Get to Know: The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Town & Country and St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Manchester
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in so many ways. For the people of Good Shepherd in Town & Country and St. Luke's in Manchester, the pandemic has led to a new partnership that will celebrate our Christian ministry as one combined parish in the future.
St. Luke's:
St. Luke's was founded in 1904. It was first located Valley Park, where the manager of the local glass company began leading Morning Prayer for a small group of people. As that group grew, they built a church which also served as a public library, and a distribution center for food and clothing during the Great Depression. The congregation eventually moved to their current location in Manchester in 1968 and officially became a parish of the Diocese of Missouri in 1980.
Along with its worship, outreach and fellowship ministries, St. Luke's runs a successful preschool that serves West St. Louis County. From age 2 to pre-Kindergarten, children thrive in small classrooms where they develop at their own pace through hands-on programs and get a positive first-school experience.
Good Shepherd:
Good Shepherd was established as a mission in 1953 by St. Peter's in Ladue. It officially became a parish in 1956 and moved to its current location in Town & Country. The church sits on five acres of land, which has become an active part of their ministry.
Shepherd Farm is a community outreach project, growing 2,000-3,000 pounds of vegetables and fruits each year. An all-volunteer team plants, harvests, and delivers the organically grown produce to six local food pantries and community organizations that serve people who experience food insecurity.
The newest addition to the property is outdoor labyrinth, which Bishop Deon officially dedicated during his visit on June 26, 2022. The labyrinth is available to anyone in the community for a meditative walk or just quiet time with God and nature.
Merging the parishes:
St. Luke's and Good Shepherd have been in partnership for more than four years, with the Rev. Earl Mahan serving as rector of both parishes. He and the Rev. Pamela Stuerke, Assisting Priest, take turns leading Holy Eucharist on Sunday mornings at the individual parishes. Earl says the two parishes began a conversation as they started seeing a possible end to the COVID lockdown in December of 2020.
"During this time there was a growing sense that nothing involved with the church would ever be quite the same again," Earl said. "We also knew, as small parishes with limited resources, that to continue business as usual would most likely lead to a point within the next three to five years when both parishes would likely cease to exist."
So the two parishes entered into a discernment process, which resulted in a recommended merger. The vestries of each parish voted in March of 2022 to accept the recommendation to merge and begin a process of transition to create a new parish.
The combined parish will take on a new name and will worship at what is now Good Shepherd. St. Luke's facility will continue to operate as a sort of satellite site for mission and ministry (including St. Luke's Preschool and the worship home of Faith Christian Church of India, a mission in the Diocese).
The merger is expected to be finalized (from a canonical standpoint) at Diocesan Convention in November. Before then, Earl says there is a lot of work to be done.
"We believe it is important to celebrate and remember the ministries that have existed under the names of St. Luke's and Church of the Good Shepherd," said Earl. "In addition to continuing the important ministries that currently exist at both churches, we will also identify sacred objects, photographs, and other touchstones of the two parishes' ministries to be incorporated into the life of the new parish."
We look forward with great anticipation to watching this new combined parish bloom into a new community of faith!
Vital Stats:
Church name: The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd
Address: 1166 South Mason Road
City: Town & Country
Phone: 314-576-5502
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://goodshepherdec.org/
Worship Services: Sundays at 10 a.m.
Clergy:
- The Rev. Earl Mahan, Rector
- The Rev. Dr. Pamela Stuerke, Assisting Priest
- The Rev. Dr. Angela Ferree, Deacon
Mission: To share a place of worship and fellowship where our hearts meet God's light.
Members: 77
ASA: 26
(numbers from 2020 Parochial Report)
Church name: St. Luke's Episcopal Church
Address: 444 Brightfield Trail
City: Manchester
Phone: 636-227-1227
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://stlukesec.org/
Worship Services: Sundays at 10 a.m.
Clergy:
- The Rev. Earl Mahan, Rector
- The Rev. Dr. Pamela Stuerke, Assisting Priest
- The Rev. Dr. Angela Ferree, Deacon
Mission: St. Luke's exists to honor God by making disciples who will love Christ, serve Christ, and share Christ.
Members: 72
ASA: 25
(numbers from 2020 Parochial Report)
Good Shepherd, Town & Country -and- St. Luke's, Manchester
