Saturday, Aug. 14, at Nanoose Place.

From here:

It’s a garage sale, but everything’s free.
“If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.

“Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.”

These words of Jesus, as reported by the disciple Matthew, have inspired the 75 members of Christ’s Church Oceanside to hold a Great Garage Giveaway this Saturday, Aug. 14, at Nanoose Place.

They aren’t giving away everything they have but they are having a Garage Giveaway instead of a garage sale.

Barb Clarke, one of the organizers of the Giveaway, says they got the idea from an item in an email newsletter from the Anglican Network in Canada, a group which separated from the Anglican Church of Canada two years ago “in order to remain faithful to the Christian creeds and the preeminence of the Bible.”

“Our mission statement,” says Clarke, “is that we’re: Building biblically faithful, gospel-sharing, Anglican Christians.”

The newsletter item described a garage giveaway held annually by St. Hilda’s Anglican in Oakville, Ontario.

Oceanside members, intrigued, contacted St. Hilda’s and decided to try it here, in hope, Clarke says, of replicating St. Hilda’s “tremendous mission outreach.”

“The only way to explain that God’s love is free in a tangible way,” she says, “is to say every item here is free.”

The idea caught on among the members, who hail from Qualicum Beach to Nanaimo, and is even attracting contributions from non-congregation members.

The Giveaway is also a way of introducing to the community the two-year-old congregation, led by Rector Guy Bellerby.

It’s being held inside Nanoose Place because that’s where the congregation worships Sundays at 10 a.m.

“It’s being held inside because we want people to see the church,” Clarke says.

It’s also being held inside to keep away early birds and it will only be held for two hours: 10 a.m. to noon.

No one will be asked for donations, Clarke says, and coffee, tea and cookies will be provided, also for free.

Members aren’t sure how it will go but they’re anticipating a successful, joyous day.

“We pray a lot about it,” Clarke says, “and just leave everything in God’s hands.”