How does one condense 155 years into just two days? It’s no easy feat, but St. Luke’s is going to try.
The St. Luke Cedar Hill Anglican Church is celebrating more than a century and a half in Saanich with its 155th anniversary weekend on Sept. 19 and 20. The church has lined up a series of all-ages events over the course of 48 hours, including games, two services and a concert featuring a variety of performers and genres.
“It will be a very busy weekend for the church,” said Barb Prescott with a laugh. “It’s one of our ways of reaching out to the community.”
The weekend kicks off with a Family Fun Day, running Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the church parking lot. Kids can play some fun games, try out the obstacle course, put together crafts and take part in a treasure hunt of items inside the church.
“It’s almost like a scavenger hunt but with pictures – it gives people a chance to look around the church and see all the various, interesting things that are tucked away that you might not even notice,” said Prescott.
St. Luke’s will also have free coffee, juice, hamburgers and ice cream on site, and the Lutheran Church of the Cross (located kitty corner to St. Luke’s) will have a free pancake breakfast from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
In the afternoon, the church will offer an invite-only tea for descendants of people buried in the churchyard. While all spots are taken for the afternoon tea, descendants who would like to be added to St. Luke’s descendants list for future events can contact the church (see below).
On Sunday, the festivities start up again with a Homecoming Service at 10 a.m., inviting anyone and everyone with a connection to the church to join the assembly – though even people without connections to St. Luke’s are welcome.
“You get talking to people and they say, ‘Oh, I was married there,’ or, ‘Oh, I was baptized at St. Luke’s,’ or, ‘Oh, I attended Sunday school,’” said Prescott. “There’s a number of ways people are connected.”
At 2:30 p.m., the St. Luke’s Music Ministry Team and friends will host the Anything Goes! concert, a variety of bands, artists and instrumentalists. Performers include Rachel Mitten, Erika Pryer, Stephanie Sartore, Dorothy Cook, Lyn Oldale, Tara Pugh, Daniel Fournier, Bre Levere, Matt Bromley, Susanne Reul-Zastre, the Sequoia Vocal Ensemble and the Camosack Double Reed Woodwind Quartet.
“It will be all sorts of styles of music, from classical to jazz to sacred selections and musical theatre,” said Prescott. “It’s really a treat for any kind of music lover.”
Admission to the concert is by donation, with $15 being the suggested donation. Proceeds will go to the St. Luke’s Choral Scholar Fund.
To close out the weekend, the church will host an Evensong service at 7 p.m., featuring evening prayers, psalms and canticles.
For more information about the two-day celebration or other programs at the church, visit stlukesvictoria.ca, or call the office at 250-477-6741.
jacob.zinn@saanichnews.com
