The 130-year history of St. Luke’s has been full of challenges faced with loving faith and resilience. St. Luke’s was originally called St. Stephen’s when it was founded by 20 local families in 1891. A donation of land from Thomas Burke, John Leary, and William R. Ballard allowed the group to build its first building in 1892. The church struggled in its early years and closed in 1910, but reopened later that same year and was renamed St. Luke’s.
After initially experiencing enough growth to fund the 1924 church building currently on the corner of 22nd Ave NW and NW 58th St., St. Luke’s continued to struggle and was again on the brink of closure in 1960 when The Rev. Dennis Bennett was called as priest. Under Canon Bennett’s leadership, St. Luke’s became known as the “birthplace” of the Charismatic Renewal Movement. In his book about the Charismatic Renewal, Nine O’Clock in the Morning, Canon Bennett wrote, “These good folk who had struggled for so many years to do something for God in Ballard were suddenly aware of His power and glory in them in a new way.”
Under Bennett’s leadership, St. Luke’s experienced tremedous growth and built its current worship space, Bennett Hall, on the corner of 22nd and 57th to accommodate the growing congregation. After Canon Bennett left St. Luke’s in 1981, the church continued to grow, eventually launching a mission in 1986. St. Luke’s began its Edible Hope meals ministry in 1988.
In 2010, many members of St. Luke’s opted to leave The Episcopal Church to start a new church, leaving the parish again on the verge of closure. With ever-faithful efforts of dedicated clergy and parishioners, St. Luke’s was reborn again and is in a new period of growth with new community members, an expanded meals ministry, a community garden, and partnerships with several community organizations, including The Bridge Care Center, Pangea Church, and The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology.