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A Caring Church Metuchen, NJ
The Mission of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is to live out our Baptismal Covenant to be the Body of Christ:
Welcome To The Feast! “This is the Lord’s table, not the Episcopal Church’s, and all the baptized are welcome at His feast.” This phrase, used during our invitation to Communion, is beloved by our parish. Strongly valuing diversity and inclusiveness, St. Luke’s Church counts nearly 800 people as worshippers and ministers of God. They, alongside the clergy, serve over 35 ministries within the church and in outreach to our community. At our feasts we embrace the new and the traditional practices of worship, as reflected in the celebration of both Rite I and Rite II of the Eucharist every Sunday and that we sing from three different hymnals. Every week the Rector invites all those who have celebrated a birthday or anniversary or would like to give thanks at the altar of the Lord to come forward for a blessing. We are committed to providing a Christian Education for all through the inspired preaching of the Word and the dedicated teaching of values, scripture, songs and stories of our faith.
When Do We Share His Feast?
Where Is The Feast? St. Luke’s Church is located in Metuchen, a small borough in central New Jersey, which is surrounded by the larger township of Edison. Approximately 25 miles from New York City and 55 miles from Philadelphia, Metuchen provides easy access by car, bus and train to two major metropolitan centers, yet Metuchen possesses a warm, small town quality. Metuchen and the surrounding communities have excellent schools and municipal services. The area is rich in social activities for all ages and a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Our church was established in 1864, and the church building was constructed in 1868. In the 1950s, we expanded our facilities. The addition includes clergy and administrative offices, classrooms, choir room, chapel, kitchen, large auditorium and space for group meetings and various social and cultural events. During the 1970s the St. Luke’s Memorial Garden was established for the interment of ashes; currently there are 144 people interred in the garden. The Garden is a place for meditation, for the annual Easter Egg hunt, and for summertime lemonade and cookies after the 10 AM service. In the 1980s, the interior of the church was remodeled to accommodate modern liturgical practices without compromising the historic character of the original structure. Most recently, the chapel was totally remodeled and named the Holy Family Chapel and we have installed a new digital organ.
Who We Are! Our demographics are as diverse as our personalities. While 75% of the congregation live in the Metuchen/Edison area, the remainder are drawn from a wide area. It takes 60% of us less than 10 minutes to get to church, 22% of us 10-20 minutes; and 9% of us travel 20-30 minutes. 65% of us are married, and 75% of us attend church about every week. 35% of us have been a part of the parish for more than 25 years, whereas 40% have been members for less than 10 years. 55% of us are employed full-time, 10 % are employed part-time, 8% are self-employed, 6 % are currently unemployed, and 28% of us are retired. Our most common professions are professional (17%), managerial/executive (16%), education (13%), and full-time homemaker (12%). 33% of us have a graduate degree, 30% have completed a four-year college, and 25% of us have a two-year college degree or high school diploma.
A Brief History of the Parish Before the Civil War, a number of Metuchen village residents attended St. Paul’s Church in the neighboring town of Rahway. With the encouragement of St Paul’s rector, services began in Metuchen at the home of Henry Handy in 1867. The new congregation grew rapidly, and in 1868 construction began on the church building. Designed by the noted ecclesiastical architect Richard Upjohn, St. Luke’s Church is a fine example of a Carpenter Gothic church. During its first 50 years, St. Luke’s served as a “chapel of ease” for the “riding club” set and various New York literati who used Metuchen as a rural retreat. In fact, the town was known as the “Brainy Borough” because of the number of prominent literary figures who resided here. Henry Mills Alden, legendary editor of Harper’s Magazine was a warden, and the poet Joyce Kilmer was married at St. Luke’s. Frequent parish visitors included Mark Twain, Helen Keller, Joseph Pulitzer, and Ogden Nash. In the late 1950s, central New Jersey mushroomed into a major suburban area. At this time, the Rev. Dr. William Hugh Fryer became rector and presided over a time of major growth and construction at St. Luke’s. With more than 300 families on the parish list and over 350 church school students, more space was needed, and a brick education building was added in 1960 and enlarged in 1968. After Dr. Fryer’s retirement in 1969, the building was named “Fryer Hall” in his honor. In 1970, the Rev. E. Walton Zelley became rector, and under his leadership the church greatly expanded its ministry to the community. We became a home to many 12-Step and other community programs. St. Luke’s was instrumental in establishing a shelter for homeless women and children. It was housed in the auditorium of Fryer Hall until a larger facility was secured. Also under Fr. Zelley’s leadership, we established St. Luke’s Memorial Garden and renovated the interior of our buildings to reflect more current liturgical practices. Fr. Zelley retired as Rector Emeritus after 28 years of service. Within the Diocese of New Jersey, St. Luke’s Church has become known as a training ground for those who are exploring their call to the ordained ministry, seminarians, and newly ordained priests. The church has raised up many new priests from its parish ranks, and many of our curates have gone on to successful and prominent ministries, both within and outside the diocese. The Rev. Jonathan B. Percival is providing the ongoing leadership of our parish. His kind and generous nature is reflected in our many and varied parishioner-enriching and outreach programs.
The Diocese of New Jersey For many years, St. Luke’s has taken a position of leadership in the Diocese of New Jersey. We are, and have been, supportive of our diocese and look forward to helping guide this diocese as we all face the challenges of the new millennium.
A Brief History of the Community The Borough of Metuchen (Meh tuch’ en), that recently celebrated its Centennial, was named for Chief Metuching. Originally part of the township of Woodbridge, Metuchen remained a small village until the beginning of the railroad era, when the construction of a railroad station on Main Street spurred a surge in commercial and residential development. In 1870, it became the commercial, cultural and political center of the new township of Raritan. In 1900 Metuchen became an independent borough. Despite a modest amount of light industrial development after World War II Metuchen continues to be a desirable residential community. The town supports parks as well as other recreational and cultural activities. The St. Luke’s auditorium is a major site for the Borough’s New Year’s Eve celebration, with a variety of shows and activities for all ages. Another of the town’s major assets is a highly rated school system. Median scores on all standardized tests are above local, regional, state, and national averages. Metuchen High School was ranked 27th in the most recent New Jersey Magazine’s list of the top 75 public high schools (9/98) and offers a rich collection of extracurricular activities. Currently, there is an initiative to incorporate community service activities as a regular part of the high school curriculum. Surrounding Metuchen is the Township of Edison, formerly known as Raritan Township. First settled in the late 1600’s, it, like Metuchen and much of central New Jersey, is rich in both pre-Revolutionary and Revolutionary War history. Raritan Township grew rapidly in the late 19th century as the Pennsylvania Railroad made this rural landscape more accessible. The most famous passenger to arrive via the railroad was Thomas Alva Edison, the “Wizard of Menlo Park.” Edison established his world-famous industrial research laboratory in 1876. In 1937, the Edison Memorial Tower was erected to commemorate the years Edison spent at Menlo Park. In 1954 the township’s name was changed to Edison.
From the
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