A Half-Century on Apopka-Vineland Road
St. Luke's United Methodist Church has stood at the corner of Apopka-Vineland Road and Conroy-Windermere Road in southwest Orlando for nearly fifty years, growing into one of the largest progressive United Methodist congregations in Central Florida. The single campus at 4851 S. Apopka-Vineland Road anchors a sprawling ministry that includes two Sunday services, a child development center, a community counseling center, youth and young adult programs, mission outreach, a busy theatre ministry, and dozens of small groups and support ministries. St. Luke's describes itself in plain language: at St. Luke's, "you are loved, accepted, and invited to experience a community where everyone belongs."
The church is also known regionally for its theatre ministry, LGBTQ inclusion, public education support, and equity-driven initiatives. St. Luke's has launched four nonprofits focused on healthcare access, arts and financial support for entertainers, community development, and STEAM education in underserved schools. The mission is summarized in a sentence that runs through all of the church's materials: "We awaken disciples to reveal the Kingdom, and reveal the Kingdom to awaken disciples."
Two Sunday Worship Styles, One Sermon
St. Luke's offers two Sunday morning services that share the same scripture readings and sermon but feel quite different in atmosphere. The 9:30 a.m. Contemporary service meets in Founder's Hall and runs as a relaxed gathering with a live praise band; it is also livestreamed on YouTube. At 10:00 a.m., the Traditional service fills the Sanctuary with classic hymns, choir, orchestra, and liturgy; that service is livestreamed on YouTube as well. A Combined service appears on certain Sundays, and past services are organized in three YouTube playlists - Contemporary, Traditional, and Combined - so anyone can catch up on a recent Sunday.
Orders of worship are posted online through a Worship Guide page that links to the current week's bulletin. There is no dress code; the church tells visitors to wear "what's comfortable. Some people wear jeans, others dress up." Family rooms or "cry rooms" are available in the back of both worship venues for parents who need a quieter space. Children from six weeks through VPK are cared for in The Nest in Building B during both services, while Kindergarten through 5th grade attend The Treehouse, upstairs in Building C above the Rotunda.
For first-time guests, the church has saved parking places up front with visible visitor signage. Volunteers at the Welcome Booth help families check in their children and find their way around. Coffee, decaf, tea, and donuts are available on the way into worship.
Beliefs and Values
St. Luke's is a United Methodist congregation that puts "the love of Jesus Christ" at the center of its identity and organizes its life around five values.
- Acceptance: We recognize that Christ's love has no boundaries, and all God's children are welcome and belong.
- Hospitality: We welcome all to share Christ's love through help, hope, and healing, and live into the Old Testament understanding of God's loving faithfulness known as Chesed.
- Community: We claim a sacred place where Christ's love unites all to support and care for others while nurturing a personal relationship with God.
- Discipleship: We are called to be living representatives of Jesus Christ and to bring others to know God's mercy, justice, grace, love, and peace.
- Service: We respond to Christ's love and God's callings by sharing our time, talents, tithes, spiritual gifts, and resources.
The church holds the two sacraments recognized by the United Methodist Church: baptism and communion. Baptisms for infants and children take place on the third Sunday of the month at either worship service, after parents attend a monthly baptism class offered via Zoom. Adults seeking baptism join through the New Members Classes, and adult baptisms occur when new members are received.
St. Luke's has published a Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and a Vision for Racial Equity, both linked from the About page. The church understands discipleship and leadership as one and the same, summarized in four movements: Learn God's Story by engaging personally with scripture; Live in CommUnity by bringing experiences and perspectives into conversation; Love God in Worship weekly; and Lead Lives of Purpose by using voice, influence, and presence to live into callings.
Growing Up at St. Luke's: Children
St. Luke's Kids serves children from infancy through fifth grade, with Sunday morning care, a Wednesday night program, seasonal events, and a Children's Choir all running on the same campus.
On Sunday mornings, infants through VPK children are checked in by a parent in the Child Development Center hallway, the building directly across from the choir entrance to the Sanctuary. Kindergarten through 5th grade check in at The Treehouse, upstairs in Building C. Volunteers walk new families through the process; no pre-registration is required. The church takes an individualized approach for children with special needs, working with each parent to integrate the child thoughtfully into the classroom setting.
On Wednesday evenings during the school year, elementary-age kids gather in The Treehouse from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for worship, a Bible story, and small group activities built around a weekly Big Idea. Check-in begins at 6:15 p.m. in Building C, and pick-up is at 8:00 p.m. with a parent security tag. For adults attending Wednesday classes or book studies, childcare is provided for infants through VPK from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in Building A, Room 110.
Children's Choir rehearses on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in Building A, Room 201, with two rehearsal time options - 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. or 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. - chosen during registration. The choir season runs through the school year and includes performances in worship services. Other offerings include WeeSingers for the youngest singers, sports leagues in the spring and fall, Vacation Bible School, summer camps, the Pumpkin Patch fundraiser on the back soccer fields behind Building C, Fall Family Fun Night, and Sounds of the Season concerts.
Kelli Louden directs Preschool Ministries, and Charis Brassell serves as Preschool and Childcare Coordinator. The children's ministry email is children@st.lukes.org.
Youth: Belong, Grow, Serve, Lead
St. Luke's Youth Ministries describes itself as "a safe, inclusive, Christ-centered, brave space for middle and high school students where ALL ARE WELCOME to BELONG to a Beloved Community, GROW to Awaken Disciples, and SERVE to Reveal the Kingdom." The youth ministry runs a packed weekly rhythm: Wednesday Night Midpoint gathers middle schoolers, Sunday Night Highpoint gathers high schoolers, Sunday morning offers a reserved Youth Worship Section in Founder's Hall with coffee and donuts, and the Discovery Confirmation class walks students through the confirmation journey.
A typical Wednesday or Sunday night includes connect time, worship and a message, large group teaching, and small group conversation. Youth check themselves in and out of the Youth Center, so parents can drop them off. Event registration and payment run through Realm Connect. A weekly email newsletter called The Current goes out every Tuesday; parents and youth can also subscribe to Remind text updates.
The Youth Worship and Media Team is open by audition, training, and interview. It includes a Youth Praise Team, a Youth Tech Team, and a Youth Media Team that gathers photos and videos for weekly announcements and social media. Student Leadership runs four parallel teams - Connect, Worship, Grow, and Serve - that mirror the church's ministry structure. Youth Serve Nights partner monthly with local nonprofits including United Against Poverty, Period UCF, S.A.L.T., Circles West Orange, Disaster Response Initiatives, and Pathlight Home.
Brandon Sangster serves as Director of Youth Ministries, Matt Estep as Associate Director, and Cody Lach as Youth Ministries Program Coordinator.
NEXT for College-Aged Young Adults
NEXT is the college and young adult ministry for people ages 18 to 25, navigating life after high school whether in school, working, or still figuring things out. NEXT meets on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in the Youth Center. The ministry organizes itself around the same three words as the youth program - Belong, Grow, Serve - and offers a Young Professionals group, Pints and Parables gatherings off campus, classes and book studies, a community choir, and health and fitness and mental health resources.
Adults, Small Groups, and the Life Together Rhythm
St. Luke's invites adults of all ages to LEARN and LIVE God's story in community with others. The Life Together small group ministry offers a long menu of groups that meet weekly, monthly, in person, online, or in a hybrid format. Named groups include the Travel Cluster Group, the Thursday Morning Men's Group, Pints and Parables, New Directions, the Young Professionals group, Tuesday Friends, Thursday Evenings with Friends, the Thursday Afternoon Women's Bible Study, the Parenting Together Group, and Morning Edition.
For older adults, 50 North provides programming for adults fifty and over, and United Women in Faith maintains a local circle. The Men's Ministry hosts a Monthly Men's Breakfast in Founder's Hall. Women's Ministry creates space for women of all ages and stages to connect, grow, and be encouraged in faith and friendship. Classes, Courses, and Book Studies and Digital Courses on Demand round out the learning menu. Faith and Forks, a Monthly Wednesday Night Dinner in Building C's Welcome Hall, gathers adults around food and fellowship.
Healthy aging is taken seriously. A Health and Fitness group, a GriefShare support group, a Caregiver Support Group called Coping with Caregiving, and a Memory Loss Caregivers Support Group all meet on campus or online. A Parish Nurse is available to help members navigate health-related questions.
Music, Arts, and Theatre
Music at St. Luke's runs the full range from a contemporary praise band in Founder's Hall to a Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra supporting the traditional service. The Music, Arts and Theatre ministry is described as one of the church's distinguishing features. Adult opportunities include the Sanctuary Choir, a Christmas Concert Community Choir, a community choir, and Pints and Parables. For younger singers, the Children's Choir rehearses on Wednesdays.
Theatre is a long-standing tradition. St. Luke's produces a full season of shows in Founder's Hall, including a recent production of The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition. Volunteer opportunities exist for lighting programmers and operators, video slide operators, video camera operators, audio engineers, and worship leaders. A group called Hearts to Hands knits and crochets for those in need.
The church also operates Blessed Treasures Gift Shop and a Pumpkin Patch fundraiser on the back soccer fields behind Building C each fall, plus the annual Holiday Marketplace in the Coleman Memorial Gymnasium, now in its forty-fifth year.
Care, Counseling, and Walking Through Hard Seasons
The Care and Support ministry at St. Luke's is built around the conviction that "we are honored to walk alongside you in your journey." The Care team coordinates a wide network: Stephen Ministry for one-on-one confidential Christian caregiving; the Care Visitation Team for hospital, home, assisted-living, and skilled-nursing visits; the Care Call Team for regular check-in calls; the Caring Kitchen meal ministry for new parents, illness, bereavement, and other transitions; Hearts to Hands knitting and crocheting; and a Prayer Team that prays weekly for requests submitted online.
Weddings are officiated for members, and funeral planning is supported through a Memorial Garden. Pastoral care for critical or after-hours situations is available through an Emergency Hotline at (407) 876-4991, option 5; a pastor returns the call as soon as possible. Transportation assistance can be arranged for those who need a ride to worship or appointments.
The Community Counseling Center is staffed by licensed mental health professionals, including Dr. Joshua Stanley, LMHC, Director of Community Mental Health and Well-being. Toni Deputy serves as the office manager, and Kim Paredes is the Director of Care Ministries. The center accepts clients regardless of church membership, with scholarships available through a designated endowment fund.
Lisa Crump, RN, BSN, FCN, serves as St. Luke's Parish Nurse, providing listening, advocacy, health education, and coordination between members and their medical teams. She can be reached directly at 407-955-4756.
Recovery and Mental Health Support Groups
St. Luke's hosts several twelve-step and mutual-help groups on its campus. Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA), and a local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) all have ongoing meetings. A Caregiver Support Group meets monthly, and Coping with Caregiving meets on Zoom. Mental Health Resources compiled by the church point members to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the SAMHSA National Helpline, the Disaster Distress Helpline, and NAMI Florida.
Missions: Local, Global, and on the Campus
The Missions ministry describes its work as "getting hands-on in loving our neighbors" with opportunities to serve on the St. Luke's campus, across Central Florida, and around the world.
Local mission partnerships include Coalition for the Homeless, Inside Out Jail Ministries, Circles (a relationship-based poverty initiative), Youth Missions, Disaster Response, Educational Impact (a STEAM initiative in underserved schools), Hunger Ministries, Creation Care, Habitat for Humanity, Sleep in Heavenly Peace (building beds for children without one), Jobs Partnership, and Family Promise (family homelessness). Volunteer mentors are matched with families, and there are seasonal Build Days and Serve Days.
Global mission partnerships include Ireland and Cuba, plus Zoe Empowers, an organization that walks alongside orphaned and vulnerable children to launch their own businesses. A Missions Training and Advocacy track includes a Civics for Change Makers Lunch and Learn series on local issues and elections.
Amy Simon serves as Director of Missions Engagement and Saniye Kazan as Director of Missions Development. Mission giving can be directed online through the Pushpay giving portal.
Child Development Center and Early Education
St. Luke's Child Development Center serves children from 8 months through 4 years old in a faith-based environment designed to foster physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual growth. Programs include Parents Day Out, Preschool, Voluntary Pre-K, and Transitional Kindergarten. Registration opens in phases for existing and church families, alumni, and the general public. The CDC's curriculum centers on Christian values, and the school year includes chapel, music, and age-appropriate spiritual formation.
Danielle Cox serves as Director of the Child Development Center, Kara Hierholzer as Associate Director, and Kelli Louden as Director of Preschool Ministries. The CDC can be reached at 407-876-1155.
Getting and Staying Connected: Realm
St. Luke's uses Realm, the church-management app from ACS Technologies, as its central hub. Realm Connect handles event registration, class sign-ups, serving opportunities, group chat, attendance, contact information, and giving statements. The app is available for iPhone and Android as Realm Connect. New accounts are reviewed for safety, so it can take three business days to receive an invite. Members can request an invite by emailing realm@st.lukes.org.
Giving, Endowments, and Stewardship
Online giving is handled through Pushpay. Members can give one-time gifts, set up recurring schedules, or support endowment funds. Corporate matching and Disney VoluntEARS grants are encouraged for Disney cast members who work for or volunteer with the church. Non-cash gifts such as stocks and mutual funds are coordinated through the church's accountant. The annual operating budget is audited and reported back to members.
The Endowment funds are overseen by a committee elected by Charge Conference and invested with the Florida United Methodist Foundation. Designated funds include General, Capital Expenditures, Education, Arts, Congregational Care, Missions Capital, Community Counseling Center, McKeefery Seminary Scholarship, and Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra. Donors can also remember St. Luke's in their estate plan through wills, retirement designations, gift annuities, life-income contracts, trusts, life insurance, real estate, or memorial gifts. Scooter Leonard, Executive Director of Administration, oversees endowment operations.
Leadership and Governance
The pastoral team is led by The Rev. Corey Jones, Lead Pastor, who came to St. Luke's from Pasadena Community Church after years of service in children's, outreach, camping, and pastoral ministries. The Rev. Melissa Cooper serves as Minister of Adult Formation and Leadership; she is an ordained Deacon with a background in intergenerational ministry and curriculum writing for Sparkhouse. The Rev. Jayde Rasband Swygert serves as Minister of Care and Grow Ministries; she is an ordained Elder with clinical pastoral education and chaplaincy experience.
St. Luke's is governed by a Church Council chaired by Brittany Vega with Gary Schneider as Vice Chair, plus committees on Endowment, Finance, Inclusiveness, Stewardship, Staff-Parish, Trustees, and a Vision Committee. An Executive Committee and a 24 & More Vision Team handle strategic planning. A standing Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and a Lay Leadership team round out the elected structure.
Visiting and Getting Plugged In
Visitors can plan a visit online and download directions. There are three next-steps classes for newcomers: the New Guest Meet-n-Greet, held immediately after each worship service on the third Sunday of the month in the Sanctuary or Founder's Hall; Discover St. Luke's Class, an orientation that runs an hour and forty-five minutes on a Sunday; and Partnership Class for those ready to join the church.
Office hours run Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Fridays 9:00 a.m. to noon, and the office is closed Saturdays. Sundays are reserved for worship at 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. The main phone line is 407.876.4991. The church can be followed on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, with a dedicated podcast called Your Week With St. Luke's and a separate feed for the Live The Rhythm music series. The Current newsletter goes out by email each Tuesday for parents and youth, with customizable subscriptions for Children's Ministry, Youth, Music and Theater, Missions, or 50 North.