One of my (potentially annoying) habits is making references to movies and TV shows when daily events inspire them. Having said this, I will now force myself not to fill this article with examples. I will limit myself to one.
“What did we learn?” is a very specific question posed at the end of the Coen brothers’ movie, Burn After Reading*, to which there is no clear answer. Fortunately for us at St. Luke’s, we have learned something through the Next Vital Steps (NVS) groundwork that the Vestry began this year.
As I described in my previous ACTS article, NVS is a process designed by EDOW to guide parishes in examining their health and purpose. Conversations with some early St. Luke’s members and a review of archival information are part of this process which reveals our roots and helps us understand our path thus far.
So “What did we learn?”
As most long-time parishioners are probably aware, St. Luke’s was a mission church from St. John’s Norwood. At the 1954 annual parish meeting, St. John’s adopted a motion to establish a chapel in the vicinity of Grosvenor Lane and Old Georgetown Road—an area then consisting largely of cow pastures. In the Spring of ’55, EDOW purchased the land for $23K. (Amazing!). While St. Luke’s name was selected because of its medical association and proximity to NIH, other names considered included Christ Church, St. James, and Trinity. Even though there were only duckboards in place for walking outdoors, St. Luke’s celebrated its first service on Christmas Eve, 1955. The 70th anniversary of the first service at St. Luke’s will happen on Christmas Eve this year.
St. Luke’s history is also part of a larger context. Montgomery County (MC) was an attractive option during the post-WWII DC housing shortage because of its commutability to DC, affordable farmland on sale for building, and its new, growing job market. MC’s population increased by over 95% between 1940 and 1950, and by another 107% during the following decade. (Wow!). Chances to prosper were not equitably available, however, as housing, Veteran’s Administration, and banking policies discriminated against non-white people. Employment opportunities were similarly biased.
Our path thus far:
Despite any variation of individual circumstances among those who shared their early stories, there were many similarities across recollections. These similarities continue as traditions or themes in the life of St. Luke’s. They are part of our identity. And when new St. Luke’s members were interviewed a few years ago, the same themes were named as characteristics that initially attracted them as newcomers. I wonder how these themes connect with your own experience at St. Luke’s: Social Issue Awareness and Action, Lay Leadership, Flexibility in Worship, and Youth Support.
