About Us

OUR STORY . OUR VALUES . OUR PASTOR . OUR STAFF

St Luke’s was birthed as a local community of faith in North Bellevue in 1957. We continue to grow, change, and adapt as our members, our local context, and our world continue evolving. We are excited to discern together what the Spirit of God might invite of us as individuals and as a collective in our quest to live faithfully present in the way of Jesus Christ.

Listening & Presencing Desire

Our quest is to actively listen to God, our neighbors, creation, & ourselves.

St Luke’s desires to be a community of people who are faithfully present to the many relational connections contributing to our shared life.  This quest for relational presence invites deep and ongoing listening to others, being moved by what we hear, and  faithfully acting to make more visible the kind of love and justice seen in Jesus the Christ. 

While many organizations have a vision and/or mission statements… we have moved away from defining our community by what we do, and seek to set our imagination on who we desire to become. We are also growing in awareness of the ways such vision and mission statements become unintended tools of colonization.  We seek to actively listen. 

Our Mission

We receive all people as loved, image bearers of God.

We seek to follow in the Way of Jesus Christ, who taught and embodied the love of God and love of neighbor as oneself. We sense that life is better when we live it together; so, we gather regularly. We tell stories to enlarge our imagination for justice and compassion. We engage in practices to foster welcome, inclusion, and intergenerational competence. All the while nurturing hearts of gratitude, generosity, equity, and kindness.

We receive all people as loved, image bearers of God. We’re prayerfully moving toward racial and class equity and joyfully welcome all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; simply seeking to journey with others in their spiritual quests. We have a passion to see all people in safe affordable housing. We believe that God loves and welcomes all into God’s family in Jesus Christ. We desire our gatherings to be a place of healing, grace, prophetic witness & belonging.

Our Story

There are many ways anyone or any group can tell their story.  In fact how we tell our “St Luke’s Story” continues to morph and change.  There was a time when we would have placed emphasis on the community’s cultural Lutheran heritage. We might have told our story through the ongoing evolution of our church campus, the pastors we have welcomed over all these years, or our ongoing quest to help those experiencing housing insecurity. 

But no matter how you tell the story, we are always a group of individuals seeking to follow the way of Jesus Christ.  We are a community of faith, and we seek to discover and participate in God’s dream of Shalom for all and everything.  We don’t claim to have a corner truth but together we are following the Holy Spirit into this moment, our moment.

Below is a short timeline of our history as told by Roberta Johnson, a charter member and author of the book: The First Fifty Years.

The Beginning - 1956-1962

n 1956 permission for the development of a new National Lutheran Church in Bellevue was granted. Army Chaplain John O. Larsgaard accepted a call to create the new church. A parsonage was purchased and ready for his arrival on September 1.

Organization of the church began with a Sunday School which included adult instruction class, Confirmation classes that met with the pastor at the parsonage, and a 15 member choir.

In 1957 the church was organized under the name St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Bellevue, Washington with a membership of 103. Construction of the church building began on September 15. By no means complete, the first service was held on Christmas Eve. Only one of the 154 members slipped off the entry planks into the mud.

Not everyone loved the church building when it was finished in 1958. Its modern design of pink, cream and later blue stripes looked more like a dentist’s office. However, everyone loved their charismatic Pastor. They were sad to see him answer the call to become Campus Pastor at Pacific Lutheran University.

Pastor Paul B. Pierson became St. Luke’s second Pastor in 1959 arriving in a bright red three-wheeled car. Confirmation students had a great time picking it up and moving it from place to place.

This was an era where women were formally addressed by their married names, they wore dresses to church with hats and gloves for special events while men wore suits. Church officers except the secretary were all men. Ushers and acolytes were boys
Strong, Healthy, and Growing – 1963-1971

The church was growing led in part by the adult Golden Band’s fellowship events. More room was needed. The Perkins property which included a home just north of the church was purchased. It would provide expansion for the Sunday School’s 206 students and room for more parking.

By 1966 plans were activated to build a new parsonage with volunteer labor and to build a new Administration complex with temporary Sunday School facilities. All members were requested to give 8 hours of volunteer labor to the building each month. After 9 years of members cleaning the church themselves, the first part-time janitor was hired.
Refurbishing programs included another parking lot, modernizing the kitchen and fellowship hall, the first carpeting in the Sanctuary, and best of all pews with cushions replaced folding chairs used during the first 10 years of worship services. New carpeting for the parish hall proved to be controversial. Its gold, orange, red, and black splashes looked fit for a theatre lobby. All agreed it did hide coffee stains.

The church building on top with its pink stripes.

 

Pastor Larsgaard, Herm Johnson and Pete Hansen with the first church sign.

Strong, Healthy and Growing - 1963-1971

The church was growing led by the adult Golden Band’s fellowship events. More room was needed. The Perkins property which included a home just north of the church was purchased. It provided expansion for the Sunday School’s 206 students and room for more parking.

By 1966 plans were activated to build a new parsonage with volunteer labor and to build a new Administration complex with temporary Sunday School facilities. All members were requested to give 8 hours of volunteer labor to the building each month. After 9 years of members cleaning the church themselves, the first part-time janitor was hired.

Refurbishing programs included another parking lot, modernizing the kitchen and fellowship hall, the first carpeting in the sanctuary and best of all, pews with cushions replaced folding chairs used during the first 10 years of worship services. New carpeting for the parish hall proved to be controversial. It’s gold, orange, red and black splashes reminded people of a theatre lobby. All agreed it did hide coffee stains.

1963 Church Service

Pastor Pierson

A Time To Celebrate - 1972 - 1977

St. Luke’s was the first church on The Eastside to use a Lay Administrator to handle the details inherent to the administration of an organization with as many interests as a church with a budget of nearly $50,000.

The 1972 Congregational Report included the first mention of quilts being made by ladies of the ALCW, the beginning of a 45-year tradition.

In 1974 Home Bible Study groups of about a dozen people informally discussed the Bible. A new organ was purchased for the Sanctuary. Groups and families were invited to adopt parts of the grounds for upkeep.

The Communicator, a monthly newsletter mailed to the homes of members and friends made its debut in 1976. The Good Samaritan fund was established in order to provide financial assistance for people in need.

In 1977, St. Luke’s twentieth year, women were welcomed as Liturgists and Communion Assistants. Families took over the role of ushers. Two hundred people attended the celebration of all that had been accomplished in the church’s first 20 years.

The First Fifty Years written by Roberta A. Johnson.

“Each church has a spirit of its own, a direct descendent of the Holy Spirit. Within these pages, discover how that spirit has led a community of worshipers to follow their Savior in a variety of ways.”

To read more, please inquire with our front office to
request a copy of the book.

Our Core Values

We believe in refuge, renewal, and reach for all people.

REFUGE

  • Community of Belonging
  • All People are Welcome
  • LGBTQIA+ Affirming
  • United Against Racism
  • Care & Hospitality
  • Culture of Compassion

RENEWAL

  • Following Christ’s Way
  • Discovering Faithful Presence Together
  • Wholistic Living
  • Word & Sacrament
  • Sustainable Spirituality
  • Shared Leadership

REACH

  • Deep Listening
  • Lamenting with Those Suffering
  • Loving Our Neighbors as we Love Ourselves
  • Embodying Grace
  • Finding Home Together
Rev. Dr. Mark Griffith

Rev. Dr. Mark Griffith

Our Pastor, Mark Griffith

I grew up in Southeast Alaska. My family and I lived in the little town of Craig and in big city of Juneau. The wild Alaskan back country was my backyard! Growing up I spent a lot of time outside fishing, camping, hiking, boating, kayaking, cycling, and so on. After I graduated from Juneau Douglas High School I left home for the “lower 48.”

I enrolled as a student at Pacific Lutheran University. My time at PLU was fantastic. I studied and worked hard, but also found time to play hard too. I was a guide and a trip leader for the outdoor recreation program and spent a lot of time exploring the Cascade and Olympic mountains. I studied physics at PLU and graduated with a B.S. in Physics with a minor in Recreation. I’m not sure anyone has repeated that course of study. I can throw a Frisbee and tell you why it’s flying! When I graduated from PLU I had the best intentions to pursue further studies in physics and eventually seek a career in the field. Despite my best plans and ideas, I felt this strange call to ministry. Unsure how to best answer that call I took a year off to discern what it was I really wanted to do with my life. After a lot of prayer, some fear and trepidation I answered this call and went to seminary. My adventure took me to Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. Now I’m not sure what was the greater leap; an Alaskan moving to Iowa, or a physicist studying religion.

I spent four years in Iowa working on my Masters of Divinity. While I had a great time in Iowa and made some amazing lifelong friends there, I am happy to be back in the Pacific Northwest. I was ordained in Juneau, AK on July 15th, 2007. Shortly after that I began my life as a Pastor in Shelton, WA at Faith Lutheran Church. I served as an Associate Pastor for two years in that congregation. After a wonderful two years in Shelton my wife was accepted to the UW Law School and we felt to keep a happy marriage happy a move would be in our best interest. That’s when I accepted the call to be the Pastor at Mt. Si Lutheran Church. During my time at Mt. Si, I completed a Doctorate in Ministry in Semiotics and Future Studies through George Fox University.

After a great seven years at Mt. Si I discerned the Holy Spirit nudging me to consider ministry in Bellevue at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church. After a lot of prayer and discernment I accepted the call and have been the pastor at St. Luke’s since May 15th, 2016. This is a warm and welcoming congregation that seeks to be a vital part of a healthy Bellevue community. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and look forward to the future! Feel free to get in touch with me pastor@slukes.org.

Our Staff

Cheri Neill

Cheri Neill

Minister of Music & Arts

Melinda Steen

Melinda Steen

Youth Director

Carolyn Norton

Carolyn Norton

Church Coordinator

Office Coordinator

Office Coordinator

Office Coordinator

Erik Steen

Erik Steen

Worship Production

Sara McAndrews

Sara McAndrews

Book Keeper

Johnny Hargraves

Johnny Hargraves

Campus Care

Our Care & Prayer Team

Arlys Kruse

Arlys Kruse

Vice Chair Person

Heather Erickson

Heather Erickson

Elder

Shirley Thompsen

Shirley Thompsen

Care Team Outreach

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Judy Buckmaster, Pres.
Arlys Kruse, Vice Pres.
Leslie Schofield, Treas.
Cheryl Caron, Secretary
Lisa Bliss
Liz Callahan
Diane Charouhas
Judy Kiesz
Laurie Stevahn
Lyn Wiltse

ELDERS

Roberta Johnson
Heather Erickson
Bruce Amundson

CONTRIBUTING LEADERS

Bob Stanbary
Harvey Roberts
Leslie Schofield
Joe Ingram
Erik Steen
Tom Bailey
Cheryl Caron