“Looking for housing,” they pray. Here at Saint Lukes Lutheran Church, prayers rise. They seek jobs and healing for loved ones. Saint Lukes Lutheran Church is a place of hope and community.
Saint Lukes Lutheran Church has a rich history in the area. We will explore its milestones. Saint Lukes Lutheran Church was organized on August 31, 1921. Thirty-nine charter members met at the YMCA on South Street. This location is now the downtown parking ramp.
In November 1922, they purchased property. It was at the corner of Grand Avenue and Carroll Street. They planned to build a church there. On March 27, 1927, they dedicated the Red Brick Church.
Pastor Glenn Cloninger was called in 1942. Saint Lukes Lutheran Church approved the construction of the Parish House on June 7, 1953. The Parish House was dedicated on December 5, 1954.
The first women were elected to the Council of Elders in 1958. August 1965 marked the last service in the Red Brick Church. Ground was broken for a new church building. On December 18, 1966, the new Saint Lukes Lutheran Church building was dedicated. The mortgage was burned in June 1975.
A major renovation and addition started in 1989. This included an elevator. Saint Lukes Lutheran Church celebrated its 75th anniversary in July 1996. The theme was Remembering Yesterday, Celebrating Today, Anticipating Tomorrow. Child Life Ministries started in August 1996.
A second major building and equipment project started in 2000. It was completed in 2004. Saint Lukes Lutheran Church formed the MET Team and Call Committee in 2005. Pastors Kathy Boadwine and Gary Liedtke began serving in July 2006.
Pastor Karen Pahl began as pastor in March 2013. In March 2016, a Building Renewal Project started. It updated the sanctuary, chapel, Hospitality Area, gathering spaces, and restrooms. Pastor Doug Andersen was called as term pastor for 2.5 years in June 2016.
Reverend Dr. Lindsay Paul Jordan began as Senior Pastor in November 2018. Reverend Steve Bogie began as Associate Pastor in January 2020. In August 2021, Saint Lukes Lutheran Church celebrated its 100th Anniversary.
Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle loves all their neighbors. They provide community services. The Edible Hope meal program serves about 2,000 meals per month. St. Luke’s Urban Garden is a neighborhood P-patch. They provide shelter for the homeless through SHARE.
St. Luke’s commitment to their community expanded to protect the environment by joining the RainWise Program. Their installation includes six cisterns and a rain garden. It manages rainwater runoff from over 16,600 square feet of roof area. The project keeps nearly 84,000 gallons of stormwater out of the combined sewer system every year. It protects Lake Union and the Ship Canal from combined sewer system overflows. The project was completed in February 2018.
Every Friday, Nancy Rogers opens the battered box and reads the prayer requests. Rogers and her colleagues at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church feeding program pray for all those things and more. They start lunch for over 100 people. Food is a way to show love and caring.
The women of Saint Lukes Lutheran Church have been serving unconditional love to the homeless for 27 years. Breakfast is served each weekday morning. Lunch is on Fridays. That’s 3,300 meals a month. The feeding program is the heart and soul of the church.
As you leave Saint Lukes Lutheran Church, consider its long history. Think about its ongoing commitment to the community. Remember the prayers offered within these walls and the meals shared.