From the Anglican Planet:

WHO DOESN’T love a great bargain? But isn’t something-for-nothing just too good to be true? Well, not if you live in Oakville, Ontario.

For years churches have held rummage sales to raise hundreds if not thousands of dollars to help finance their work. But St. Hilda’s (ANiC) in Oakville has broken the mould. They collect enough second-hand stuff to fill their large church hall — and then give it all away for free.

For six years now they have held their annual Great Garage Sale Giveaway. At first glance it looks like your typical rummage sale. There are racks upon racks of second-hand clothes, tables laden with used toys and books and household items. But look closer. There are no price tags or cash boxes. Not even a place to leave donations.

Instead each shopper is encouraged to take a small note that says:

Yes…it really is free!

We hope this small act of kindness brings some light today. It’s a simple way of saying God loves you – no strings attached. Please let us know if we can be of any assistance.

People want to know where they can pay.

“We’re really adamant about not taking any money, not even when they insist it’s for the church,” says the Rev. Paul Charbonneau, rector of St. Hilda’s. “We want to express the tangible love of Christ for people. It’s a tangible expression of the grace of God. There’s a surprise element. It opens the door for people to share; it leaves the door wide open.”

There are no limits set on how much people can take.

“Most people are conservative in what they take. I want them to take more,” says the priest. “You move more stuff if it’s free. Even if you charged a penny an item it would not move as well.”

So it is a great recycling project. One year they gave away a small sailboat! Nor do they prevent folk from reselling. Twice a fellow has come and the congregation knows he resells the goods but they consider him “one in a hundred.”

Every Thursday St Hilda’s delivers free food to needy families. These families are given a flier about the giveaway and are invited to come early to have first crack at the best stuff.

At the end of the last giveaway all the clothing went as well as most of the toys and books. The trailer load of remaining goods was taken first to the local Value Village and then what remained to the dump.

“It’s a no-brainer. It’s so simple. It throws people a curve. It opens the door to evangelism. They ask the questions. We don’t have to hand out a tract,” says Charbonneau.

“We’re in a conflict [property dispute] with the Diocese of Niagara and people often ask about that. We can answer a lot of questions and give our perspective.”

St. Hilda’s also holds free car washes about four times a year, handing out the grace notes to each customer. And at both garage sales and car washes they set up a “free prayer” booth as well.

Once, a woman whose father had just died saw the “free prayer” sign at the car wash. She pulled over and while she wouldn’t get out of her car, she asked for prayer.

Charbonneau calls the garage giveaways and the free car washes “a conspiracy of kindness.” While there is talk today about “practicing random acts of kindness” the priest believes such acts need to be directed. “Jesus didn’t do random acts. They were all pointed and had a purpose.

A few people might have come to church because of the giveaways, but that is not their main purpose.

“Jesus gave hundreds of people a free lunch and they didn’t all follow him,” says Charbonneau. We are fulfilling the great commandment to love God and to love other people. It’s more what it teaches the congregation. It’s hard to get away from the mindset that we have to always make money.

St. Hilda’s does hold an annual Art for Africa sale at which it features works by the congregation’s many professional and amateur artists. All the money raised is used for overseas missions.

Yet St. Hilda’s is renowned for its generosity to the community. It has held “Freebie Fridays” for the past 12 years, providing a free lunch during the school months to about 120 students who drop in from the local high school next door. The youth pastor gives a short 5-minute talk while kids devour the food and hang out.

Charbonneau is a self-described “ideas man” and the ideas just keep coming. On Saturday nights he recently has started Storyteller’s Café with his son-in-law, Dale Goodie. They provide an “open mike” for musicians in a coffeehouse setting. Musicians sign up to play a set of three songs on the stage of the church hall. No alcohol, drugs or smoking is allowed or “vile, head-banging music” but there’s plenty of free coffee and donuts.

Most of the music is acoustic but amplified with the church’s sound system. Charbonneau even bought three stage lights at Walmart to improve the ambience. While the audience is still small, more musicians are turning up each week. They love having a venue in which to perform and enjoy jamming with other players.

Then on Sunday nights there is Cutting Edge, a free worship time in the church hall but the music is more subdued than at the Storytellers Café.

St. Hilda’s tries to address “felt needs with a Christian edge.” The congregation gets all sorts of question at these events, including “What’s a St. Hilda’s?”

But best of all many in Oakville are experiencing the tangible grace of God — with no strings attached.

More garage sale photos here.
Free car wash here.
Artists for Africa here.