St. Luke’s Church Marks 125 Years

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As St. Luke’s Lutheran Church prepares for a new church building, they celebrated their past.  Following the regular Sunday morning worship service on July 24th, members joined Pastor Eric Hanson for a blessing of the land at the site of their future church building and gathered again at Rosie Park that afternoon in honor of 125 years of fellowship. 

A 4 PM picnic-style supper of bratwurst, chips, and fruit was capped off with decorated cupcakes made by St. Luke’s member, Kris Luhman. The social gathering was held in honor of the congregation’s milestone anniversary and included special guests, Pastor and Mrs. Ron Allen.  Pastor Allen, who served at St. Luke’s for many years, offered the pre-meal blessing and enjoyed visiting with his former parishioners.

There has been much discussion on what the future holds for the church.  “It’s an exciting time in the life of St. Luke’s,” said Hanson, who has been the minister there for the past two years.  He noted that the congregation is growing and it is not uncommon to have 130 members at a Sunday service even though the comfortable capacity of the current building is only 100.  A 7 PM Thursday service on the Zion Church grounds on 360th Street in rural Goodhue is only offered in the Summer, and the main location is landlocked on First Avenue, limiting expansion.  Construction planning began in 2017 when it was officially decided that relocating and creating a new, larger, more accessible building and ample parking area would be the best way to meet the needs of both young and old.

Although the project was slowed by Covid and a pastoral change, the plans have been drawn and nearly half of the money has been donated or pledged.  The building site is located on the far Northwest end of Goodhue’s housing development along County Road 6.  Expect to see dirt moving and a driveway created at the site in 2022 and actual building to begin in 2023.