St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Cedar Hill describes itself as “a beacon in the community.” Two St. Luke members share some of the ways they are acting out this vision: a seniors social program and a summer camp where youth can also learn how to be leaders.
Silver and Sage seniors program
By Brenda Morgan
We started Silver and Sage, a seniors social program at St. Luke, Cedar Hill in September 2025, and here we are having survived our first year. Our premise was to offer a program as an outreach to the community. While some of our members are from our parish, we have also reached others from the community who need connection. We have over 100 people on our contact list, and on average 25-30 people come to our meetings. Not all can come every time, but we notice that people are making friends.
As we devised our program, we gathered a list of objectives that would address the needs of seniors. Our list included emotional, intellectual and physical needs. Connection with others, we felt, was key to healthy ageing, as was gaining a sense of purpose. We decided to rely on volunteers to make it happen.
We offer a two-hour session twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays, at 1:30 p.m. We usually have a presentation followed by social time with refreshments. Our presentations are on diverse topics of interest. We draw from the people we know; so many of us have expertise in areas others would love to know about. People have generously offered us their time and knowledge.
Nearly all our presenters have been seniors. They have included scientists, artists, storytellers and musicians. We have learned about topics as varied as prospecting for gold, herbs and lore. and expeditions to the Polar regions; we’ve met authors and learned how to use our computers and cell phones. At our most recent session we had two members of a youth ensemble, the Island Ukuleles, who performed and told us about their European tour.
Coming up on Sept. 10, we have a health and fitness related topic, “Fall Prevention Starts with YOU,” presented by Susanne Reul-Zastre, an older adult fitness specialist who holds a Canadian fall prevention curriculum micro-certificate from the University of Victoria. This is followed by another health-related topic on Sept. 24. Dr. Elissa McMurtrie will give an informative lecture called “Nurses: Guardians Against Darkness and Chaos.” Dr. McMurtrie, who had a long career in medicine, started out as a nurse and then transitioned into being a surgeon. Many retired nurses in our membership are looking forward to that one!
I recently read an article in the Anglican Journal about churches being used as “third spaces”; that’s a good description of what Silver and Sage does. We use the heritage church for our meetings. Its gothic features and beautiful stained-glass windows offer a serene atmosphere for seniors, especially those who are suffering grief or are in pain. While we do not engage in anything “religious” so as not to exclude those who are not Anglican, the space itself is godly and offers solace. It gives us Anglicans an opportunity to put our faith into action without any expectations or proselytizing, in a space that encourages spirituality when one is ready. It’s one step in our effort to make St. Luke’s a “beacon in the community.”
Amazing Journey Day Camp
By Barb Prescott
2026 was the 15th year we have held an Amazing Journey Day Camp, a joint venture of St. Luke Cedar Hill Anglican Church and our neighbours Lutheran Church of the Cross. Through the 15 years that we have held the camp, we have welcomed campers and volunteers from many churches throughout the Greater Victoria area: St. George’s, St. John the Divine, Two Saints, Church of the Advent, St. Philip, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Michael and All Angels, St. Barnabas, St. Matthias, St. Stephen’s, St. Dunstan’s and the Abbey Church
This year’s camp was held at Lutheran Church of the Cross. The camp was held in the morning from July 6–10 and the theme was “Unlocking God’s Promises.” Thirty-four campers were registered. Volunteers who helped for all or part of the week included: eleven leaders in training (middle school students), fourteen youth leaders (high school students and older) and eleven adult volunteers. Many of the youth leaders have been helping each year for four or five years and look forward to coming back each year. Each day started off with singing and a puppet show by the leaders in training to tell the parable, the mystery of the day. The morning continued with crafts in the Investigation Lab, games in the Training Academy, story time in the Detective Agency, and a snack that tied in with the day’s parable.
We received lots of positive feedback from parents and caregivers about the camp. Comments included: “My child loved it and he is already asking to come back next year.” “The songs my son comes home singing warm my heart.” “Very supportive environment for the kids. I know they are safe and having fun every day they are here!” Another parent commented that she enrolled her child in six camps last year but the Amazing Journey Day Camp was the only one she really enjoyed. The main suggestion for improvement was that parents wished there were more weeks of camp!
We are already starting to look ahead to next year’s camp, which will be July 5–9, 2027 at St. Luke’s. We welcome volunteers, adults and youth, who would like to help with planning the camp and assist during the camp week. To join in the fun and for more information or questions, please contact Barb Prescott ([email protected]).
