St. Luke M. E. Church
St. Luke's
Springfield Leader, August 20, 1927, page 2
Church founded under tree plans expensive new edifice; Six charter members who saw St. Luke Church spring from open air meetings now hope to aid in getting larger temple.
"A handful of Christians, feeling need of a church and Sunday school in the extreme northwestern part of the city, where there was none at the time, began meeting under a huge shade tree on Atlantic near Nettleton, 18 years ago. As a result of those meetings the St. Luke M. E. church now stands at Nettleton and Atlantic, near the big tree which once served as an open air edifice.
"The edifice consists of a basement and an auditorium and another basement has been constructed on which an auditorium, almost twice as large as the present auditorium, will be erected within the next few years, probably next year.
"From the devout handful the church has grown to boast 250 members and many regular worshippers who are not members; 16 Sunday school classes of three departments; three Epworth leagues; two missionary societies; a Boy and a Girl Scout troop; and a cradle roll headed by Mrs. L. M. Williams, one of the six living charter members. Other survivors of those first meetings under the giant oak are Mrs. O. B. Cooper and Mrs. Sarah Cole, both of whom are active workers, E. O. Cooper of the board of stewards, Mrs. E. O. Cooper and L. M. Williams, on the board of trustees. Cool weather in the late autumn drove the Sunday school classes to take quarters over a drug store at Newton and Atlantic Streets.
"The following spring a basement was erected in which services were held. Later a roof was put over the basement. And later a chapel was added.
"Recently the church had a large basement constructed which will be part of its new edifice and the present church will be divided into Sunday school rooms when the new church becomes a reality.
"The Rev. James M Decker, 19-year-old pastor of the church who took the pastorate last September, this year added a record number of 35 members to the church roll. Eighteen were taken in on one Sunday."
This church building was on the northwest corner of Nettleton and Atlantic until about 2006, when the building was purchased by the Queen of All Saints Catholic Church. The corner stone of the building suggests that the current building was built in 1958.
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