It is difficult to imagine the very first worship service on that first Sunday in February 1925 when the six charter members held services in a small chapel with Pastor Duerschner presiding. As they worshiped together that first service, the Uldalls, Perrys and Blunks had dreams and visions of establishing and growing a God centered congregation that would become a beacon of loving service that would proclaim the power of Jesus Christ within the community. Those first years of mission growth and development saw the organization of the Ladies Aid and the first Luther League as the women and youth became cornerstones for the enlightenment and energy of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church at the corner of Alhambra and First Avenue. The total cost of our first church building was $2,959 in 1925. Subsequently, the parsonage was built and dedicated March 13, 1927. The building committee was extremely proud as it handed over a check in the amount of 10 cents, which was the balance in the building fund after ALL bills had been paid!
In 1930 Reverend A. C. Schultz became the new Shepherd of this flock and God blessed another dynamic church leader. Congregational growth continued and St. Luke's joined the American Lutheran Church. Another wing was added to the church. There were fruitful and busy years. In addition to ministering to his own congregation, Reverend Schultz served Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Linda and Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Lodi and, when God called the Reverend F. Meineke from this earth, he also served St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Elk Grove.
The peaceful sounds of reverent quiet were shattered by a war and St. Luke's watched sadly as Charles L. Beck, Jr., became its first young man to leave for service in the Navy. In 1943, memorial services honored twenty-three young men who had served God and country, including Pastor and Mrs. Schultz's son, Robert.
In the years following the long awaited return of peace, St. Luke's expanded its membership from its original six families to 496 baptized and 327 confirmed members and increased its impact upon the surrounding community. "The Little Church with the Big Welcome" joyously sang praises to God from new hymnals and heard the music of the new organ. It was then necessary to add another wing to the church. Expansion was made in as many directions as was possible and by 1949, plans to build a new church facility on the same site had begun.
Interestingly, in 1950 when we celebrated the 25th Anniversary, separate "German Services" were no longer held as part of special celebrations, which was the case for the tenth and twenty-year services. The new church building plans were fueled by the excitement and enthusiasm generated by the Women of the Church (no longer called the Ladies Aid) and the thirty member strong Luther League. A dedicated choir, a blossoming Sunday School and a Vacation Bible School that ministered to over 100 students daily with "hymn-singing, Bible stories, handwork, and mission stories, as well as slides and moving pictures" also shared the faith and evangelized God’s word. The new church building on Alhambra Boulevard was dedicated September 30, 1951. On June 26, 1955, Ralph Herman was ordained into the ministry. The Rev. Luther Kroenk was installed as the Assistant Pastor in 1956 and he stayed until 1959. On June 25, 1961, Ralph Schultz was ordained.
In 1961, after congregational discussion and approval, the site of Tangerine and Center Parkway was selected as the new location of St. Luke's American Lutheran Church. The Salvation Army's offer of $175,000 was accepted by the congregation for the Alhambra facilities. Indescribable joy swept the congregation as each member lovingly "supervised" the building of the magnificent new facilities. On June 7, 1964, Dr. Gaylord Falde delivered the sermons at the Dedication Services which were witnessed by 1,115 Christians.
In January of 1965 the beloved Reverend Schultz, who had served so long and faithfully, conducted his final services. At the dinner and reception honoring this outstanding man, there were few dry eyes as each listened to his word of farewell.
The Rev. Lawrence Sailer was officially installed and welcomed as the new pastor in February of 1965. He, his charming wife and lovely children gave much to the continued growth of the church. In July of that same year David R. Gainicke, beloved son of Albert and Thelma Gaenicke, was ordained into the ministry. That same month, William Lee, son of the Walter Lee's, was ordained. The fruitful years of growth and good fellowship continued and the Reverend Harold Pickell was installed as Minister of Evangelism in 1967. By 1968, the beautiful flagstone courtyard was completed and songs of praise were sung to God by the children's Crusader Choir.
In 1970 St. Luke's Christian Day Nursery began functioning and children of all faiths were invited to enroll in this new facility. Daily work at the church was now accompanied by the happy sounds of laughing children at play. The next year, 1971, the congregation honored Pastor and Mrs. Schultz's 50th wedding anniversary and the 50th year of Pastor Schultz's ordination in the ministry of God. The church was filled with hundreds of their faithful friends who shared this beautiful occasion with them. In August of 1972 Pastor Sailer accepted a call to go to Patterson, California, and reluctantly the congregation bid farewell to him and his family. In October, the Reverend Wallace Lundeen came to St. Luke's from Faith Lutheran Church in Pioneer, California. The congregation gratefully welcomed Pastor Wally (as he was affectionately known), recognizing how deeply he cared for God's children. While in Pioneer he was instrumental in organizing the Society for Mental Health in Amador County and served as chaplain for "his boys" at the California Youth Conservation Camp.
In 1975, when St. Luke’s celebrated its 50th Anniversary, the congregation had moved into their new church, outgrew it quickly and built another new church in south Sacramento at Center Parkway and Tangerine Avenue. Our present church resides on 5 acres and includes a 300 seat sanctuary, classrooms, and a large fellowship (Schultz Hall) hall used for dinners, get-togethers, and recreation. At the time of the dedication in June 1964, Don Schell was the Recording Secretary, Howard Triebwasser was the Treasurer and Erwin Kiser was the Publicity Chairman. The early seventies brought about the first lay participation in worship services and the young adults of St. Luke’s offered unusual and meaningful services, both extremely powerful worship experiences we continue to enjoy to this day. The Rev. Carl Sandbeck served as Assistant Pastor from 1976 to 1984 and the Rev. John Allerson served from 1985 to 1991.
We have learned that looking back to our history can provide a resource to energize and expand our current faith and outreach. The Reverend Carl Hoppman accepted the call to serve St. Luke's in 1993 after Pastor Wally left in 1992. Pastor Carl Hoppman and the Year 2000 congregation of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church celebrated our 75th Anniversary of our first worship service that was held so long ago in a small chapel with seven souls ready to take on the world with their vision and excitement. We are the descendants of those dreams and have rekindled their fire to share the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ through our fellowship, our outreach to the community – both near and far - and through our commitment to our simple, yet inclusive, Lutheran catechism. It is truly amazing that the common thread we share with the Blunks, Perrys and Uldalls is the simple proclamation of our faith in the Apostle’s Creed. May God’s grace continue to shine on us and be with us as we continue to worship God and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, into the new millennium.
 | Our altar (shown to the left) was dedicated to the memory of Robert Shultz in 1951. The stained glass window (shown to the right) is located in the back of the church. Our Sunday service has the worshipper at heart. St. Luke's is a peaceful place to be with friends and family, to be renewed and refreshed with meaningful liturgy and sermons. Two Worship Services are provided every Sunday. |  |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| February 1, 1925 | First Worship Service, Rev. Duerschner presiding |
| April 10, 1925 | First Communion Service, 8 persons communed |
| June 7, 1925 | St. Luke's English Lutheran Church officially organized. Six persons signing charter. |
| July 26, 1925 | First baptism, Marie Emma Gates |
| August 18, 1925 | First wedding, Harlan and Dorothy Dunham. |
| 1927 | Luther League first organized, H. J. Hauge as first President. |
| November 30, 1930 | Rev. Arnold C. Schultz installed as as St. Luke's second pastor. |
| June 1, 1941 | Everett Uldall became the first person to be both baptized and confirmed at St. Luke's. |
| September 23, 1951 | Second church building at Alhambra and First Avenue dedicated. |
| 1951 | Altar dedicated in memory of Robert Schultz |
| June 26, 1955 | Ralph Herman was ordained into the ministry. |
| 1956 | Rev. Luther Kroenk was installed as the Assistant Pastor. |
| 1961 | Property at Tangerine and Center Parkway was purchased. |
| June 25, 1961 | Ralph Schultz ordained into the ministry. |
| June 7, 1964 | Church building at Center Parkway and Tangerine dedicated, witnessed by 1,115 Christians. |
| January 31, 1965 | Rev. Arnold Schultz retired after 34 years at St. Luke's. |
| 1965 | Rev. Lawrence Sailer accepted his call, remaining until 1972. |
| July 1965 | David Gaenicke and William Lee were ordained into the ministry. |
| 1972 | Rev. Wallace Lundeen accepted his call, remaining until 1992. |
| 1973 | Our official name became St. Luke's Lutheran Church. |
| 1985 | John Allerson was called and ordained into the ministry. |
| 1993 | Rev. Carl Hoppman installed at St. Luke's. |
| January 1999 | Website for St. Luke's Lutheran Church established. |
Sharing the Victory
