A Lutheran Vision on Valley Forge Road
Saint Luke Lutheran Church has stood at the southeast corner of Conestoga and Valley Forge Roads in Devon, Pennsylvania, since December 7, 1958. Its story, however, begins a few years earlier, in 1954, when a small group of determined community members set out to prove that a Lutheran church did belong in the Upper Main Line. At the time, a regional church body had decided one was not warranted. Through tireless effort and prayer, the founders showed otherwise, and Saint Luke was born.
The congregation grew quickly. Within its first years, the Devereux School, the Red Cross Building, and the Berwyn Fire Hall could no longer contain the worshiping community. Land was purchased and the present church was built. After many vibrant years, a fire in late 2003 caused significant damage, and the rebuilding program that followed added the Memorial Garden, a common resting place for deceased members and their families.
Today Saint Luke is a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, working within the South Eastern Pennsylvania Synod. It is also designated a Reconciling in Christ Congregation, supporting the welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions, working for racial equity and committing to anti-racist practice.
Sunday Worship at 9:30
Saint Luke gathers for one worship service each Sunday at 9:30 a.m., offered simultaneously in person and online through YouTube Live. The service is approximately sixty minutes long and includes vibrant worship music, blending traditional hymns with contemporary pieces and occasional leadership from a praise band. Holy Communion is celebrated every week, and all are welcome to participate.
Visitors are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early to park and grab coffee. Dress is varied: some worshippers wear suits and ties, others wear blue jeans. Children are always welcome in worship, and each week they are invited forward for a Children's Message designed just for them. There is also a PrayGround in the sanctuary, an area set aside for families with young children ages 0 to 3, where little ones can engage in quiet play while remaining with their parents.
The Choir, open to anyone age 13 and up and directed by Director of Music Ministry John Rea, rehearses Sunday mornings from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. before the service and sings every Sunday of the year. A welcome center in the church provides a place for newcomers to ask questions and learn about the many programs offered.
Rejoicing Spirits: The Fourth at Four
On the fourth Sunday of every month at 4:00 p.m., Saint Luke hosts Rejoicing Spirits, a joy-filled worship service for children and adults with developmental disabilities, their families, friends, and caregivers. The congregation calls it "the fourth at four," and all are welcome, no exceptions. It is one of the church's most distinctive commitments, a reminder that worship at Saint Luke is shaped around the gifts and presence of every person.
Saint Luke Kids and the PrayGround
Children from birth through sixth grade are celebrated as invaluable members of the Saint Luke community. The children's ministry, called Saint Luke Kids, runs in conjunction with the church program year, with classes meeting Sundays from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. for kids age two through sixth grade. Leaders and caring adults guide the children as they build relationships and grow in their faith.
Two features are worth noting for visiting families. The PrayGround in the sanctuary gives parents of infants and toddlers a place to worship together with quiet play options. The Children's Message, offered every Sunday, gathers kids at the front of the sanctuary for a moment designed just for them.
Each summer the church hosts Vacation Bible School, known locally as VBS. The 2026 program, Operation Restoration: Mending God's World, runs the first week of August from 9:00 a.m. to noon and welcomes children from age three through entering fifth grade at no cost. Daily themes include Feed, Heal, Forgive, Pray, and Rest, taught through music, crafts, outdoor play, story time, and snacks with caring teachers and youth volunteers.
Family Resources, shared through the church year, include the Faith5 devotional practice, the Bible App for Kids, and seasonal tools such as the Backpack Blessing at the start of the school year and Bible presentations for third graders.
Spark Student Ministries
Middle school and high school students have their own ministry called Spark. Open to students in seventh through twelfth grade, Spark offers weekly Sunday programs from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m., including Confirmation for students in seventh through ninth grade. Confirmation is a place to have fun, build friendships, and explore what faith means; students who wish to affirm their beliefs publicly are typically confirmed on the first Sunday in March during their ninth-grade year.
Beyond Sunday mornings, Spark plans regular service trips and gatherings. Students age twelve and older take part in Gemma Student Trips several times a year, visiting Gemma Services (formerly Silver Springs-Martin Luther School) to play games and lead activities with children who have experienced significant trauma. The Appalachia Service Project brings students age eleven and older to homes in Appalachia for a week of home repair and formation. Every few years, high school students travel to the ELCA Youth Gathering, which in 2024 was held in New Orleans.
Adult Formation: Bible Study, Bistro, and Table Talk
Adults at Saint Luke have multiple entry points for growth in faith. A weekly Bible Study meets on Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to noon, both in person in the conference room and online via Zoom; participants are invited to arrive at 10:45 a.m. for a time of prayer before the study. Table Talk, held Sundays from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m. during the program year, provides a welcoming space for a weekly conversation about faith and daily life, offered in person and online.
Bistro is a Wednesday-evening adult formation series that meets at 7:00 p.m. in person. Recent and upcoming series include "Reclaiming Faith: A Journey to Restoration" with José Humphreys, "Advent Can Still Change the World" with the prophet Josh Scott, and "Conscience and Conversation," which begins with the revisitation of the ELCA's 2009 statement "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust." Each series pairs a thoughtful text or topic with discussion and community.
The Women's Book Club meets on the first Tuesday of each month from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom, with rotating titles chosen by the group. Ruth Circle, open to all women, gathers on the third Tuesday from 6:45 to 8:00 p.m. for refreshments, devotions, and friendship. Needles and Pins, a long-running quilting group, meets Mondays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. to craft quilts that are sent through Lutheran World Relief to communities suffering from man-made or natural disasters; no sewing experience is required.
Pastoral Care: Stephen Ministry and Prayer
Saint Luke considers it a privilege to walk alongside individuals and families through both the joys and the difficulties of life. The Stephen Ministry program trains lay members of the congregation to provide one-to-one support to others experiencing difficult times, offering care through listening, encouragement, prayer, and dependable presence.
The Prayer Gathering meets online every Thursday from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom, gathering requests and praying together for the world, for loved ones, and for the congregation. In worship, prayer requests can be shared through a form available online; the church prays for each one throughout the week. Pastors are also available for hospitalizations, funerals, weddings, and other significant moments in the lives of members and their broader community.
Feast Incarnate and Service Beyond Devon
On the first Tuesday of every month, a team from Saint Luke travels to University Lutheran Church in Philadelphia to host Feast Incarnate, a monthly meal for food-insecure guests in West Philadelphia. Volunteers prepare a healthy, banquet-style meal for 100 to 120 people, served plated on china with the conviction that the meal is about more than food; it is also about dignity.
Students and adults from Saint Luke regularly worship with The Welcome Church, an ELCA-related church without walls in Philadelphia that serves neighbors experiencing homelessness. The carpool leaves the Saint Luke lot on Sunday afternoons several times a year, and the congregation collects supplies, water, protein drinks, snacks, socks and underwear, hygiene items, blankets, and other necessities to distribute.
Ongoing partnerships extend the reach further. Saint Luke hosts Red Cross Blood Drives throughout the year and contributes financially and through in-kind donations to T and E Care, the Great Valley Food Cupboard, Gemma Services, and Beautiful Beginnings, a licensed childcare ministry housed in the Saint Luke facility that serves children from six weeks to six years.
Community Partners Near and Far
Saint Luke's commitment to God's work in the world flows through a network of partner organizations. Locally, Beautiful Beginnings uses church space to provide licensed childcare, the American Red Cross uses it for regular blood drives, and the church makes financial and in-kind contributions to T and E Care, Gemma Services, and the Great Valley Food Cupboard.
Nationally and globally, the church supports the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the South Eastern Pennsylvania Synod, Lutheran Disaster Response, ELCA World Hunger, Global Refuge (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service), and Lutheran Services in America. These connections shape the church's benevolence giving and special "Globe offerings" that are collected as needs arise.
Nifty Fifty, Breadcrumbs, and the LutheRunners
Saint Luke nurtures community in simple, regular ways. Nifty Fifty, a luncheon and fellowship hour for senior adults, meets on the second Monday of the month from noon to 1:00 p.m. Breadcrumbs, an adults-of-all-ages monthly meal out, meets on the second Friday of the month at area restaurants such as Peter Chang's in King of Prussia or R and G's Ping Pong in Wayne; everyone orders and pays for their own meal and is invited to bring a friend.
The Saint Luke LutheRunners gather for fellowship and exercise, with locations and distances decided by the group. During the winter the runs are typically on Saturday mornings, and in the spring they move to Sunday evenings. Details live on the Saint Luke Runners Facebook group.
Youth and Adult Service Days
Service is woven throughout Saint Luke's program year. The Gemma Student Trips mentioned above take students and adult volunteers into Philadelphia to spend time with children at Gemma Services. The Appalachia Service Project brings students age eleven and older on a week-long home repair trip each summer. Saint Luke also participates in Tredyffrin Township's annual Community Yard Sale, donating the proceeds to outreach efforts. Red Cross Blood Drives are held multiple times a year in the church building.
Baptism and Membership
Baptism at Saint Luke is a joyous occasion. Through this sacrament, God makes the baptized a member of the community of faith, grants forgiveness of sins, and promises eternal life. Baptism is offered to infants, children, teenagers, and adults who have not been baptized previously. Older youth and adults attend a pre-baptism class with one of the pastors and worship regularly at Saint Luke. Baptisms are usually celebrated on the third Sunday of each month in the service of worship, so that the whole congregation can welcome new members. There is no fee.
Music, Memorial Garden, and the Building
Music is central to worship at Saint Luke. Director of Music Ministry John Rea, a classically trained pianist, organist, vocalist, and composer, brings a long career of church music leadership and a wider artistic life as the founder and artistic director of MacGuffin Theatre and Film Company, a nonprofit arts-based education program. The sanctuary combines modern and traditional features, with stained glass windows, exposed beams, and cascading organ pipes.
The Memorial Garden, established during the rebuilding after the 2003 fire, offers a common resting place for deceased members and their families. Each October the church holds a Blessing of the Animals outdoors in the Memorial Garden, a service that welcomes dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and any other companions, along with photos for the shy, to thank God for the creatures in our lives and pray God's blessing with them. Treats are offered for two-legged and four-legged guests, and a certificate of blessing goes home with each animal.
Facility Rentals
Saint Luke opens its doors to the wider community for meetings, social gatherings, weddings, and other events. The sanctuary is a popular choice for weddings, with its stained glass, exposed beams, and organ pipes. Schlack Hall, named for Saint Luke's founding pastor, is a flexible, carpeted, air-conditioned space that divides into rooms sized for groups of thirty to two hundred, with a full restaurant kitchen included. A conference room with up-to-date technology is also available. Tours are offered weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with evening and weekend appointments available by request.
Leadership
The Rev. Matt Staniz serves as Lead Pastor. A graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, he was called as Lead Pastor in 2022 after ten years on staff at Saint Luke as Pastor for Youth, Family, and Service. He previously served congregations in Havertown, North Philadelphia, and Camden, New Jersey, and has been a faith-based advocate with the ONE Campaign since 2009.
The Rev. Mycah McNett serves as Associate Pastor. A graduate of United Lutheran Seminary, she was called to Saint Luke in the summer of 2023. Prior to seminary she served in church communication and youth ministry roles in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and participated in the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program. She serves on the Board of Directors for Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries and is an active member of the Proclaim Community for LGBTQIA+ Lutheran Rostered Leaders.
John Rea serves as Director of Music Ministry, leading the choir and bringing decades of experience as a church organist, choir director, and composer. The elected Congregation Council gives vision and strategic direction to the ministry teams, program coordinators, and lay volunteers.
Welcome Statement
Saint Luke shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace. Liberated by faith, the congregation embraces everyone as a whole person, with questions, complexities, and all. Whatever a person's race, culture, color, marital status, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, political philosophy, physical or intellectual ability, or church background, they are welcome here. The motto is simple and clear: All are welcome, no exceptions.