Church is usually held on Sunday, but this Saturday, St. Luke’s will be open for its annual Fun Day.
The Cedar Hill church will host the free event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring a variety of games, arts and crafts, inflatable attractions, a woodworking table and a treasure hunt in the church. There will also be free coffee, tea, scones, juice and a barbecue lunch.
“It’s a way of welcoming the community to St. Luke’s,” said Barb Prescott, a member of the parish council at St. Luke’s. “We did our first Fun Day in 2010 for St. Luke’s 150th anniversary and we’ve continued doing them each year. We want to have this event where we can invite the community to come and be a part of this Fun Day.”
The event coincides with a free pancake breakfast by the Lutheran Church of the Cross, kitty corner to St. Luke’s. The breakfast runs from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
In addition to the family attractions, St. Luke’s will also have a tour of its cemetery from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The tour will be led by Pam Gaudio and will feature several guest speakers who are descendants or relatives of people buried in the cemetery.
“There are lots of Saanich pioneers and people that have had very interesting careers that are buried at St. Luke’s,” said Prescott. “You don’t really know about it until you start hearing the stories. There is a lot of history there.”
There will also be a number of tables from groups affiliated with St. Luke’s, including Lakehill Preschool, the Shelbourne Community Kitchen and the St. Luke’s Players, who will have face painting and costumes for the kids.
The lunchtime barbecue is set to start at 11:30 a.m. and end around 1 or 1:30 p.m.
Prescott said she hopes the event will draw out many community members to learn more about the church and perhaps interest them in future events at St. Luke’s.
“We enjoy getting the chance to talk to people in the community and let them know what’s happening at St. Luke’s,” she said.
For more information about the Fun Day, visit stlukesvictoria.ca, call 250-477-6741 or email st.lukes@shaw.ca.