St. Luke's Episcopal Church (East Greenwich, R.I.)

St. Luke's Church in East Greenwich was founded in 1833 when a small group of Episcopalians led by Dr. Charles Eldredge formed a congregation under their first rector the Rev. Sylvester Nash. On January 21, 1834 St. Luke's Church in East Greenwich was incorporated by the Rhode Island General Assembly. The first service was held at the Kent County Courthouse on Main Street in East Greenwich, RI and for several months services were held at the East Greenwich Academy. The church was built and consecrated on April 17, 1834, on property bought from the Catholic Congregational Church.

Rev. Nash resigned in 1840. The Rev. William Henry Moore, who succeeded him, remained until 1841. Dr. Silas Crane became rector and remained until his death in 1872. He led the congregation to financial independence from the diocese, moving the congregation from mission to parish status. During his rectorship, an organ and the present baptismal font were given to the church by Colonel William Goddard.

In 1874 a rectory was built on the corner of Rector and Church Streets. This was home to the rectors and their families until 1984 when it was sold and the proceeds invested to provide a housing allowance for our clergy.

The original St. Luke's Church building was sold to Elisha Potter for $500 and moved to Warwick, R.I. to be used as a grist mill. The interior furnishings were kept and used in the new building. The cornerstone of the old building was laid in the northeast buttress of the now granite church built in English Parish Gothic style, designed by renowned architect Alexander Rice Esty (1826-1881). The first service was held on Christmas Day, 1876.

Under the leadership of Rev. Daniel Goodwin, St. Luke's fifth rector (1879-1893) the St. Luke's Guild was formed. Another important group was the Parish Aid Society formed in 1896 to perform work in fundraising, charity work, and mission work. When Rev. Goodwin resigned he remained in the area and often preached at the church. He was replaced by Rev. Paradise who remained only a year.

Rev. Francis Whitcome came to St. Luke's in 1894 and continued the work of Rev. Goodwin. The Altar Guild and Girls Friendly Society were both established during his rectorship. A parish house was constructed diagonally across from Church and Peirce Streets in 1896 for $10,000 . The parish house served until it was outgrown and a new one was built in 1962 on land once belonging to the East Greenwich Academy. The old parish house was leased to the Farm Bureau and then sold in 1963 to house the Southern R. I. Cooperative Extension of the University of Rhode Island.

Rev. William Worthington received the call in 1899. Under Rev. Worthington, the choir began singing at Christmas and Easter in 1899, and first parish newsletter, The St. Luke's Record and the Yearbook were published between 1903 and 1911 and contain many articles on the history of St. Luke's researched and written by Rev. Worthington.

In 1906, Swedish Lutherans split with their church and came to St. Luke's to hold services. In 1907, they asked to be called the St. Luke's Swedish Mission in an effort to be gradually assimilated into St. Luke's congregation. This never came to be and a short time later the group was reunited with its church on Division St.

The men, although active in social and fund raising activities, were not as quick to form groups within the church as the ladies were. It was not until 1904 that The Brotherhood of St. Andrew was formed with six members. The charge of this group was to promote church attendance but it proved futile and the effort was abandoned by 1916.

Rev. Worthington left St. Luke's in 1915. Rev. James Conover replaced Worthington; in 1918 he volunteered to serve the Red Cross as chaplain overseas. Even though the vestry voted to extend him a leave of absence with pay, he chose to submit his resignation and it was accepted. Rev. John Merritt Hunter was called to be rector in 1918 and remained until 1925.

In 1923, a spire was added to the church with a set of chimes given by the widow of former Rector Daniel Goodwin . A condition of the gift was that the chimes be played each Sunday. That same year an Austin organ was given to the church by Daniel Peirce. At this time East Greenwich had no public kindergarten. St. Luke's agreed to let the town use the parish house. An agreement was reached concerning costs for coal and janitorial services and mutual use of the equipment. This arrangement lasted for several years. Rev. Hunter's rectorship was plagued by financial hardship; cuts were made to many of the mission works performed by the parish. In October of 1925 the discouraged rector resigned as pastor. The Rev. Charles A. Meader was asked to be rector and remained until 1942.

During Rev. Meader's rectorship St. Luke's men established the St. Luke's Equestrian Society. It hosted an annual horse show from 1936 to 1939. It is unclear why the group ended activity that final year. In 1942 the East Greenwich Academy closed with the property retained by the town. Eventually the parish would purchase that property for its new parish house.

John Lovell Pickells became rector in 1943 and remained until 1963. In 1962 a new parish house was built on the East Greenwich Academy land purchased from the town. The old parish house was leased in 1960 and eventually sold in 1962 to the Farm Bureau now known as the Southern Rhode Island Cooperative Extension Service.

During this time there had been talk of hiring a curate and a committee was formed. This committee was disbanded and a new one formed as a Rector Search Committee when Rev. Pickells tendered his resignation on March 21, 1963. He then became chaplain at the South Kent School in Connecticut. After much deliberation, Alfred Burns was asked to become Rector in January, 1964. After the selection of a new rector was completed attention turned to searching for a curate. Rev. Clifford Carr was chosen in the spring of 1964.

In 1966, St. Luke's purchased Camp Saugatucket, a 59 acre tract of land in South Kingstown, to provide a place for retreats and various outreach programs (The property was sold in 1986. The proceeds formed the Mission and Building Repairs Fund in 1988.) Also in 1966, Rev. Carr left St. Luke's for another parish. Those who succeeded Rev. Carr were then known as assistant or associate rectors rather than curates: Rev. Larimore Patten (1966- 1967), Rev. James Knudson (1967- 1973), Rev. Melvin Harper (1973-1978), Rev. David Helms (1979-1980), Rev. Donald Parker (1981- 1985), Eletha Buote Greig (1985-1991), Rev. Hedwig Neal Deacon, 1992- present.

St. Luke's participated in two rector exchange programs with parishes in England. The first in 1973, was for three months from St. Martin's Stanford. The second, in 1975, was from St. Peter's, Meavy and lasted for four months. Another mission was with the Diocese of Barbados. Several trips occurred between 1978 and 1980 as part of its missionary outreach. This eventually lead to the sponsorship of a student from St. Vincent Island to the University of Rhode Island in 1981. She graduated in 1985.

Rev. Burns retired in 1986.

Rev. David Gillespie became the rector in 1986 and remained until 1989. Rev. Gillespie left St. Luke's and was replaced by Dr. R. Craig Burlington on February 2, 1992.

From the description of Records, St. Luke 's Episcopal Church, East Greenwich R.I., 1815-2001. (University of Rhode Island Library, Kingston). WorldCat record id: 144580770