It’s all in the name of pi. Or is that pie? Maybe even PIE.

This Sunday, the Sackville United Church is hosting a fundraising event with appeal for lovers of all three.

Hear Lloyd Bruce talk about the PIE Day Pie Auction on Tantramar Report:

March 14 is, of course, known as International Pi Day, for the endless and endlessly useful number (approximately 3.14) that represents the ratio of the circumference of any circle to its own diameter.

“The national affirming body of the United Church of Canada has kind of taken a twist on that,” says Sackville United minister Lloyd Bruce, “as a way to talk about our public, intentional, and explicit welcome of LGBTQ folk and other marginalized persons.”

Pi Day, meet National Affirming PIE (public, intentional, explicit) Day.

Bruce explains the concepts of public, intentional, and explicit encapsulated in the acronym PIE.

“Public–we talk often about how we seek to be an affirming community,” say Bruce. “We’re intentional in our efforts at including diverse groups of people. And we’re explicit. We make no apology for being an affirming community. And those are the standards that we try to hold ourselves to, as a community of faith.”

But there’s more. There’s pie.

Starting at 2pm on Sunday, dozens of professional and amateur made pies will be up for auction at the Sackville United Church, and online at the annual PIE Day Pie Auction.

There’s the traditional apples and berry pies. And then there’s the more exotics: peanut butter, sweet potato, and even sour cream raisin with meringue. Heck, there’s even a pizza pie or two. The selection is featured in a video posted to the church’s Facebook page.

“The variety in pies reflects a variety and diversity of community,” says Bruce, “and we need to be about celebrating such diversity and variety.”

Up to 25 people will be allowed to attend the auction in person, with COVID protocols in place, but people can also attend via Zoom or participate via a Facebook live video.

The money raised from the event will go to fund the work of Sackville’s “affirming ministry.” Bruce says there’s no specific target for this year’s fundraising. “It’s really just an attempt to continue in the midst of a pandemic, and the funds raised will go to the general work of the church and trying to create an affirming presence in the community,” says Bruce.

Last year, the church had to cancel their PIE day event. “Regrettably, that was the day the world changed,” recalls Bruce. But donations still came in, which Bruce says went towards the “queer room”, a safe space for young adults regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.

Before the pandemic, Bruce says 10-12 teens frequented the space. “They had created, for themselves, a set of community guidelines, and we provide an adult presence, just there to be supportive and helpful where possible,” says Bruce. “There’s no programming per se, but again, it’s just a safe space for these young adults to gather in community.”

The church first hosted its PIE Day pie auction three years ago, with the specific aim of supporting the welcoming of a person coming to Sackville as a rainbow refugee, someone who had been persecuted in their country as a result of their sexual orientation. “We were working in partnership with the Sackville Refugee Response Coalition,” says Bruce, “and we had a resounding success from that event.“

The Sackville United Church PIE Day Pie Auction starts at 2pm on Sunday. You can join via Zoom or Facebook Live, and there is a limited number of in-person spaces available at the church. Details and links are available here.