Parish touches the lives of 10,000 people

Judy Rois

Where can you go to find bridge, euchre, yoga, Tai Chi, line dancing, art classes, music lessons, language classes, karate, a food bank and community meals?

Why, St. Luke’s Community Centre in Palermo, of course! This is a village in Halton County amalgamated into the town of Oakville.

Thousands of people of all ages are accessing programs and services at this community hub. If you were to visit, you would find a bustling gathering place with something for everyone.

“Transforming lives and building community” is the way St. Luke’s Community Centre (SLCC) describes itself.

SLCC serves as a hub where people meet in both structured and casual ways to engage in social, recreational, educational, artistic, cultural and community-building opportunities.

It partners with agencies, local groups and businesses to provide programs and services for people of all ages, abilities, faiths, sexual orientations and ethnicities.

Built in 1845, the original historical structure of St. Luke’s Anglican Church has been incorporated into the innovative new design of the SLCC. Its logo is a stylized tree with a tiny heart in the centre and upheld by two open hands.

Recognizing the need and the creative plan to be a holistic and diverse hub, the Anglican Foundation has provided grants totalling $25,000 over the past three years.

When SLCC needed a new outdoor sign to advertise their events, the Anglican Foundation stepped in with funding, and the first message on the sign read, “Thank You Anglican Foundation for funding this sign.”

So, if you’re in the area, you may want to drop in for some relaxed yoga while your kids take a Zumba class.

Who ever said Anglicans don’t like change?

St. Luke’s is proving the inaccuracy of that old adage as they reach out with the love of Christ in new and innovative expressions of what it means to be the Church in this new day.

The Reverend Canon Judy Rois is Executive Director of the Anglican Foundation of Canada.