A Brick Gothic in the Heart of Forest Hills
For more than a century, St. Luke's Church has stood at 85 Greenway South in Forest Hills, Queens, as the neighborhood Episcopal parish. The congregation began humbly in 1913, when fifteen people gathered in an upper room on Station Square, above what was then the local post office. From there it moved through services in private homes, into a temporary wooden chapel in 1916, and finally into the present brick church in 1924.
The building is a quiet landmark. St. Luke's was constructed in the 13th century English Gothic style, the same flexible form that has shaped small parish churches and great cathedrals from Canterbury to Chartres. Its architect was Robert Tappen, a member of the congregation who worked in the firm of Cram and Ferguson, the office then raising up the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan. By day Tappen oversaw construction at the cathedral; by evening and on weekends he drew plans for St. Luke's at his dining room table, with vestry members gathered around, fitting his broad vision to their slender budget. He donated both his design work and his oversight of construction, and the result is a soaring sanctuary that has welcomed generations of Forest Hills worshippers.
Anchored in the Eucharist
St. Luke's describes itself as a liturgical and sacramental church. The parish worships using the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, sitting within the Diocese of Long Island. The center of its common life is the Mass, also called the Holy Eucharist, celebrated every week and rooted in the belief that Christ is truly present in the consecrated bread and wine.
The parish holds to the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds and preserves the historic succession of bishops. It teaches that the church is the Body of Christ in the world, animated by the Holy Spirit, and made up of four orders: the baptized, deacons, priests, and bishops. Common life is shaped by the vows taken at Holy Baptism, which call each Christian to repentance, holiness, and service.
St. Luke's is also explicit about who belongs at the altar. The parish teaches that unity in Christ crosses every human boundary - race, ethnicity, language, age, socio-economic status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, or neurotype. It quotes St. Paul's letter to the Galatians at face value: there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for all are one in Christ Jesus. Lifelong Episcopalians, Christians of other backgrounds, spiritual seekers, and the simply curious are all welcome.
Sunday Mornings at 10:30
The Sunday Mass is sung each week at 10:30 AM, led either by the St. Luke's Choir or by a cantor. The service is livestreamed on YouTube, so members who are traveling, homebound, or simply unable to attend in person can still pray with the parish. Bulletins are posted online for the current week and past weeks.
Children are woven into the rhythm of the morning. Nursery care is available every Sunday in the Parish Hall on the lower level, and a side chapel off the church lobby serves as a kid-friendly breakout space for any family that needs a quieter option during the Mass. School-age children gather downstairs in the white and blue classroom under the nave at 10:15 AM for Sunday School, then come upstairs to join their families for the Eucharist.
Older children and teens are encouraged to serve as classroom helpers - a useful path for high schoolers looking to fill volunteer hours - and on Sundays without Sunday School, young people are invited to take on visible roles as acolytes, ushers, lectors, and bell ringers. The parish also extends a particular welcome to neurodiverse children and young adults who would benefit from a more informal church experience.
Wednesday Mornings at Ten
On Wednesdays at 10:00 AM, St. Luke's celebrates a Said Mass with Prayers for Healing. The midweek service gives parishioners and visitors a second touchpoint in the week to receive the Eucharist, pray for healing, and keep the rhythm of prayer going between Sundays.
Music that Lifts the Building
Sacred music is foundational to worship at St. Luke's. The St. Luke's Choir is open to singers of every background and experience level, from those sight-reading for the first time to seasoned choristers returning after years away. The ensemble rehearses each Sunday morning at 9:00 AM before the 10:30 AM Mass, with additional services on Christmas Eve and throughout Holy Week. A professional quartet anchors the choir, offering steady support so newer singers can thrive.
The choirmaster is Olivia Grugan, a Forest Hills native who grew up in the St. Luke's family. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Music from Mannes School of Music, performs as a soloist and ensemble singer across Queens, and also runs a private voice studio in Astoria.
Faith Formation for Grown-ups
Adults who want to dig deeper have a regular home in Theological Foundations, a series of classes held in person in the church on select Sundays at noon. The curriculum moves through the building blocks of Christian belief and Anglican identity - Creation and Humanity, Sin and Salvation, Scripture, the Creeds, the Lord's Prayer, Episcopal history, and the Eucharist and the shape of liturgy. The series is paced so that newcomers can drop in at any point.
Sacraments
St. Luke's celebrates the historic sacraments of the Episcopal Church.
Baptism is the starting point of the Christian life and is administered on Sundays of the church year during the 10:30 AM Mass. It is preceded by three preparatory sessions and is offered to individuals of all ages.
Confirmation is held at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City as scheduled by the diocese, and is preceded by two preparatory sessions.
Reconciliation (Confession) is scheduled by appointment with the parish clergy, with particular attention given to the seasons of Lent and Advent.
Marriage is celebrated according to the Book of Common Prayer and is open to baptized individuals of all denominations - only one member of the couple need be baptized. Three preparatory sessions precede the wedding.
Funerals are offered to all and are celebrated according to the Book of Common Prayer by the parish clergy.
In every case, scheduling begins with a conversation with the parish clergy.
The Annual Rummage Sale
The Rummage Sale is St. Luke's largest fundraiser of the year and a deeply established part of parish life. Held each October, the sale fills the church with vintage clothing, jewelry, a boutique section, men's, women's and children's clothing, linens, books, media, vinyl, and the kind of unclassifiable treasures that keep regulars coming back. A ticketed Friday-evening preview with wine, bites, and a raffle opens the weekend; Saturday brings the all-day sale. Volunteers are welcome in the lead-up and on the day.
Partners Beyond the Parish Walls
The Outreach Committee keeps the parish connected to the wider Forest Hills community through two long-standing relationships.
St. Luke's has partnered with Queens Community House for years to support its programs for struggling families and seniors. The parish collects non-perishable food each week for the QCH food pantry. In December, a Jesse Tree in the church collects Christmas gifts for kids at QCH. On Palm Sunday the parish compiles Easter baskets, and at the start of the school year members hold a backpack drive for students who need supplies.
Each year the Outreach Committee also selects a single grant recipient to support through Lenten mite boxes, the Sunday Hospitality Hour, and special collections. The 2026 recipient is America's VetDogs, which provides service dogs to veterans with disabilities.
Two other ministries share space with St. Luke's at the Greenway South building: Angels in the Gardens, a preschool, nursery, and summer camp for ages two to five; and ThinkingCap, an afterschool program for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Together they make the church a hub of weekday activity as well as Sunday worship.
Visiting and Getting In Touch
The church sits at the corner of Greenway South and Harrow Street, a short walk from the 71st Avenue / Continental Avenue subway station, served by the E, F, R, and M trains, and from the Forest Hills Long Island Rail Road station. Detailed driving directions are posted for visitors approaching from either direction along Queens Boulevard. Drivers should note that the streets of Forest Hills Gardens are private; a parking pass is available in the church vestibule and should be displayed on the inside of the driver's-side dashboard to avoid booting charges.
The parish office can be reached at (718) 268-6021 or office@stlukesforesthills.org. Father Bo Reynolds, the Rector, can be reached at priest@stlukesforesthills.org. Olivia Grugan, the Choirmaster, can be reached at choirmaster@stlukesforesthills.org. Annual pledges, one-time gifts, altar flowers, sanctuary lamp donations, and gifts to the Music Memorial Fund are all accepted online.
The People of St. Luke's
The parish is led by The Reverend Bo Reynolds, who became Rector after serving as curate and then senior associate at the Church of St Luke in the Fields in Manhattan from 2017 to 2023. A graduate of the University of Rochester and Union Theological Seminary, he and his husband Harry live with their two rescue dogs, DJ and Jasper. Assisting him is The Reverend Joe Occhiuto, a permanent deacon whose holy orders were received into the Episcopal Church by Bishop Lawrence C. Provenzano in 2015. A long career in advertising preceded his diaconal ministry.
St. Luke's is a parish where ancient faith meets modern life, where a Gothic sanctuary built a century ago still rings with a sung Mass, where children gather downstairs before joining their families at the altar, where a choir rehearses every Sunday morning at nine, and where the local community shows up - in food donations, in rummage treasures, in mite boxes, in leashed pets at the Blessing of the Animals - to pray, sing, learn, and serve together.