A Parish Rooted in Anchorage Since 1873
St. Luke's Episcopal Church has been a presence in Anchorage, Kentucky - a small, historic community on the eastern edge of Louisville - for more than 150 years. The parish was founded in 1873 by a group of neighbors who at first met in homes and shared spaces until they could build a church of their own. Bishop Thomas Dudley and the Diocese of Kentucky supported the effort, and a Women's Guild led the early work of planning events and raising funds. The cornerstone was laid in 1908 on five acres shared by founding members, and the English Gothic sanctuary designed by architect Arthur Loomis was constructed using Kentucky limestone from a nearby quarry. The first services were held in 1909, and St. Luke's was admitted to the Diocese of Kentucky in 1910 with Father Pierce McDonald as the first rector. The bishop consecrated the completed church in 1920.
The parish's defining chapter began in 1932, when Deacon Robert Cocoran Board, a 24-year-old Louisvillian, was ordained and called as rector. Over four decades Father Board guided St. Luke's through growth in children's programs, the church school, and music, drawing new families from across the region. In 1937, architect Loomis donated a chime for the church, the Women's Guild paid off the rectory mortgage, and the parish opened its doors as shelter when Louisville was hit by a devastating flood. The parish was recognized as an independent parish in 1939, the vestry grew to twelve members, and the first men's club formed in 1943. Between 1948 and 1992, St. Luke's hosted its much-remembered Annual Horse Show in a ring on the grounds that still stands as a reminder of the parish's life. Father Board retired in 1976 after forty-four years of service, and the fellowship hall was named Board Hall in his honor.
Subsequent rectors continued that long arc of growth. Father Michael Pearson (1992 to 2002) added special events including the Harvest Moon dance in the old horse ring and trips to the Acolyte Festival at the Washington National Cathedral. Father Stanley "Joe" Smith (2003 to 2012) oversaw expanded weekly education classes, deepening outreach, and a 2009 celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first service in the current sanctuary. Father Michael Delk (2014 to 2022) led the parish through a major capital campaign that broke ground in early 2020 and was completed in late 2021, adding more than 4,000 square feet of new fellowship, classroom, and worship space, consecrated by Bishop Terry Allen White in January 2022. The Rev. Benjamin Hart was called by the vestry in July 2023 and began his ministry at St. Luke's that October.
An English Gothic Sanctuary with a Concert-Grade Organ
The sanctuary Loomis designed a century ago remains the heart of St. Luke's. Inside, stained-glass windows line the walls - each one given by a parishioner in memory of a loved one, depicting the stories of Jesus, the apostles, the prophets, and the saints. The building draws on the English Gothic vocabulary, and the careful Kentucky limestone work outside is matched by craftsmanship within.
The most recent addition to that interior is also one of the most distinctive. In May 2013, a new Martin Pasi and Associates organ - Opus 22, with 1,360 pipes - was installed after the chancel was renovated to receive the instrument on the central axis of the room. A large donation from Murray and Ceralda Allen launched the Organ Fund that made the project possible, and the extraordinary generosity of the parish carried it home. The instrument is encased in fumed white oak with decorative carvings above the façade pipes. The console has two manual keyboards covered in cow bone and ebony, a pedal keyboard of maple and rosewood, and twenty-three stop knobs. The tonal scheme draws most of its inspiration from the great North German and Dutch organs of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, enriched with stops drawn from later models. The key action is fully mechanical - the organist's fingers open the valves directly through a system of levers and trackers - giving the player intimate control over phrasing and articulation.
Two Services, Two Traditions
Worship at St. Luke's centers on the ancient and enduring poetry of the Book of Common Prayer, joined with Hymnal 1982 from the pew racks. Communion with bread and wine is celebrated every Sunday and is open to all who have been baptized.
At 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings, the congregation gathers for the parish's principal service. Rite II sets the shape, with the Adult Choir and the Pasi organ leading the music. The repertoire draws from Anglican anthems, mass settings, and spirituals, and includes choral works with guest musicians on occasions like Christmas Eve, Easter, and special Evensongs. This is the service the choir has carried to Washington National Cathedral for "Kentucky Day," and that members toured with to St. Paul's Cathedral, London, and St. George's Chapel, Windsor, in 2022 under the direction of Dr. Bruce Neswick.
At 5:00 p.m. on Sunday evenings, the parish gathers again in a contemporary idiom that has been part of the parish since 2005. The Reflections praise band - a group of volunteer singers and instrumentalists - leads this service, which uses the same Episcopal liturgy in a more relaxed setting. Reflections also plays for parish gatherings and community events, including appearances at Anchorage community gatherings, local senior living facilities, and Dismas Charities.
Bulletins at the doors include hymn numbers and almost every prayer needed for the service. Clergy announce page numbers for the sections where visitors are invited to join in. Sermons generally run ten to fifteen minutes and stay grounded in scripture and its connection to everyday life. After the closing recessional hymn, the priest, choir, and worship team exit to the back of the sanctuary, and most of the congregation stays for coffee, cookies, and fellowship in Board Hall.
Livestreamed Sundays and a Wide Welcome
The 10:00 a.m. service is livestreamed each week on Facebook and YouTube, with recordings archived on both. Special services through the year - Christmas, Holy Week, Evensong, and concerts - are also streamed.
St. Luke's welcomes people of all backgrounds into full participation in the life and leadership of the parish. Curiosity and questions are welcomed here. Conformity of belief is not required to belong.
The Music Academy at St. Luke's
In 2022, Lisa Lewis - who has served as Organist and Choir Director at St. Luke's since 1985 and holds a Master of Music in Organ Performance from the University of Louisville School of Music - founded the Music Academy at St. Luke's to offer music education to the broader community. Private lessons are available for students ages seven and up in strings, winds, guitar, brass, voice, piano, organ, and harpsichord. Lessons come in 30, 45, or 60-minute formats at $30, $45, or $60 per month, and beginners are welcome. Parents are welcome to sit in, and teachers emphasize positive reinforcement.
The academy's faculty brings significant credentials. Strings are taught by Jane Halliday (violin), Alan Ohkubo (cello), Clara Markham (viola), Henry Davidson (guitar), and Robert Garbarz (violin). Brass and woodwinds include Erika Howard (trumpet and French horn), Ryan Nottingham (trumpet), Clara York (flute), and Alice Regnari (clarinet). Voice is taught by Sarah DeMoor. Lisa Lewis teaches piano, organ, and harpsichord.
In fall 2023, the academy launched the Community Children's Choir, open to children ages seven and up. Rehearsals are Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. during the school year, and the choir has performed at St. Luke's services, community events, and the academy's spring recital. A free mini Choir Camp for children ages seven and up is offered each August, with the Music Director and the Rector leading singing and crafts.
The Adult Choir, Reflections Band, and Concert Series
The Adult Choir combines professional staff singers and volunteers under Lisa Lewis's direction. It sings at the 10:00 a.m. Sunday services, presents choral works with guest musicians on major feast days, and supports the annual concert series. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings from September through May. Reflections rehearses on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. throughout the year, and the band has performed over the years at Anchorage community gatherings, local senior living facilities, and Dismas Charities Halfway House for Women in Louisville.
Since June 2013, when the new Pasi organ was dedicated with a recital, St. Luke's has hosted the St. Luke's Concert Series, presenting leading singers, instrumentalists, and organists from around the country. About five recitals are offered each year, often in collaboration with Church of the Advent and other Louisville-area ensembles. Recent seasons have included appearances by Emily Albrink (University of Louisville voice faculty), Stephen Price (Ball State University organ faculty), Carolyn Craig (an organ scholar at Westminster Cathedral in London), and John Cummins (organist-choirmaster at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem). The series has featured choral Evensongs with combined choirs, harpsichord recitals, Lenten concerts, and performances of works ranging from Byrd to Bach, Fauré's Requiem, and contemporary American repertoire.
Children, Nursery, and the Community Children's Choir
Children of all ages are welcome in worship at St. Luke's. The congregation delights in the sound of children in the church. A nursery is available on Sunday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to noon for infants through kindergarten, staffed by at least two adults and located downstairs. Ushers are happy to direct families to the nursery.
On the first Sunday of each month at the 10:00 a.m. service, children ages four through fourth grade are invited to follow the cross out of the nave at the Gloria for Godly Play, a Montessori-style program that shares stories of the Bible, church history, and the liturgy. Children return at the Peace so that the whole congregation is together for Communion.
Beyond Sunday morning, the Music Academy's Community Children's Choir (ages seven and up) rehearses Wednesdays during the school year, and a free mini Choir Camp is offered each August. Cub Scout Pack 274 also makes St. Luke's its home, with the Rector serving as the pack's Executive Officer.
Forming Faith Through the Week
Learning and fellowship happen throughout the week at St. Luke's. Sunday mornings begin at 9:00 a.m. with breakfast and Adult Formation in Board Hall, where classes explore topics such as Celtic Christianity, C.S. Lewis and his faith, and the history of the Episcopal Church. Rector Benjamin Hart currently teaches a class on the lectionary readings during this time.
Wednesday mornings at 9:45 a.m., a Bible Study meets in the downstairs Vestry Room of the new building. The class is led by lay leadership and currently focuses on the book of Psalms. The Centering Prayer group gathers on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. via Zoom, where participants open themselves to be guided by God's will through the contemplative practice.
Foyer Groups - small, randomly assigned gatherings of five to seven people who share a meal and conversation on a rotating basis, usually in members' homes or at a local restaurant - meet monthly on a six-month rotation. The Brotherhood of St. Andrew meets for breakfast at 8:45 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month, with a program following at 9:00 a.m., and welcomes all men and boys (and, at St. Luke's, women and non-binary persons). The parish's chapter of the Daughters of the King, the Magnificat Chapter, gathers frequently for prayer, study, and service projects, with new members always welcome.
Outreach Across Louisville and Beyond
Outreach is woven into the rhythm of parish life at St. Luke's. Each month the congregation supports a Monthly Mission Partner, learning about its work and taking up a collection on the final Sunday of the month. Past partners have included Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief, Food for the Poor, Wellspring Mental Health Services, Blessings in a Backpack, Home of the Innocents, Prodigal Ministries (which supports people transitioning from prison), and the Virginia Theological Seminary.
Three long-standing partnerships anchor the parish's outreach. St. Luke's is a supporting parish of Eastern Area Community Ministries, which serves the eastern part of Jefferson County; each month parishioners fill "Big Red Bags" with requested goods for EACM's food pantry, and an annual diaper drive supports new mothers in need. The parish has partnered with Kentucky Refugee Ministries for several years, assisting in the resettlement of families from Afghanistan and Ukraine. And St. Luke's has hosted its annual Silver Tea fundraiser for Home of the Innocents - which serves medically complex children and families in the welfare system - for several decades, with individuals and groups also volunteering directly.
St. Luke's also shares its campus with wider community life. A free caregiver support group, hosted in partnership with the Alzheimer's Association, meets on the third Friday of each month. The Cub Scout Pack 274 meets on campus. GriefShare, a support group for those who have lost a loved one, gathers in Board Hall. The parish's annual Lenten Fish Fry, Christmas and Easter ham sales, and other events raise funds for charitable organizations in Anchorage and Louisville. Free Forward Day by Day devotional booklets, based on the Daily Office lectionary, are available for pickup, and the church participates in the Kroger Community Rewards program at no extra cost to shoppers.
Pastoral Care and Lay Ministries
A team of Lay Pastoral Care Ministers supports members of the parish through listening visits, prepared meals, and notes of encouragement. Eucharistic Visitors bring communion to those at home or in the hospital, and a Meal Ministry provides food during times of illness or transition. Members are encouraged to call the parish office when facing illness, hospitalization, surgery, spiritual or financial crisis, or other life changes, or simply when they need someone to talk to.
The Expanded Campus
St. Luke's sits at 1206 Maple Lane in Anchorage, on the eastern edge of Louisville in Jefferson County. The parish owns five acres here and a footprint that includes the historic church, Lyman House (an adjacent property acquired in 1997 and remodeled in 2006 for church offices, named in honor of its donor), and the new addition completed in late 2021 and consecrated in January 2022. The Memorial Garden, adjacent to the sanctuary, holds two columbariums where members of the parish can visit loved ones in a quiet, contemplative space. A horse ring from the days of the Annual St. Luke's Horse Show remains on the grounds as a reminder of the parish's life.
Parking is available on both sides of the church. From Ridge Road, the upper parking lot is the first option on the right. From Owl Creek Lane, the lower parking lot is on the left, with grass pavers and accessible parking closer to the lower church entrance. Handicap parking is available on both upper and lower levels, and a ramp leads into the church and facilities. The right-side parking lot offers step-free access to a side entrance. Signs are posted at all entrances for visitors. The Anchorage Public School is the most familiar nearby landmark, and the well-known restaurant Village Anchor is across the railroad tracks.
Visiting St. Luke's
Ushers staff both church entrances on Sunday mornings, welcoming visitors and handing out bulletins with everything needed for the service. Visitors may sit anywhere in the sanctuary. If you arrive after the service has begun, the ushers may pause your entrance during the opening or Gospel procession.
Dress at St. Luke's is welcome to be whatever makes you comfortable - some attenders dress up, others come casual. Communion is celebrated at every service with wafers and wine. All baptized Christians are welcome at the altar; those who prefer not to receive may come forward for a blessing. The 10:00 a.m. service runs about an hour and ten minutes; the 5:00 p.m. contemporary service runs about an hour. Greeters and members of the clergy are available after the service for a chat or a quiet goodbye, and many people stay for coffee and conversation in Board Hall. Visitors are welcome to be as visible or quiet as they wish - no introduction is required.
Beliefs, Membership, and Stewardship
St. Luke's is a parish of the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Kentucky. The congregation joins with more than 85 million Christians in the Anglican Communion worldwide in following the way of Jesus through prayer, service, and compassion. The two main paths to membership are baptism and confirmation. Anyone already baptized may also become a member by transferring from another church or by requesting to be registered. Baptisms are scheduled at any of the regular services, with the exception of the season of Lent, and are always public in the Episcopal tradition.
Stewardship at St. Luke's supports worship and music, pastoral care, outreach to the community, and the many ways the parish shares God's love in word and deed. The parish's 2026 stewardship theme is "Tell Out My Soul," drawn from Mary's song in the Gospel of Luke. Gifts may be made online by mail, by credit card through an online form, by recurring payment, or through the Tithe.ly mobile app.