Adriane Oliver completed the Community Dharma Leader program offered through the Spirit Rock Meditation Center shortly before Jim and Adriane moved to Port Townsend. The Port Townsend Sangha first met at their home in early 2000. The first day-long sit was later that year and the first weekend non-residential retreat, with Rodney Smith, was held in 2002.
The sangha has met at other times in response to the needs of the sangha. For example, a small group sat each morning after 9/11 as we all struggled to regain our balance after the events of that day.
The sangha has also responded to illness and death, with evenings of personal discussion of serious illness and memorials for members.
For a retreat with Rodney Smith in May 2007, the sangha met for the first time at a larger location in Port Townsend. In Summer 2009, in response to a continued desire for more space, easier scheduling, and increased public presence, a Guiding Committee was formed to locate a new meeting place and to assume some of the organizational responsibilities for the sangha. The sangha moved its Wednesday night meeting place to Madrona MindBody Institute at Fort Worden later in 2009.
In April 2015, in response to requests for accessibility to all members of our community, the Sangha moved to the Quaker Friends Meetinghouse, an accessible location on the corner of Sheridan and 19th Aves.
The sangha has had an electronic email list for member communication since April 2005. A website was created in October 2010 to make meditation in Port Townsend more visible to the community.
Until 2020, the sangha met regularly on Wednesday evenings, hosted two non-residential weekend retreats with visiting teachers each year, monthly day-long Saturday Sits, held an annual picnic, periodic community social events and conducted charitable activities.
In March 2020, and for over two years thereafter, in-person events, except the outdoor picnic, were suspended to protect public health. That month, the Sangha began to conduct its weekly Wednesday sessions on Zoom and it continues to do so today.
Weekly meetings, retreats, evening and Saturday events were conducted remotely, with participation from the Port Townsend area and from many new locations.
In addition to the Wednesday Zoom sessions, in the autumn of 2022, some members began to meet in-person on Mondays outside in Chetzemoka Park, and by 2023, were meeting weekly on Mondays at the Friends Meetinghouse.
Details are posted on the website and sent in our newsletter.
