St. Luke History
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St. Luke has a long history of being deeply engaged in issues of peace, justice, and healing change for the local, national, and world community out of a deep sense of faith and spirituality.  The biblical call to bring hope to all of God’s creation is at the core of what St. Luke believes and tries to live out in its community life commitments.

This is a brief outline of some of the highlights of St. Luke’s journey into faith living.

Founding – October 13, 1957 – More than 100 adults and children assembled at 10:00 a.m. at Groveland School for the first worship service of St. Luke Presbyterian Church. Fifty-two adults signed the charter. The organizing worship service was June 29, 1958.
The building’s architect was Ralph Rapson, who also designed the original Guthrie Theater.

Peace Bonds – In the spring of 1971, in response to the question, “What does it mean to follow the Prince of Peace?” St. Luke sold Peace Bonds which raised over $25,000 for relief aid through the Red Cross for North Vietnam, shared their vision of peace making with over 30 congregations around the country, supported Members of Congress for Peace Through Law, and acted as a catalyst for the cooperative effort of seven major church denominations to develop, with the Johnson Foundation, a network of Peace Churches.

Food Co-op – The St. Luke Community Co-op, now called Lakewinds Natural Foods, opened in April of 1975 in response to the congregation’s concern for hunger, both locally and worldwide.

Sanctuary Movement – In 1982, John Fife was invited to preach at St. Luke about the experience of his border church. Later that year, after many discussions with the congregation, the session moved to “actively resist the immoral and illegal policy of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service by declaring this church… to be a ‘sanctuary’ for refugees from El Salvador and Guatemala.” René Hurtado arrived to wide media coverage and moved into the church. St. Luke's support of his struggle to remain in this country legally ended 25 years later when the government lost its final court appeal. St. Luke people appeared on the CBS television program “Sixty Minutes” in a segment about the Sanctuary Movement; the show aired on Mother’s Day in 1985.

Sweat Lodge – In 1986, a sweat lodge was built by the American Indian community on the church property and continues to be used to this day. The Native American focus group, started in the 1970s, continues to support an annual men’s construction trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and two sewing trips by St. Luke women who work with the women of the reservation. Many personal relationships have been developed over the past 15 years, including a close friendship with Pinky Clifford, our main contact person.

More Light – In 1988, the Session adopted a “More Light” resolution declaring its intent to allow gay and lesbian members to participate fully in the life of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The More Light focus group continues to work on ways our congregation can be more welcoming and supportive of the LGBT community and our LGBT members.

Environmental Focus – In 2008, a new focus group centered around environmental issues was formed. There is a growing interest in issues of permaculture, sustainability, and ways of living which reduce our impact on the earth.