On the busy corner of Youree Drive and Sand Beach Boulevard in Shreveport, St. Luke's United Methodist Church is known for two forms of outreach with a large local presence: a Pumpkin Patch that has directed more than a quarter million dollars to community organizations, and a recovery ministry that hosts 17 meetings every week. Founded in 1960 on what was then Shreveport's growing southern edge, the congregation remains open in posture and plain in welcome: “All are welcome” and “Love, not judgement, is found here.”
Two Sunday Gatherings in the Sanctuary
Sunday worship takes place at 8:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. in the sanctuary at 6012 Youree Drive in Shreveport. The 9:30 a.m. Sunday School hour falls between the two services. The later service is livestreamed, and earlier sermons and special services are available through the church's YouTube channel. A Plan a Visit form is also available for people arranging their first Sunday. Worship, study and the listed ministries are conducted in English.
St. Luke's describes its shared life as worship, prayer and study. It seeks to love God, neighbors and oneself, to follow Jesus, to open hearts to the guiding Holy Spirit and to become the “hands and feet” of Jesus in the surrounding community. The church says people of every race, socioeconomic status and background are welcome. Matthew 11:28-30 expresses the invitation at the heart of its ministry: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Sunday School, Children and Nursery Care
At 9:30 a.m., adult classes meet in the Seeker's Room, Genesis Room and Ben Davis Room. Youth classes use the Youth Room, while children in kindergarten through fifth grade gather in the Children's Wing. The three areas make the Sunday School hour a full intergenerational rhythm rather than a single class session.
Children's Church runs concurrently with both the 8:30 and 10:45 worship services. Children come to the front of the sanctuary during the 10:45 service for a Children's Message tied to the sermon and then lead their own prayer. Afterward, they return to the children's area for a simple snack, arts and crafts, games that reinforce the Bible lesson, and time on the playground. Bible stories, hands-on activities and artistic expression are central to the teaching approach. A nursery is provided for children four years old and under at both services, with the stated goal of helping every child learn about Jesus and his love in a comfortable setting.
The wider children's calendar includes a churchwide birthday celebration, an Easter egg hunt, a Mother's Day outing, a summer zoo trip, a back-to-school blessing, a block party, trunk-or-treat and breakfast with Santa. These are family-oriented additions to the regular teaching and worship life.
Low Key: A Friday Service Centered on Recovery
Every Friday, St. Luke's hosts Low Key, a one-hour service of recovery in the sanctuary. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for refreshments and music in the hospitality area. Music begins at 6:00 p.m., with a different local band each week, and the service includes a short speaker who shares an experience with one of the 12 steps. Low Key is open to anyone who wants the music, food and positive fellowship, not only to people already engaged in recovery. Its aim is to celebrate sobriety, offer gentle encouragement for the difficult work of 12-step recovery and provide a safe, relaxed place for people in and around the recovery community. The service also streams on YouTube.
AMOR and Seventeen Weekly Recovery Meetings
AMOR stands for A Ministry of Recovery, a congregation-based ministry that offers support, encouragement, resources and opportunities to people in recovery or seeking recovery. Seventeen meetings meet in the church each week, and more than 300 people take part. St. Luke's supports the non-sectarian tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous while giving particular attention to the spiritual dimension of 12-step recovery.
- Monday at 7 p.m.: AA-Keystone in the Fellowship Hall, Al-Anon in the Genesis Room, Gamblers Anonymous in the Sanctuary, and Overeaters Anonymous in the Seeker's Room.
- Tuesday: AA Men's Group at 12:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, AA Surrender Group at 5:30 p.m. in the Seeker's Room, and AA The Herd Men's Group at 7 p.m. in the Genesis Room.
- Wednesday: Overeaters Anonymous at 5:30 p.m. in the Seeker's Room and AA Basic Training at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
- Thursday: AA-Ladies Livin' at 6:30 p.m. in the Seeker's Room and AA Men's Big Book Study at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
- Friday: Low Key at 6 p.m. in the Sanctuary, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.
- Saturday at 10 a.m.: AA-Maverick in the Sanctuary, Alateen in the Seeker's Room, Al-Anon in the Genesis Room, and NA-Principles before Personalities in the Conference Room.
- Sunday at 7 p.m.: AA-Basic Training in the Fellowship Hall.
AMOR also needs backup teams for refreshments, speakers and musicians. People can contribute community-service time through office duties, cleaning, Pumpkin Patch work, grounds maintenance and other service tasks. Volunteers from the recovery community have a long role in unloading the patch's pumpkins.
Walking the Santa Rosa Labyrinth
The church's Santa Rosa Labyrinth is a 37-foot-diameter stone walk in a prayer garden, with 1,200 square feet of gray and beige tumbled bricks and a 680-foot path. Lea Goode designed and copyrighted the labyrinth in 1997, and it was the first permanent labyrinth installed in Louisiana. Marty Kermeen served as the stone artist, Phillip Mayo prepared the site and Akins Nursery provided the landscaping. Presented to the community as a gift by St. Luke's, the labyrinth is open from dawn until dusk every day, with access from the north parking lot. Centering Prayer and meditation are held on it every Tuesday at 4 p.m. when weather permits; in poor weather, the gathering moves to the library.
Unlike a puzzle-like maze, the labyrinth has one unambiguous path leading to the center and back out. Walkers are encouraged to pause at the entrance, choose a quotation or their own words, repeat them while walking, meditate at the center and return in silence. Its seven circuits include a heart-space that can be approached from all four directions. The church describes the path as a mirror for life's turns, sorrows, joys, healing and the search for one's way.
The Pumpkin Patch: Every Sale Returns to Shreveport
Since 1990, the Pumpkin Patch has turned an October tradition into one of St. Luke's most visible expressions of service. It is staffed entirely by volunteers, and 100 percent of the sales proceeds go to local charities and nonprofits; the church keeps none of the pumpkin money. More than a quarter million dollars has been directed to community organizations over the patch's history. The pumpkins come from Navajo and Pueblo farming partners in New Mexico through Pumpkins USA, St. Luke's long-time grower partner. They are non-GMO and grown with sustainable practices such as crop rotation, cover crops and soil mapping.
Broadmoor United Methodist Church joined the planning and staffing effort in 2021, and each church selects charities for its portion of the proceeds. Organizations that have received support from St. Luke's allocation include Oakwood Home for Women, Gingerbread House, Woody's Home for Veterans, Louisiana Methodist Children's Home, Beulah's Safe Haven, Plant-a-Seed, The Highland Center and Ninna's Road to Rescue. Broadmoor's selections have included The Arc Caddo-Bossier, Catholic Charities, Community Renewal, Faith and Fostering, HUB Ministries/Lovewell Center, Illuminate/Domestic Violence Outreach and Noel United Methodist Food Pantry.
The patch's volunteer character shapes the visitor experience as well. Families are welcome to take photos, although professional photography sessions are not permitted. Leashed pets are welcome with their owners present, with a blessing of pets among the seasonal gatherings. Pumpkins and gourds left after the selling season are donated to local hog farmers, so nothing from the patch is discarded.
Music, Fellowship and a Shared Life of Study
Music is directed by Emily Gregory, who also serves as Director of Youth Ministries. The Chancel Choir sings every Sunday at the 10:45 service and rehearses on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. No audition or musical knowledge is required. The ministry's aim is to enhance worship so that the Spirit can work through the congregation's songs, psalms and hymns, and it welcomes people who want to use their talents in worship and fellowship.
The congregation meets for study and service in several other regular rhythms. Koinonia is a weekly Wednesday breakfast and Bible study at 7:00 a.m. in the Conference Room. United Methodist Men gather for dinner on the fourth Thursday of each month to make plans to serve the church and community, while the United Methodist Women seek to know God, experience freedom through Jesus Christ, build supportive fellowship and expand their participation in local and global mission. Youth are included in the 9:30 Sunday School hour and the 10:45 worship gathering.
Giving toward St. Luke's ministries can be made through its online giving form, with a designation entered in the memo. Contributions can be directed to the church's general work, the Pumpkin Patch or a supported charity.
St. Luke's United Methodist Church brings these rhythms together at its Youree Drive location: Sunday worship and study, nursery and children's learning, a Friday recovery service, a daily outdoor labyrinth, service organizations, music and an autumn fundraiser that directs every sales dollar back toward Shreveport. The result is a congregation shaped by the overlapping practice of worship, prayer, study, welcome, recovery and local giving.