Our History

Our church was founded by German Speaking protestants who arrived into this heavily German Catholic community. The first call to form a congregation was May 13, 1860. The first formal constitution was adopted in October of 1861. The first name of the church was "The First German United Lutheran and Reformed Congregation of Jeffersonville." It changed in 1862 to "The German Evangelical St. Luke's Church." We were renamed in 1874, becoming "The German Evangelical Reformed St. Luke's Church." The name "Reformed" is inserted in stained glass over the front door of our 1915 building. In 1956 we became the United Church of Christ.                 Early photos, Time line and stories The first services were conducted totally in German and continued with some German language portions until the 1930's. Our founders originally met in small groups in each other homes, they gradually grew in numbers, and in 1861 bought an old Presbyterian meeting house where they stayed until this 1915 "Toledo" style building was erected. It is still a work of art today. The original Anchor Glass Co. stained glass windows are regarded as among the finest of any church in the Louisville area. The building has been expanded from its original footprint and frequent lovingly respectful renovations take place to keep it sound and safe. In 1937 the Ohio River flooded at the 500 year flood level and wiped out most of the communities on both sides. St. Luke's is three blocks from the river and for several days the only entrance to the sanctuary was by rowboat. The 1937 Flood provided an opportunity as well as a financial crisis. The farmers of the congregation donated hogs for sausage, the women baked pies and made German food, and the community was invited to the first fundraiser, now known as the "Sausage Supper." It has continued annually through this year with great community participation. We recently added another festival for the Fall we call "Octoberfest" with a different menu, still German. We keep the living records of the church in our Heritage Room with archives and artifacts of the journey of faith by members past and present. We respect and honor the past; but we do not remain there. Today, St. Luke's is a leader in community eccumenical projects. We were cofounders in 1970 with Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, and Disciples of Christ of the Center for Lay Ministries. We give food and aid to over 15,000 individuals annually as well as serve as a clearing house for Christmas Baskets and together foster cooperative Christian projects. "Loaves and Fishes" provides a meal to the hungry individuals each Saturday, using a different congregation to prepare it in our kitchen. We share community Lentin Services together and meet here for lunch and blessing of the community palms for Palm Sunday. Other groups use our building to meet as a part of our community ministry. Today we are a diverse congregation. All races are represented and we are open to new people and ideas. Very few members can speak German. It has never been a goal to be a mega-church, but healthy growth and community service remains a priority Early photos, Time line and stories