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Parish History
St. Luke's is one of the oldest church buildings in Grants Pass. It has been registered with the Historical Society and celebrated its centennial in
1995.
The cornerstone for St.
Luke's was laid in 1894. Construction began in
1895 with the first service held in the still-uncompleted structure in December of that year. Work continued into
1896, with services commencing again in the spring.
The large stained glass window on the south side depicts St.
Luke's and is part of the original church. The stained glass along the west wall indicates the length of the original church. (An addition was built in 1995 encompassing the present choir and sanctuary areas). The Guild Hall (now known as the Parish Hall) was built in
1905-06, and in the late 40s it was moved and attached to the main church building. At the same time the choir room, sacristy and chapel were added as well as the Guild Room (also know as the library) and the kitchen. The T.R. Adams family gave the bell and tower in
1991 as memorials. The Parish Hall was refurbished in
1992-93 and the kitchen was completely remodeled in
1994.
The first vicar of St.
Luke's was the Rev. Charles Hart who came here in
1895. He was followed by Isaac Dawson, Charles Booth, T.W. Daughters, H.D. Chambers, F. Williams, F.B. Bartlett, W.B. Hamilton, Charles Baker, George Clark, H.H. Mitchell, J.S. Edwards, Philip Nelson, and Francis Ball. When no permanent priest was available, lay leadership kept the church going, especially during the period between the World Wars.
The church achieved parish status on February 27, 1944. Rectors since that time include Leslie Dunton, Peter Barker, Willis Rosenthal, Albert Sayers,
Chester Shulda. and Fr James Boston. In December 2010
Fr. Todd Young joined St. Luke's as rector.
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