.
Secondly, when Norm informed them of his intention to build a Christian Retreat Centre they knew Clem would have approved.
And finally, the amount of money Norm had offered was the exact amount needed to pay the estate taxes!

As a result of their faithful searching, Norm and Marj acquired the beautiful forested land bordering the Elbow River that Entheos now sits on.

The journey of our history and heritage is full of stories of personal rest and renewal, and of groups seeking encouragement, instruction, and hope. We trust that each and every one of these stories reflect the original vision of the McMurray family and the hope that God has for the people that use this place.

Over the years, the faithful commitment of many board members, staff, and volunteers has laid a foundation that has brought Entheos to a place where we are able to host groups every single week of the year.

Entheos is intentionally interdenominational. That’s a mouthful for sure - but the heart of the language points to how we believe that God is so much bigger and so much more than even our best imaginations or understandings, and his hope for the people who would visit Entheos includes more than one tradition.