ABOUT US

History of St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Ada

​

St. Luke's Ada was established in July of 1891, and early in its settlement, several Episcopal families moved into the area. The roots of St. Luke's are in the organization of a guild for Episcopal women who began meeting in their homes about 1910. 

In 1939 the cornerstone was laid for the present church building. The church proper, and other later additions were built of native limestone quarried near Ada. The architectural design is reputed to have been modeled after designs attributed to Sir Christopher Wren. As St. Luke's grew and expanded, additional space was needed. The first parish hall connected to the church, a surplus WWII Army Air Corps barracks, was purchased and moved from East Central University by one of the founding families, and renovated in 1949.

​

In 1951 a new rectory was built to the east of the parish hall. In 1961 the Christian Education building (Blake Hall) was added to the facilities. In 1981, the original parish hall was demolished and the present parish hall, which included a basement, kitchen, nursery, new offices, choir room, and vesting sacristy was built, and the original vesting sacristy in the church was converted into the columbarium. In 1991, the rectory was converted into the church offices, a parking lot to the east of the new offices was paved, and in 1992 the previous office in the parish hall was remodeled into a larger vesting sacristy. 

Today, St. Luke's is generally recognized as a jewel of church architecture, certainly one of the most aesthetically pleasing churches in the diocese, and indeed, in the entire region. Our church setting is one of worshipful serenity, inside and out.