St. Luke's Episcopal Church, a conservative church in the Anglican tradition, is located in the Spray section of Eden, North Carolina, at 600 Morgan Road. The church began as a Sunday School (taught by several visiting ministers) in 1906, in a small structure two miles from the present location. The first Rector, the Reverend William Jones Gordon, arrived in 1910 and continued the work of attending to the spiritual needs of this small congregation while promoting social reform among them. During these early years of the twentieth century, the membership increased significantly and in 1924 work began on a new church. The simple Gothic design was the work of a local architect, Mr. J. W. Hopper; another local man, a contractor named Mr. Jim Chatham, was hired to build the new St. Luke's. Members of the congregation helped by collecting rocks from farmers' fields in the nearby Axton and Cascade areas of Virginia. These rocks adorn the church building outside and also inside the sanctuary; thus the building is known throughout Rockingham County to this day as the Rock Church. The first service in the new building was held February 7, 1926. The Rt. Rev. Joseph Blount Cheshire consecrated the church in December of that year, and by 1932 the congregation had exceeded 200.
Now on the National History Register, St.Luke's continues to represent a mood of evangelism, a principle that founded many churches at the turn of the 20th century. The mission Gothic architecture of the building is a physical reminder of the English roots of the Anglican Church and represents even today the proselytizing spirit that marked many successful congregations at that time.
Our Mission Statement is reflective of a work that began 100 years ago and over the years has seen a total of seven missionaries called from St. Luke's to serve in parts of the world ranging from Alaska to India to Singapore. St. Luke's mission statement is, To love and serve Christ as Lord and Savior and to make this known to others by sharing and taking His love to all the world.
A service of Holy Eucharist is celebrated on the first three (4) Sundays. Each fifth Sunday is reserved for a Morning Prayer service except on major feast days. Seasonal services are held during Lent, Easter, Advent, Christmas and other Principal Feasts such as the Day of Pentecost., Trinity Sunday and All Saints' Day. Holy Days and Days of Special Devotion are observed throughout the church year. The Book of Common Prayer serves as a guide for our worship.
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