Church History

The history of St. Luke Presbyterian Church has been marked by many events. Some would appear to be important and dominant to even an outside observer; others are seemingly trivial, but are recognized by the members as having a truly important effect on our church life. Other events simply reflect changes that occur in the natural life of the church.

We begin our history with the formation of the church early in 1962. The first Sunday service of St. Luke United Presbyterian church was a 10:00 a.m. on January 21, in the Highland School. Reverend Kirby R. Wahl officiated. The church was off to a fast start by March with the Junior and Senior Choirs formed, as well as the Men's Fellowship Breakfast and Prayer Group. a senior high group met on Sunday nights from 6:00-8:00 p.m. and a women's study groups met on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. The first "Clean and Sheen Day" (our traditional clean-up day) on May 19, 1962, was to clean the site for the current church building.

The first meeting of the congregation (40 members) was held June 10th in the Highland School gym. Twelve elders were elected: Wallace Bucher, William Fleer, Robert Houdek, William Jendon, Irving Knodsen, William Kriegs, Allan Lawler, John Lauder, J. Ward Pearce, John Solin, Lisle Switzer and D. Earl Watkins.

It is noteworthy that some of our customs at St. Luke are carry-overs from the first year - greeters, coffee after worship, 10:00 a.m. service with abbreviated summer hours, flowers donated for the chancel, and Session meetings on the third Monday of the month.

By 1965, the plans for the church on Highland Avenue had been finalized, and ground was broken on June 27 of that year. The first service in the newly constructed church building (the northern-most section of the current building) was held on April 26, 1966. First-graders and older children attended the 10:00 a.m. worship service; Sunday school followed at 11:10 a.m.

As 1966 progressed, many changes occurred at St. Luke. The year brought the beginning of the Lukan Letter to replace the St. Luke Caller. An orientation session of three meetings was formed for new members, a young couples' club formed, we had our first Summer Vacation church School and a church library was formed on September 7. Reverend Wahl resigned in October.

In a congregational meeting on May 21, 1967, Kenneth Lynn Stewart was unanimously called as pastor, with an effective date of July 1, 1967, and an installation service on September 17 that same year.

In 1968, the church discussed both its short-range (one year) and long-range (5 year) goals. Out of this discussion came Youth Sunday, Youth Choirs, a summer picnic, a desire to increase the size of the congregation, and a need for more classrooms. The drives were paved and landscaping around the church was completed. The children's choir was divided into the Cherub Choir (grades 1-3) and the Carol Choir (grades 4-6).

Also, in 1968, Reverend Stewart and Joan Lappin were married. With enthusiasm and joy, Joni immediately began to contribute to the church, eventually forming the popular Celebration Choir, directing the Cherub, Carol and Chancel Choirs, helping with Sunday School, conducting numerous special programs, and generally adding a feeling of warmth to the church.

In 1969, a Junior High Church School Class was formed. In January of 1971, the board of Deacons were ordained. The first deacons were Allen Baldwin, Manes Claussen, Henry Coffman, Sally Downs, William Easton, Joyce Hradecky, Havey Merrill, Mary Pankey, Byron Patz, Pearl Pieroni, Nancy Scheider and Frances Wellman.

Beyond these early events, we can discuss our history in terms of worship, church school, church planning and enrollment, and finance.

Worship
Through the early years, the Order of Worship had been modified to satisfy the needs of the congregation, and by 1972, the Order included the following (in order): Confessional Prayer, Apostles' Creed, Sermon, Offertory, Benediction, and Lord's Prayer. In 1975, the Confessional Prayer was rewritten to reflect more contemporary language and those concerns and experiences relevant to the congregation; it was also re-titles "How Things Are With Us." This use of contemporary language and the stress on Christianity in daily life became a central part of the worship at the church and has remained so.

During this period, Reverend Stewart began wearing a white robe instead of the traditional black to further emphasize the celebration in worship and life.

Also, to further our ties with our community, Sunday visitors were encouraged to sign a guest register in the Narthex. This practice was expanded to include everyone by signing the familiar "Getting-to-Know-You Pads" during the service. Clearly, the congregation felt it was important to establish a feeling of community within the church membership, as well as include visitors. 

Strong attendance during 1972 and 1973 caused the church to schedule two Easter Services. In March, 1973, Sunday attendance was above 130 (membership was stated as 310). Special worship events included an Ecumenical worship service at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church and an outdoor worship service in the woods at a nearby forest preserve (both in 1975).

In the summer of 1975, Reverend Stewart and Joni, along with Jan Lyman Payne, the choir director at that time, attended a retreat in North Carolina from which a new Celebration service was developed. The service was a joyful celebration of the church and families. With contemporary liturgy and music, the service had numerous participants from the congregation (up to as many as 60 people), and often included musical accompaniment by saxophone, drum or guitars. The practice continued until about 1985, when the services were no longer strongly supported. 

At the same time, a new form of the Lord's Prayer was introduced to further emphasize the use of contemporary and meaningful language in the worship service. The new form received mixed responses and was later discontinued. In 1977, the church began the practice of permitting baptized children to receive communion at the discretion of their parents.

The period around 1983 brought a substantial monetary gift to the church that was used to make several capital improvements; a new Bible stand, candle holders, Carol Choir robes, a sound system, and most noticeably, new pews to replace the chairs that had been in the sanctuary for years. (Later capital purchases and improvements from the same gifts were a copier machine, a new roof for the buildings, a refrigerator for the kitchen, and an air conditioner for the sanctuary.)

One of the most important changes in the worship service, and indeed, in our daily church life, was ad addition in 1984 of our current Minister in Music, David Molnar. When David accepted the position, the music program was directed entirely by volunteers, and the leaders and workers were feeling the strain of multiple demands on their talents. David not only relieved this train with his leadership, but also strongly contributed to the program with his talents in directing and music.

In 1987, several unrelated events led to another major purchase for the church. The electric organ that had been used in the worship services had steadily been decaying and eventually needed replacing. At the same time, several unrestricted memorial gifts had been made to the church, along with a large gift specifically for a new organ. These circumstances led to the purchase of a new organ for the sanctuary, with the installation and dedication in the spring of the year.

Early in 1988, Reverend Stewart announced his decision to retire. It was agreed that his last Sunday would be February 14 of that year. Subsequent to his departure, several guest ministers were able to assist the church with the worship service along with liturgists from the membership. By April of that year, Reverend Jerry Andrews accepted the position of Interim Pastor. 

A Search Committee was formed and with the guidance of the Chicago Presbytery, a new minister was sought. In June of 1989, a call was made to the Reverend Howard L. Milkman, Jr. to serve as our minister. Reverend Milkman began serving St. Luke as Pastor on September 15, 1989, and was installed in November of 1989. Jean, his wife, and their children, Jennifer and Peter, quickly blended into the St. Luke family.

Under Reverend Milkman's guidance, St. Luke has developed a serious Missions Program. The church now actively participates in One Great Hour of Sharing, Public Aid to Develop Shelter (PADS), Church World Service CROP Walk, Habitat for Humanity, Cabrini Alive, Two Cents A Meal, LOVE, Inc., The Care and Counseling Center, St. Coletta's Child Care Facility for DCFS children and the mentally disabled, and The DuPage Clinic. These are programs where members give of their time as well as their money. They require physical labor, compassion and an awareness of how blessed this congregation is and a willingness to share those blessings.

Adult education programs have been established in the form of a Bible Study group that meets at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. After the worship service and the coffee hour, a Pastor's Class meets in the Senior High classroom to explore different forms of spiritual growth. The first Saturday of each month finds a breakfast and bible Study group meeting in Fellowship Hall at 8:00 a.m. A men's group meets twice a month in member's homes, and a women's Bible study group meets twice a month on Tuesday evenings. The women's Tuesday morning group has been meeting since Reverend Stewart's time with St. Luke and agrees that the most important fellowship comes with breakfast at the Omega Restaurant after their study period is done!

St. Luke is currently sponsoring three of its members in Seminary as they study and work toward careers in the Presbyterian Ministry. The current membership is approximately 250. A large percentage of the congregation is involved in St. Luke activities. 

The church facility has undergone several improvements, all of which were done by volunteers from the congregation. The church now has a ramp that allows people in wheelchairs to enter the portion of the building where the nursery and the Rotunda are located and one of the washrooms in the lower hallway has been made handicap accessible.

A stage has been built in Fellowship Hall by the congregation and is well used by both the Congregation and outside groups. A beautiful garden and front sidewalk was also put in place by volunteers from the congregation who invested a lot of 'sweat equity' in the project.

The church also enjoys outside sources of income from a Montessori School, Alcoholics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous and other groups who occasionally rent our facility. This not only helps the church financially, it enables the church to offer help to members of the community.

Reverend Milkman has infused the congregation with enthusiasm in many areas and continues to help the membership attain the goals it sets for itself.

Church School and Youth Programs
In June of 1973, five Sunday School teachers and the children of St. Luke participated in an Ecumenical Summer Church School with seven other churches. In March of 1975, the Session approved the use of the Lutheran Church of America Church School Curriculum.

In February of 1977, as a result of poor attendance and a poor response to letters written to parents, the Senior High Church School Class was disbanded.

In June of 1982, Vacation Church School was quite successful and remained so for a few years. Problems in recruiting new coordinators and teachers and in attracting students curtailed this program.

1983 brought a division of the Junior and Senior High groups to better address the needs of each groups of children. Also, an Adult Christian Education Class was formed with 25 members, nominally.

In 1984, the Session made one of the most important decision in the educational program - the decision was made to enhance our volunteer educational staff with a Minister in Education. Within a year, Ms. Valerie Moses (later Valerie Moses-Shaw) was hired for the position and her presence and efforts were widely seen as a turning point in the church school and young adult programs. A new vigor was introduced into the young people's programs, and an entirely new curriculum was selected for the church school. These quick changes, along with Valerie's on-going efforts, resulted in a striking change for the better in the Christian education programs offered to our children.

During 1984, the youth group also made their first trip to Camp Saugatuck, an event that was to become a highlight of the youth program in the following years.

Valerie Moses-Shaw left St. Luke in 1988, leaving a large hole in our educational program. A seminarian, Michael Deutsch, became the new Minister in Education. Michael continued to develop our youth programs and related well to our junior and senior high groups.

In 1992, Michael was ordained and moved on in his career. A search committee was formed to look for another seminarian. It had become increasingly difficult to find someone who could devote the amount of time required in conjunction with the salary the St. Luke was able to offer at the time. A member of the church, Laurie McCabe, volunteered to act, temporarily, as the Youth Director, overseeing the junior high group, now know as JAZ, and the senior high group, now called S.O.S. Laurie became a member of the church staff and served the church in this capacity until 1995.

The youth program was without a staff member until the fall of 1996, when another church member Renee Hyzy, agreed to fill the position until the new search committee is able to hire someone.

Church Planning and Enrollment
The leadership of St. Luke has always been forward-thinking. In June of 1972, a Long Range Planning Committee was established. In April and May of 1973, a small but enthusiastic group of members participated in "Purpose and Goals" congregational meetings. In April fo 1974, William Smith prepared a booklet containing the history, goals and purpose of St. Luke Presbyterian Church. In 1975, John Millar prepared a report of the Ad Hoc Program Committee.

The Committee on Tomorrow was commissioned in 1984 to recommend a set of steps to strengthen the programs of the church and estimate the costs involved. Later that year, the Committee delivered a report recommending improvements in the music program and the church school, among other changes. These recommendations eventually resulted in the hiring of David Molnar and Valerie Moses-Shaw, as noted above. The congregation was asked to increase pledges to support these changes and, with the encouragement of Reverend Stewart and the Support Committee, the church responded strongly.

On May 20, 1995, the Board of Elder and the Board of Deacons attended a workshop conducted by Mr. Ray Jacoby. The purpose of the workshop was to help the church leaders establish a sense of where St. Luke had been, where it was at the present point in time, and where the church would like to be five to ten years in the future.

Mr. Jacoby's suggestions at the end of the day included forming a Long Range Planning Committee and establishing a Mission Statement for the church. This statement would define exactly what the congregation of St. Luke Presbyterian Church stands for and would also give the Planning Committee and the governing boards of the church a guideline for developing programs that would support the mission of the church, the congregation, and the congregation as it interacts within the community.

The Planning Committee has been meeting on a monthly basis during summer months, and will be an on-going committee which will constantly review the goals and objectives that have been established to see if they have been met or if modifications are needed.

Church History as a Word Document