Their honeyed lustre is smooth and worn, a testament to the touch of more than 100 years of worship.
Tiny imperfections tell the tale of impatient feet shod in their Sunday best, swinging against the pews, of faces scrubbed clean and words whispered to sit up straight.
The echoes of the years gone by can still be heard, the essence of the much-loved church almost unchanged from more than a century ago.
As St Luke’s Church in Spring Creek gets set to mark its 136th birthday, the community are again invited to gather to celebrate.
For the Reverend Derek Harding it is a milestone he is looking forward to.
“It’s brilliant that we’re celebrating 136 years. It’s like having a birthday at home and it’s something to be happy about, something to be cheerful about.”
The parish is planning a birthday party on 18 October, which is open to the public. People are invited to dress up in period costume if they wish and the service will be followed by a lavish morning tea on the grass.
It was October 22 1890 that St Luke’s was consecrated by Bishop Andrew Suter - making it one of the oldest in the region to still hold regular Sunday services.
Derek leads two Sunday services a month, attended by about 30 people each time while congregation members lead on the Sundays he’s not there.
It was the parishioners who have continually stepped up to help, he explains, helping cut costs, raise funds and care for the church which sits at the heart of the community.
“In 2010, the Parish was in debt to the Diocese and couldn’t afford to maintain a full-time Minister. The community pushed back, they were really disappointed that the church was closing.”
St Luke’s is still very much part of the community whose ancestors pushed for the church. Descendants of the Woolley, Gane, Chaytor, Cresswell and Glover families are set to help celebrate the special birthday. Their bonds to St Luke’s are both emotional and tangible.
Derek explains it was early Chinese settler and master furniture maker William Ah Gee who carved the church's distinctive eagle lectern which is still used today.
The stain glass windows above the alter were erected in memory of the Mills family. A brass plaque, polished to a high shine, hangs in memory to Margaret Elizabeth Gane, “A faithful worshipper in this church. At rest December 5, 1923.”
The building was extended by 12 feet and the vestry added in 1906 to allow for the growing congregation. Little else has changed, with the historic church still both winsome and dignified.
“It is a very special place,” Derek smiles. “While I won’t be here to mark it’s 150th, others hopefully will.”