Welcome

Welcome to St. Luke, a community of Lutheran Christians worshipping and living together in Florence since 1895. We are glad you have found us and are interested in knowing more about us.

At St. Luke, we believe in the gospel message of the living Jesus Christ, who was crucified and rose from the dead. This gospel, or “good news”, we also refer to as God’s Word, and is the core message of the Church – the people of the Triune God. Our conviction is that the Word of God is proclaimed through the Bible and the Sacraments – Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Therefore, we are committed to classical Lutheran Christianity, a traditional yet enduring way of believing that the Bible and the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church guide and nurture our faith every single day.

We welcome you to join our church family at any time for the many opportunities we offer to discover God and how God is at work in the world through the risen Jesus Christ. Thank you for exploring our website to learn more about who we are and feel free to contact us at any time with your questions.

Brief History

In its meeting in 1895, the South Carolina Lutheran Synod voted to help the Lutherans in a number of South Carolina communities. This included the town of Florence. To this end the Reverend J. C. Trauger was appointed as the first Pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Florence, South Carolina. Reverend Trauger visited Florence and St. Luke had its first service on March 12, 1896 at the home of Robert Cronenberg. Fourteen Lutherans met on that Thursday night. One of their first tasks was to baptize little Anna Katy Marie Bissett. She was the first Lutheran baptized at St. Luke. If fact, she was later to become the first organist for the congregation.

St. Luke Lutheran Church lacked a permanent location and on March 10,1908 the first building was dedicated near the railroad tracks. This building served the congregation for nearly 40 years. By 1950, the building was too cramped and the railroad tracks so noisy that services had to be stopped when a train went by. It was time for another location.

The new location was on the corner of King Avenue and Winston Street. The new church building was dedicated on March 26, 1950. It served admirably until it became too small. St. Luke moved again to its present location on Cherokee Road, dedicated February 23, 2003. This sanctuary is poised to continue to serve the needs of its congregation and the community.